I hold a Master of Education, Bachelor of Arts, Trained Teacher's
Diploma, and Certificate of Adult Education. I am currently preparing a proposal for my Doctor of Philosophy, which I hope to complete in two years' time. My research interest is in Formative Assessment, particularly from the learner's viewpoint. I have presented papers in this field at conferences for the Educational Research Associations of New Zealand, Australia and Great Britain.

My son Gareth, at the age of 23, joined the Taiwan based Hess Educational Organization in 2001 as a means to travel the world, and gain valuable life experience. I supported his decision initially because I believed (and sitll believe) that overseas experience builds character and maturity. However, it soon became obvious from his emails and phone calls that he was having an especially good experience with his job at Hess. I was surprised by how confidently he could engage with me in discussion regarding teaching and teacher training - and I was also very interested in his views on EFL teaching. Finally, my curiosity was piqued enough to actually travel to Taiwan to see for myself what kind of educational career my son had embarked upon.

I was delighted to find that Gareth was indeed involved with a highly professional Educational organization that demonstrated a sound education philosophy with practical application in their schools.

I have had the opportunity to observe Hess' systems at work, when I
visited the Rong Fu Kindergarten Branch, and the Hsin Fu Hess Language
School. I saw classes in action at both these places. The children I
observed were happy, fully engaged in their learning and very responsive to their teachers. I was impressed with their interest in 'things English'; and their ability to ask and answer questions in English. The teaching in each case was responsive to their needs, and able to adapt to the new circumstance of having a visitor to the class. The curiosity of the children was harnessed to help them to practice their English skills in a 'real life' context.

Having become familiar with the teaching approaches and strategies employed by Hess, as outlined in their philosophy, I have no hesitation in saying that they are most appropriate to the teaching of English as a second language to children. The combination of active and more passive activities allows for the natural energy of the children to be channelled and used to aid their progress in their English studies. The approach is also carefully calculated to match the maturation of the children with the level of English they are expected to learn.

I have been impressed with the opportunities offered by Hess to young people, such as my son, to develop their teaching, and teaching-related, skills. During the years he has been employed by Hess he has had continual training and appraisal, as well as the chance to contribute to the ever-increasing library of readers developed by Hess, at three different levels of difficulty.

In addition, my son has had exceptional opportunities to develop his
managerial skills, particularly in the field of pastoral care, teacher education and assisting in cultural acclimatization. I do not know of
another educational organisation which has such well-developed pathways to allow those with the necessary interest and ability to progress into a management role relatively early in their teaching career.

For Gareth, joining Hess has been the best possible start to his career. He has taken the opportunity provided by Hess to live and work overseas, to build his skills as a teacher and to engage with managerial work in a multicultural environment.

Judy Williams