A more serious concern I carry with me is the lack of physical boundaries between teachers and students. In Australia there is an on-going debate about where the lines should fall. The current laws demand no physical contact under any circumstances; meaning even if a child is hurt, don’t touch them. We are also warned to never be alone with a student, just to ensure our legal protection and their safety.
You can imagine my shock upon arriving to Taipei, where grown men can pick up small girls, tickle them, kiss their faces, and blow RASPBERRIES ON THEIR STOMACHS – it is even encouraged. My students jump on me, pull my hair, and grab my legs when I’m walking, and no one looks twice.
Think about it. To teach English you don’t need any educational qualifications; there are no specific requirements outside being foreign, and no legal checks done on prospective teachers. Any junkie or paedophile (as long as they’re white), can get a job, at the drop of a hat, in a remote and anonymous pre-school, and hide out for years.
After working in Taiwan, I now understand why we have such strict laws in Australia, and why they are so necessary. I am not alone when I say this – many, many female teachers here are appalled and disgusted by the way grown men are able to interact with, and handle small children. I have met so many men I would never let my children near, let alone touch. There is no social awareness about the dangers of sexual abuse, let alone legal protection for the abused. A 45 year old pot dealing Canadian teacher, who thinks he’s Woody Allen, even openly proclaims he finds the small boys he works with sexually desirable.
So, the question is: not if, but how extensive are Asia’s paedophilia rings, and just how linked are they to English teaching?
*
You can imagine my shock upon arriving to Taipei, where grown men can pick up small girls, tickle them, kiss their faces, and blow RASPBERRIES ON THEIR STOMACHS – it is even encouraged. My students jump on me, pull my hair, and grab my legs when I’m walking, and no one looks twice.
Think about it. To teach English you don’t need any educational qualifications; there are no specific requirements outside being foreign, and no legal checks done on prospective teachers. Any junkie or paedophile (as long as they’re white), can get a job, at the drop of a hat, in a remote and anonymous pre-school, and hide out for years.
After working in Taiwan, I now understand why we have such strict laws in Australia, and why they are so necessary. I am not alone when I say this – many, many female teachers here are appalled and disgusted by the way grown men are able to interact with, and handle small children. I have met so many men I would never let my children near, let alone touch. There is no social awareness about the dangers of sexual abuse, let alone legal protection for the abused. A 45 year old pot dealing Canadian teacher, who thinks he’s Woody Allen, even openly proclaims he finds the small boys he works with sexually desirable.
So, the question is: not if, but how extensive are Asia’s paedophilia rings, and just how linked are they to English teaching?
*
