Study & Teach in Taiwan Online Information Session
In conjunction with the Taiwan–U.S. Education Initiative, launched in late 2020, to increase cooperation between Taiwan and the US with an emphasis on language education and exchange, the Education Division at the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Los Angeles jointly hosted a Study and Teach in Taiwan Online Information Session with the Fulbright Taiwan on March 5, 2021. It provided details of opportunities available to young Americans, for studying in Taiwan, and for becoming a young ambassador teaching English and sharing American culture in Taiwan, and just under seventy people participated.
More and more college students are being encouraged to study abroad as an integral part of the higher education, and Rebecca Lan, director of the Education Division, outlined two Ministry of Education scholarship programs: the Taiwan Scholarships were established to encourage foreign students to undertake degree studies at a university in Taiwan, and the Huayu Enrichment Scholarships are to study the Chinese language there for a period of up to a year.
She assured participants that they would meet friendly helpful people, experience a diverse range of vibrant cultures, enhance their language ability, and acquire the skills to work in a global marketplace. She also talked about online Chinese learning materials and resources, Taiwan’s TOCFL Chinese proficiency test, and opportunities to do internships, and even work in Taiwan.
Jaime Ocon and Daniel Isaaccson, two Taiwan Scholarship recipients currently studying in Taiwan then spoke about their experiences at universities in Taiwan. Jaime is in his senior year in the Department of Diplomacy at National Chengchi University. Daniel is currently undertaking a Political Science master’s degree program at National Taiwan University.
Dr. Randall Nadeau, the Executive Director of Fulbright Taiwan, one of the largest Fulbright Programs in the Indo-Pacific Region, also took part. Dr. Nadeau has been a life-long advocate for international education and inter-cultural exchanges and he invited the young American participants to apply for the Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) Program to teach or to take the advantage of the scholarship programs to study in Taiwan.
The Fulbright ETA Program places recent college graduates and young professionals to work as English teaching assistants in underserved public schools, usually in rural areas in Taiwan. They work for an 11-month period, helping to enhance the students’ English language abilities and understanding of the United States. Loren Carrillo and Robert Fisch each spoke about their past experience teaching in Taiwan under the ETA program. Ms. Kelly Chang, the ETA Program Director, then talked about who can apply to take part, the responsibilities and benefits, and the application procedure.
The speakers and participants were able to take part in this online information session from different places around the world, at a time when in-person gatherings are simply still not an option.