englishgibson
- 2010-04-12
Oral English Teacher, China, I quite agree with you. Many posts we take on mainland are just "Oral English" and not exactly academic. Moreover, we are often managed and evaluated by poorly qualified locals. The requirements for BAs or above have intensified and the regulation enforced recently only. In any case, for these kind of positions offered on mainland we are well trained by our TEFL, TESOL or CELTA, aren't we? The local Foreign Experts test for us is so humorous too.
However, I do see the need for well qualified foreign academics for some specialty subject positions at either universities or foundation/language proficiency programs that prepare students for western higher education. These positions are more demanding and require some foreing management as well. It's sad to see that we are often out of the loop in many respects when it comes to plannning, hiring, managing, training or evaluating on mainland.
Cheers and beers to the fine Foreign Experts Test that apparently determines who is and who is not suitable for teaching on mainland :LOL
Oral English Teacher, China
- 2010-04-11
China hires by far the most of its foreign teachers of English to teach oral English.
You don't need to have a degree in order to be able to speak good English if English is your mother tongue! China would be better to give a budding foreign teacher of oral English an English test to check if that teacher's English level would be adequate for him to teach oral English well.
The degree requirement for the issuance a foreign experts' certificate is totally inappropriate in my opinion, and should be scrapped!