joshwhiltz
- 2010-07-06
yes, i work at a training center, aka the devil. why else would i say we model for the company? they are businesses, first and foremost. I agree totally that they are not doing t heir best to help the customer, they are trying to make money. But, what other options do people have? I don't really know for sure, but I get the opinion that if you want to study english, you have to either take the lousy public school choice( not a dis of the teachers, but of the limited classes), and whatever the class is for your major, or you have to major in it in university. Not much choice, especially if you want more. So, if we ban training centers, what other choice do they have? Especially after uni?
woolaozhi
- 2010-07-05
Maybe I was a little harsh, Josh. Turnoi is right. My bone of contention is with racism. Still white is not always right in this instance. You have just become part of the problem when you are not part of the solution.
joshwhiltz
- 2010-07-04
Alright, first, i want to say i was a bit drunk when i replied, so my attempt at humor and sarcasm failed. second, yeah i made some grammar errors, thatll happen. This isnt a grammar test, so it doesnt really matter. This is a product they are selling, so they try to make the product look appealing. I'm not saying it's right, or even a good indicator of the quality of the product, but do you really think the general population here wont be affected by it? When i said nothern european language, i meant it's origin, and you know that. and when many-most people think english, they think those 5 countries you mentioned, which are predominantly white. Anyway, i'm hardly a dummy for window dressing, and i also care about the education of my students. I just wanted to point out that sometimes that is part of the job here
woolaozhi
- 2010-07-04
joshwhiltz:
Dear Lord. There is truth in advertising. [V]oice of not reason? Looks is important? And you teach English? Now thems proper English usage, phffft. I can see youre the product of best education money can buy. What the customer wants to buy is quality education, the content inside the packaging. If you want to buy just the box or cellophane wrap, thats your business. Most of us want the stuff inside. In one fell swoop you have insulted educators everywhere who actually care about teaching. Some of us actually think teaching is a noble profession and care about being a teacher, not just dummies for window dressing. READ BETWEEN THE LINES if you can
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I would be embarrassed if you are one of my students. Alas, my first teachable is Business not Geography but youre welcome to my ESL class in either the U.S. or Canada any day. You would fit right in. Incidentally, more people(s) speak English outside of northern Europe. A few countries that have their official language come to mind where their populations come in many stripes of colors include: North America, India, most African countries, Singapore, Philippines... Thats precisely my point. Out of the many countries in northern Europe, only one countrys English (UK English) is desired by the Chinese. The others are US, Cdn, and Aussie/Kiwi English. Yes, Germans, Italians and American Southerner speak English too, may even be better, but they wouldnt be hired if these go by what the Chinese advertised. I am not saying my English is better. I am just arguing the same point of Yingwen Laoshi about accents. Its the same reason they tend not to get broadcasting jobs in North America or if youre in the UK, if you dont speak the Kings English or received pronunciation or BBC English or whatever. Be a good boy, please go back to the kids table and let adults converse without interruption.
Yingwen Laoshi
- 2010-07-03
They supply what they think the customer wants most.
The problem is largely created by employers who imagine that all or most customers in China demand a white teacher. This is not the case. On occasion, no doubt, some parent's may complain and pull their child out of the class of a non-white teacher. However the problem is often amplified by panicked employers who quickly feel that their business will fold because of the feelings of a few customers.
When I worked in both language and training centres in Beijing there were quite a few black teachers. I found that parents did not focus on colour but on "accent". Three of my white colleagues, two of them native speakers lost their jobs, because they had "accents", and a fourth white guy from Russia was refused a start by the boss of my language centre for the same reason (The debate about "accents" is another matter that could be discussed in another thread). Many blacks, includng myself carried on teaching untroubled while this was going on. Maybe, Beijing being more developed than most cities in China, produced more discerning customers than other places, because there were other criteria that were more important to most parents in the language centre, including being presentable, punctual and regular.
The spectre of racist parents is often used as an excuse by employers who are often too scared to take what they see as a gamble in employing non-whites.
smartcat
- 2010-07-02
No, you are not a voice of reason. We are not models, we are supposed to be teaching here in China. Maybe you should look up the definition of "teacher" , might be a good idea. It is disturbing that you condone and support the crap training centre industry in China, and the appalling racism it promotes ( along with all the many other evil activities that take place at TC's ) Yes, China is a very racist and intolerant country, tell us something we don't already know.
The problem is that you seem to have no qualms about making excuses for it. As many sensible posters on this board have said before, training school are totally superfluous, they have no useful purpose, never did have, never ever will have. The people who own and manage such places are nothing more than criminals, any "teacher" who knowingly works at a crap school is also guilty.
People who condone the activities of the evil Chinese and foreign scumbags involved in the training centre industry should be ashamed of themselves. The private English education business in China is nothing but a disgusting and vile money making scam.
Public universities are the only places in China where English should be taught. Private training centres are a blight on Asian societies, the should be banned immediately, and existing centres should face swift elimination.
joshwhiltz
- 2010-07-01
Here I come, the voice of not reason. Is it wrong to hire a model, based on looks? no. Are these jobs 100% about teaching ability? no. Looks is important. Chinese people( usually) think white when they think English. Not really racist since it's a northern European language spoke by mostly white people. So obviously white models will sell the product better. The customers are the racist ones, not the business. They supply what they think the customer wants most.