betcha -- 10 April 2005

I just wanna inform those non- native speakers that it's very difficult or it's impossible for you to get a job as an English teachers here in China esp. in the big cities like Beijing and Shanghai. I've been living here for five years and I am very familiar of the teaching scenarios of English teachers here. First, they accept only Native English Speakers esp. if you are white and you came from the countries of UK,USA,Canada, New Zealand and Australia, if you do not belong to this country, better not apply, as you will only get disappointed!!!! Don't believe the guidelines that are written in this discussion forum. Believe in those people who have been there, as they know better than the guidelines.

Second, non- native English speakers are only accepted in remote provinces, but also beware of fake recruiters, or those people who ask you a hefty fee just to get the job, it happened to a lot of Filipino and other South East Asian teachers, who were desperate to get the job, in the end, instead of getting a salary, they are the ones giving salaries to these unscrupulous recruiters...and they end up they with zilch..zero..nada...salary...
Last but not the least. ITS NOT BECAUSE OF YOUR QUALIFICATIONS, THAT YOU ARE OR WILL BE ACCEPTED, BUT BECAUSE YOU BELONG TO THOSE COUNTRIES STATED ABOVE!!! MORE IMPORTANTLY, FOR THE BENEFIT OF THEIR BUSINESSES BETTER IF YOU ARE WHITE NOT BLACK OR BROWN...

THANK YOU VERY MUCH!!!! GOOD LUCK TO THOSE WHO WANT TO TEACH IN CHINA!!!

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RE: non-native speakers - ESL discussion
David -- 10 April 2005

What do you expect? I've been here five years too...often the Chinese student's English is better than the non-native speakers trying to teach them. There are millions of Chinese whose English is excellent...why pay to bring someone from the other side of the world unless they're a native speaker? DUH.........

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A POSSIBLE ANSWER. - ESL discussion
Felix -- 10 April 2005

Great! A probable answer to the riddle:"which country in the world native English speakers have successfully taught the English language and it is being commanded to their satisfaction?"China! because Chinese students of English speak English better than non-native speakers.

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"FIVE YEARS NATIVE ENGLISH TEACHIN IN CHINA" - ESL discussion
Felix -- 10 April 2005

Five years teaching the Chinese Students of English to always say:
1) I am watching "TWE"instead of I am watching TV,
2) "SANG YOU!" instead OF Thank you!,
3) She is "faceful" instead of She is faithful,etc.
Bravo! Keep teaching them "good" native English after all it's business.RMB vs NATIVE ENGLISH, who is cheating who?The truth will sooner than later surface itself.

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Well said - ESL discussion
Art -- 11 April 2005

But are you sure we native speakers are perfect with our English and pronunciation?

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dime a dozen - ESL discussion
jinchafa -- 11 April 2005

Yes, it's true. There are a lot of us ESL teachers floating around right now. But ask yourself a pertinent question. How many of those teachers are getting quality jobs with quality pay? Very few actually. It takes awhile to learn the ins and outs of teaching in China, but ultimately if you have the proper credentials, qualifications and experience, you will find some decent paying and meaningful jobs. My personal fantasy is that EFL teachers in China will discover the meaning of solidarity. Eventually, we must all reach the point of realizing that all the bickering and in-fighting about mundane issues will get us nowhere. The real enemies are not found in our midst among us teachers, but are all around us disguised as genuine recruiters and employers. They are the ones who should receive the brunt of our attacks. If they fail, even in the slightest way, to honor their commitments, they should be chastized and brought down a notch or two by the power of the above mentioned solidarity and the power of the pen.

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Bravo - ESL discussion
Art -- 11 April 2005

That's something sensible in a long while from this board. Bravo... Jinchafa is right. We are making a fool out of ourselves in front of employers, schools and recruiters. Why should we teachers keep whacking the hell and taking pot shots at one another about native and non native speaking teachers? We should unite and go after those SOBs who don't honor their commitments.

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Well said - ESL discussion
jinchafa -- 12 April 2005

Thank you for your support Art. You bring up an interesting point regarding making a fool of ourselves in front of recruiters and employers. Many of them must have a pretty dim view of us anyway, given the way they so often renig on promises as if we are not worthy of their honesty. I recently took a job where I agreed to a one month trial period because I've already learned to be wary. My wariness didn't help me much though. After the one month I called it quits due to their insincerity and they docked me 4000RMB for visa costs. I'll name them later. What I think is important now though is that we carefully scrutinize the job boards so that we can warn others when something suspicious appears. What gives the recruiters their power right now is that they think there is a large pool of unaware teachers to draw from. Unfortunately they're right. But maybe we can change that. I intend to try.