I. Ideas and Goals:

To cultivate student teachers to be future teachers equipped with global mobility, develop their global perspectives, and strengthen their foreign language skills and multicultural literacy, the Ministry of Education (MOE) has conducted “Ministry of Education Subsidies Teacher Education Universities to Organize Overseas Teacher Traineeships, and Overseas Teaching Internships” since 2016. In 2018, the International Schweitzer Program was added, and the program was renamed “Ministry of Education Subsidies Teacher Education Universities to Organize Overseas Teacher Traineeships, and Overseas Teaching Internships, and for the International Schweitzer Program.” This program encourages student teachers to head to overseas schools at the senior high school level and below, as well as preschools, overseas Taiwan schools, and the school for Taiwan business people in the Mainland Area to learn new knowledge, to understand the education systems in different countries, and to realize the spirit of international Schweitzer caring about disadvantaged groups and providing professional services, therefore enhancing their international competency.

II. Execution Methods:

• Application Requirements:

Universities that offer teacher training programs approved by the MOE should attend the related presentation sessions organized by the MOE. A proposal must be submitted for the application within the deadline announced by the MOE. Each university is allowed to submit a maximum of 5 proposals. One faculty member with experience in supervising teaching internships should be recommended and appointed as the program’s principal investigator.

• Subsidy Targets:

1. The subject must be a student teacher with the citizenship of the Republic of China (R.O.C) (Taiwan), and have residency in the region of the R.O.C (Taiwan). The qualification of (at least) sophomore standing and being enrolled in the university with over one third completion of professional education course credits in each teaching subject area are required as well.

2. The subject must be a teaching intern with the citizenship of the Republic of China (R.O.C) (Taiwan), and have residency in the region of the R.O.C (Taiwan). The qualification stipulated in article 3 of the Regulations Governing the Provision of Practical Education by Universities that Offer Teacher Training Programs and Institutions Where Practical Education Training can be Undertaken is required as well.

• Subsidy Types:

• Subsidy Items:

• University administration expenses.

• One time only for international round-trip air tickets in economy class up to 90% for student teachers, teaching interns, and accompanying faculty.

• Living expenses for student teachers, teaching interns, and accompanying faculty (upper limits are set depending on the country and regions).

• Expenses for hosting overseas teaching workshops or seminar activities, for which the maximum cannot exceed NT$400,000.

• Subsidy rules and limits:

• In principle, competition methods will be adopted to select superior proposals, and partial subsidies will be granted.

• Universities should provide related supplementary funding for each type of subsidies applied for, and the amount of supplementary funding cannot be less than 20% of the proposal’s total amount which is approved by the MOE.

• Each student teacher or teaching intern can only receive the subsidies twice during the course of this program, as the maximum amount. A student teacher must also choose between the overseas teacher traineeship and the International Schweitzer Program to participate.