Online English lessons for children in Taiwan: from Zhuyin to English phonics

How do children in Taiwan learn English at school?

English is a required subject in Taiwan's elementary schools from grade 3, and many cities and schools begin earlier, often from grade 1. It continues through junior and senior high school. Taiwan has also been giving English a bigger place in schools in recent years, with some schools teaching parts of other subjects in English. Ask your child's school what they do, as it varies from place to place.

Many children also attend a buxiban, an after-school class, for English. Between school and buxiban, children often build a good vocabulary and solid grammar. What tends to be missing is conversation: being asked something in English and answering freely.

How does Zhuyin help my child with English phonics?

In their first year of elementary school, children in Taiwan learn Zhuyin, the phonetic symbols used to show how Mandarin characters are pronounced. That is a real advantage for English: your child already knows that a symbol can stand for a sound, and that sounds can be blended to make a syllable.

English phonics works on the same idea with different symbols: letters, and letter groups like sh and ee. The new parts are the English sounds themselves and the fact that English spelling is less regular than Zhuyin. Teaching phonics in a clear order makes that manageable. Read what phonics is and our phonics glossary for parents.

Which English sounds do Mandarin-speaking children find tricky?

• Word endings. Mandarin syllables end in a vowel, n or ng, so endings like the t in cat, the d in bed or the s in books are often softened or dropped.
• Consonant clusters, such as str in street and -sts in tests.
• **The th sounds** in think and this, and the v in very.
• Short and long vowels, as in ship and sheep, or full and fool.

These come with listening and practice. A teacher who models each sound clearly and turns practice into a game helps most, and so does reading aloud together at home.

What about English tests in Taiwan?

Older students in Taiwan often meet the GEPT, a Taiwanese English test with several levels, and international tests later on. For primary children, tests are optional. A test can be a motivating goal for a child who enjoys them, but steady reading, listening and speaking build the English that any test measures.

If you'd like an international way to describe your child's level, the CEFR is a widely used scale. Its early levels for children are Pre-A1, A1 and A2. Read CEFR levels for children explained.

When can a child in Taiwan fit in an online lesson?

A 25-minute online lesson fits after school, roughly between 4pm and 8pm, or on a weekend morning. Taiwan doesn't change its clocks, so the same slot stays put all year. Because there's no journey, an online lesson can sometimes replace a trip to a class, giving your child more speaking time and more free time at once.

What happens in a good first online lesson?

A good first lesson is relaxed and mostly about your child. The teacher says hello, chats about what your child enjoys, and uses pictures, games and a little reading to find out what they can already do. Your child should be talking for much of the time, even if only in short answers at first. By the end, you should know roughly where your child is and what the next lessons would focus on. Watch whether the teacher waits patiently for answers and praises effort; those are good signs.

What should I look for in online English lessons?

• A live, real teacher who gets your child talking, not a lecture or a video.
• 1-to-1 lessons that follow your child's level.
• Clear phonics for reading, especially for younger children.
• Feedback after lessons, so you know what improved.
• Clear safety rules: checked teachers, lessons only in the provider's classroom, and a way to report a concern.

A free first lesson is the best way to judge. See what to look for in a free first lesson.

How can I support English at home in Taiwan?

• Read English picture books together, and let your child read the parts they can.
• Play rhyming and sound games: cat, hat, mat; what sound does fish start with?
• Ask your child to tell you one thing from their English lesson each week.
• Keep reading in Mandarin too. Strong reading in one language helps the other.

How would CurioKids lessons work for a family in Taiwan?

CurioKids gives children aged 4–12 live, 1-to-1 online English lessons with a real teacher, 25 minutes each, in the CurioKids classroom: video, an interactive whiteboard, lesson slides and games. Most children start with Phonics Starter, our 52-lesson reading course, then move on to CEFR-based levels. After lessons, the teacher gives feedback and you can follow progress in your parent dashboard. See our curriculum and safety pages.

Visit our Taiwan page to see how lessons work, what your child will learn and how we keep children safe. If lessons for families in Taiwan haven't opened yet, the page has a waitlist: leave your details and we'll let you know when you can book your child's free first lesson. Plans for families in Taiwan are priced in New Taiwan dollars: see the prices for Taiwan.