Experience at Kojen

My overall experience at Kojen was pretty good. The children were my favorite part of the experience. They were always very well behaved and very smart. It did feel like somewhat of a factory though - just pushing students through to the next level. Sometimes I wondered if they were really learning or simply memorizing sentences. But that seemed to be Kojen's style. Facilities were very basic, as were teaching supplies, but it was enough to get by. The rest of the staff was fairly friendly and always willing to help me with questions I had about living in Taiwan, but communications about specific class issues were sometimes few and far between. For example, I had no teaching experience before I arrived and only received one small piece of feedback in a whole year (which was 'when students are answering questions and speak too quietly, don't go over to them, make them speak up'). That was it - the only teaching advice I received the whole year. But teaching, for me, was a means to experiencing a year abroad. In that way, Kojen gave me exactly what I was expecting when I arrived. Teaching in the evenings (5-9 pm weekdays and Saturday mornings)gave me plenty of time to explore Taiwan with friends and get involved in the community (yoga and volunteering in the mornings/afternoons). The wage allowed for a very comfortable lifestyle as well (while saving some too).