Owl Preschool

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Welcome!
Welcome to Owl Preschool’s webpage! Please feel free to explore and learn about our school. If you have any questions, check out our FAQ or send us an email at owlpreschool@gmail.com

About Us
Owl Preschool is a Chinese and English language preschool in Hualien, Taiwan. Through connections with Brigham Young University in America, Owl Preschool is able to offer English-speaking college students the opportunity to experience a preschool teacher’s profession, even before that student has a degree.Our internship program puts interns in the driver’s seat: choosing lessons, preparing material, and teaching classes with Chinese teachers acting as assistants and aides. Our kids are ages 3 to 5. They are very excited and willing to love and learn from all the teachers that participate.We hope that you find the information on this website helpful as you consider this great opportunity to experience the life of a children’s educator in our beautiful country.

Our Location

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Hualien, Taiwan
Owl Preschool is located in beautiful Hualien City, Taiwan. Hualien is on the east coast of Taiwan. It has all the function of a major city, but keeps the small-town feel. It is bordered by the ocean on one side, and large, green, jungle-covered mountains on the other.
The weather stays very temperate here. In the wintertime the temperature rarely gets below 60°F, and in the summertime it rarely passes 95°F. Typhoons are usually lighter here, and the rain is usually fairly light.Most days throughout the year, short-sleeved shirts can be worn. Somedays a jacket is necessary and on a few days a long-sleeved shirt or sweater would be helpful along with a jacket. A heavy coat or other similar attire is probably unnecessary. For the summer time, light clothing is probably the best idea.
There are many scenic areas, both natural and cultural, to see in Hualien, some only a bike-ride’s distance. The city is diverse not only with Chinese culture, but also aboriginal Taiwanese. The people are very friendly. Everybody is willing to assist a foreigner, even if they can’t use a single word. Taiwan has a culture of graciousness, humility, and a smiling face.

The School and Interns

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Interns
Every six months, two native English-speaking interns are chosen to fill the two positions here at the school. Every week, the interns will be required to prepare a schedule.

The interns will teach in three blocks. The first block is one hour long, divided into twenty-minute sections, with one age group per section. The second is an hour and a half long, divided into thirty-minute sections, with one age group per section. The last block is also an hour and a half long, but it is divided into two forty-five-minute sections, with children from all age groups in each section. Age groups are three, four, and five years old.

While it is the interns’ responsibility to prepare all the material for each class that they teach, the school provides guides, manuals, materials, and any assistance that is needed from the Chinese teachers or the school’s owner (Teacher Yuling). Preparing for a lesson is crucial, and interns will learn to ask a lot questions and use the many different materials available to aide them with each lesson.

Sample Schedule

Owl Preschool Staff and Students
There are three Chinese-speaking teachers at our school, one for each age group. Together with the owner, Teacher Yuling, and the school’s wonderful cook, Ayi, interns are provided a great array of support. If asked, anyone will be glad to help with whatever you might need.

The students are generally well-behaved. The three year-olds are fairly new at the entire school-experience. Many of them don’t know any English at all when they first come. Sometimes they cry and misbehave, but generally they are able to follow along with simple, fun activities.

The four year-olds have begun to learn enough English to follow along with most classroom activities. Some of them are able to carry on simple conversations. They tend to be more calm and focused than their younger classmates.

The five year-olds are usually able to carry on conversations about things they are interested in. They love to communicate with the teacher with whatever English that they know. They can listen to spoken stories and understand most of what is said. They are always helpful and friendly to the interns, and often serve as translators between Chinese-speaking teachers and interns.

All the kids are very sweet. They are willing to learn from and love everyone they meet. They are very hard to leave when it is time to go home. Each new intern that they come in contact will have an influence on the rest of their lives.

Living Accommodations

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Housing

Picture of apartments on top of school. One section’s door is open, the other is closed. In the back, the glass sliding doors open to the living room and kitchen.

The apartments are located on top of the school. There are two sections, each with two bedrooms and a bathroom. There is also a shared living room and kitchen in the back. Rooms are fairly open and clean. Each room has a closet with hangers and drawers. Each room also has a nightstand with drawers.

An ADSL internet connection is available in the living room, connected to a shared computer. The kitchen has a microwave, toaster oven, gas stove, fridge/freezer and a rice cooker.Supplies such as soap, toiletries, food and kitchenware are the responsibility of the interns to re-supply after gone. The kitchen is stocked with dishes and utensils. A filtered tap supplies drinking water downstairs in the school.

Meals
The school serves lunch to its students every weekday. Interns are welcome to eat lunch with the kids. Any other meal is the intern’s responsibility.There are a wide variety of stores, restaurants, and markets nearby that supply a great array of food. Shopping for food can be very entertaining.

Travel
The school provides interns with bikes to ride while they are here. Since the school’s location is very near not only the city, but also the mountains, it only takes a few minutes by bike to get anywhere that you need to go.

Scholarship and Travel Expenses
The school gives interns $100 for visa expenses, and $500 for travel expenses. A scholarship or stipend is also provided. The amount of the stipend or scholarship is easily enough to get by on while living in Taiwan, and usually enough to save and take home. Please contact Yuling Lin at owlpreschool@gmail.com for more details.

FAQ

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When are interships available? When can I apply for the internship? When will I know if I have been accepted or not?
There are two semesters of internships every year here at the school. One is from the end of June to the end of December, the other is from the end of December to the end of June.Applicants may apply at any time, but the selection for the June-December internship will be made in April. The selection for the December-June internship will be made in October or November.

What is teaching classes at Owl Preschool like?
We encourage you to visit “The School and Interns” section to learn more about the school and classes. If you have further questions, we can put you in contact with former interns so that you can talk to them about their experience at our school.

Are there living, eating, and transportation accommodations?
The preschool provides interns with a place to live, lunch on school days, and a bicycle to ride. A scholarship or stipend is also provided. The amount of the stipend or scholarship is easily enough to get by on while living in Taiwan, and usually enough to save and take home. Please contact Yuling Lin at owlpreschool@gmail.com for more details.

Does the school pay for visa and travel expenses?
The school gives interns $100 for visa expenses, and $500 for travel expenses.

Is there any way to earn money while in Taiwan?
The school asks that interns participate in private tutoring sessions. Sessions can be pretty flexible and vary in pay, but in general a non-professional private English tutor will not make less than $9/hour. Sometimes, depending on the amount of kids in the class, tutors can make up to $18/hour.

While the school does not require that interns take all the tutoring available, we do try to give interns as much as possible. If one intern is unable to take tutoring time, this can lead to class and student availability problems the next semester. We strongly recommend that interns come prepared to teach and tutor for 6-7 hours every weekday.

Will I be able to travel and see Taiwan while I am an intern at the school?
The school is closes on weekends and national holidays. Some holidays will extend one weekend, but require work the next Saturday. Interns will find plenty of time to travel around Taiwan. If one is looking to leave the country during a vacation, our owner, Teacher Yuling, can help interns to find the best deals on travel, and lodging. Just make sure that your visa is a multiple entrance visa, or you won’t be able to re-enter Taiwan!