Hi Turnoi:

Well, by this point we are starting to mostly agree. I certainly agree that private schools, or at least the one I've worked at, were corrupt, mismanaged, didn't really know much of anything about teaching, only cared about profits I also agree that most teachers in private schools (and from what I've seen in most all schools in China) are under-qualified to teach English on a professional academic level. However, they are over qualified for the pay they are given, and for the level of teaching they will usually have to do. For example, if one signs up to teach English, one may assume one will teach adults and then end up teaching mostly kids 12 and under. The teacher is overqualified to do English baby-sitting.

I, for one, am not qualified, in my opinion, to teach literature classes, though I've taken a slew of them. Nevertheless my university will require teachers to teach such classes (of course at a minimal salary), and on the level at which the students can understand the texts, I actually could teach it, though I think it would be a waste for everyone involved because it is customarily taught in Chinese (otherwise the students won't understand what the teacher is saying about such complex topics). But for teaching Oral English, my years of experience in private schools (where my own standards apply rather than those of the school because I'm the one who has to get up in front of the class and deliver) and my TEFL (which did, incidentally, have a strong grammar component and we were tested, for example, on the 12 tenses as part of our final examination) have made me a much better teacher than if I only had the TEFL, or didn't at all. As for my academic background, I'm NOT and English major, though it was my favorite elective.

But MOST English teachers I've met in China are also not English majors. The point we disagree on is whether having taught in private schools such as EF or Aston should automatically disqualify teachers from other better teaching jobs. I still say don't blame the teachers for the shortcomings of the schools they worked in. They may have been successful teachers in-spite, rather than because of those circumstances.

Or, another way of putting it is, I don't like seeing myself or my friends who've taught in private schools branded as inferior, and undesirable teachers, when in fact we have more relevant experience teaching English in Asia than similarly qualified teachers (as regards uni degree and teaching certificate) who haven't.

That's all. Have a great day.