A teachers' union says Hsinchu City is breaking the law by using cheap, one-year substitute teachers to run the setup of a new high school, which is bad for those teachers and raises legal risk for the city.

• Hsinchu Mayor Ann Kao unveiled the Jianhua High School preparatory office on Thursday, and complaints followed within a day.
• The city advertised "any subject" substitute teaching posts, but the union says the hires are really doing full-time office work, not teaching.
• Taiwan's rules bar substitute and part-time teachers from holding administrative posts or serving as homeroom teachers.
• The union says the city is dodging the cost of proper civil service positions while handing over budgets, construction tenders, and procurement to staff on unstable contracts.
• The education department says "any subject" only described the hiring criteria, and it will review the wording and how the jobs are actually being used.

Outlook: The union wants the Ministry of Education to investigate, so the city faces pressure to either rewrite the postings or fill the roles with permanent staff.