Dear Mr Wu

How are you?

> They just wanted to have some foreign faces to glorigy their schools
> appearance, and then drew more paying students in return. Did you
> notice their oversized classes? In my school, a class was usually 68
> to 72 students, some of the Senior 4 classes were over a hundred.

This is a very valid point. I, for one, find it amusing that a Western face can attract so many students to enrol. By doing this the schools are exhibiting signs that show that EFL, even in China, is market driven. Sometimes when eduation of any type becomes market driven, it is too the detriment of the learning process.

> Lots of those 'natives' were illiterate. They were sometimes really
> arrogant. They demanded alot, but they couldn't offer more.

So you are saying that you get what you pay for? I agree. You should be willing to pay more for better quality teachers.

If EFL, including China, is market driven and it is true that you get what you pay for, then isnt it inevitable that China will NOT attract the best teachers because most Chinese are "too poor" to pay a lot for English classes, which in turn means that the schools cannot pay a salary that can attract such teachers? From what you wrote, I would conclude that Chinese schools cannot compete on the international market to attract the best teachers. Am I right?

So, if your Chinese schools are playing the capitalist game of making money, why are they surprised that you are being beaten to recruit the best teachers by schools in other countries who can offer better terms and conditions and higher salaries?

> them enough got drunk most of the evenings, because they could find
> way to diverse themselves.

Did they break the law? I think not. May I remind you that teh employer is only the boss of the teachers during work time. And if you want foreigners, you have to accept foreigner's culture, just as they have to accept Chinese culture.

> In order to pacify the classes and make
> students happy, they usually played DVD alot. Local teacher did know
> it was not good enough, but they usually could express themselves but
> kept quiet. Some of the student being taught this way do remembered
> some keywords, but most of them failed in making sentences.

Did you provide a curriculum for the teachers to follow?
Did you provide any books for the foreign teachers to follow?
Were the students inactive in class bacause of the usual disrespect for foreign teachers?

Please do not think this is a hostile message, but we are often told by Chinese that things are not the same here as at home, so make allowances for that. Well that certainly includes your education system, which I believe is designed for control rather than enlightenment, am I right? So cant you make allowances for the foreign teachers who have come here to help you, even if they are not the best? If you pay for a BMW you will get a good car, if you pay much less the car wont be nearly as good. Same with teachers.

"Sloppy teachers" for "sloppily managed schools", sounds fair doesnt it? After all, read the other comments on this discussion board. Most schools in China, are badly organised, have little or no teacher support or training, are late paying teachers, often do not pay teacher the right amount, rarely provide curriculum or books etc.

"What you give is what you get" The Jam 1980