Chunping Alex Wu
- 2004-08-02
> Thank you for your response. I do not think colour is qualification
> and best service. Here in China,dark-skin teachers and Asian teachers
> are working for long class periods with more work load ,but the
> salary is lower than most White teacehrs witht the same degree and
> wualification. Yeah, the schools use the teachers for marketing's
> sake. They would never know the true implification of being a
> teacher, Teachers teach is true, more important teachers are repuired
> to improve the society as Michael told. Teachers in China are not
> allowed to tell to the media more about their own feelings by the
> school principals. Once they donot do as told, they are facing the
> problem of losing their job. Freedom of speech is a bit banned,
> although the constitute of China stipulates it free to speak. I wanna
> chanllege that Any newspaper in China dares to release the corruption
> of the government at its will? the answer is negative> I think
> anti-discrimination law should be debated in our congress.
Hi, Jose Lee:
I'm a retired, certified, Chinese-Canadian teacher since 1998, with more than 25 years experience in Canada. In the last six years since my retirement, I had taught in 5 Chinese schools. To get hired in a Chinese school is getting harder and harder each year. Usually, public schools are more open, private ones are choosy. I don't want to use the word discriminating, because they know we are better qualified, but because most of the parents and the students are more likely to choose "White, Native, Foreigners". You do need a chance to show yourself off. Once they know you, they'll come to you. A couple of times in Dalian, when the children and their parents found that I was their choice, they paid me more than a hundred RMB/Hour, three times a week in my spare time. An other school in Nanchang insisted to have me for lectures.
Too bad is that even the recruiters in most of the schools are not proficient enoungh, not mentioning their bosses. Besides, they don't have the power for making the decissions. So, even I was hired and welcomed by the students, the administrations didn't treat me well. The worst was I sometimes fought for students benefits. They hated me. They never extended their welcome to me. Yet, the students keep emailing me since I left until the present.
I am getting older now, they have lots to worry about a "foreign expert" older than their principal. They might/do appreciate my experience, but they don't want to take the extra responsibilities in case anything happened to me. ( Actually, I am much younger than most of the seniors of my age I met. Too bad I couldn't show you my pictures I took across China in the last 5 years in this forum to prove it.)So, in oder to offer my service to the people who brought me up, I am having a hard time in searching for a job for the next year.
Don't be discourage, Jose. Keep it on. You'll shine, if you were a gem!
Alex Wu
DoS
- 2004-06-19
Jose,
What you say is true, schools generally don't want teachers from Cameroon, Nigeria, Asia etc. However, I think you are slightly wrong with your reasons.
I have been in China two years, and I know many Chinese English teachers. A lot of them are good, and a lot of them aren't. For the theory work they are great! However, if a Chinese person wants to learn English to use abroad, then they should practice with a native speaker. Now, if you want to go to Cameroon, get a Cameroon guy/girl as a teacher. If you want to go to England, US, Cananda, Oz etc though, you are better off with one from there. The truth is I have met quite a few Cameroon teachers, and again, some are good, and some *I* can't understand, and they are supposed to be English teachers!
There are a lot of unscrupulous bosses/schools and the Chinese public don't know which Cameroon teacher is a good one or a bad one, so I think they stay clear of them all. Also there is a lot of ignorance about who is a native speaker. A lot of Chinese seem to think that if you are white then you are a native speaker. Hence Italians, Russians etc can often get jobs because the public think they are native speakers. I don't think it is predjudice because they don't like black people, it is just they want a native English speaker to learn English from. I can't blame them for that, if I want to learn Chinese, I want to learn it from a Chinese person, not an American! (I am learning Chinese by the way, though rather slowly).
If we cleared up the ignorance, and this will come in time, and we managed to clear out the unscrupulous schools (a longer time I think) then this situation will resolve itself.
Chinese schools don't hire non-whites because the students/parents won't come to a class taught by one, and after all even the good (private) schools are open to make money!
I think that the Chinese people are no worse than any other nationality (and better than some supposedley "enlightened" places). The education is what is currently lacking.
> Buenos dias, I am Chinese guy.
> China is a country with discrimination and prejudice!
> Here, in China, teachers from Africa, Ohter Asian countries are
> discriminated when applying for a post as ESl teachers. This is
> summarized with my rich experience as personal career agent for
> foreign teachers from English Teachers' Organisation, Yaounde,
> Cameroon. When i tell agencies and schools here that i have qualified
> ESL teachers from the Organisation to recommend, i am always told
> that PLS DO NOT GIVE US DARK TEACHERS AND ASIAN TEACHERS, WE NEED
> WHITE ONLY FOR good value for money. This is absolutely bullshit!
> How to eliminate the Chinese discrimination, i do not know.
> you might tell me the answer. hope to read answers from you. do not
> hesitate to write to me at zhouleecn@yahoo.com.cn
beatriz
- 2004-05-18
I'm a teacher from Barcelona, Spain. It is interesting to read from discrimination in Asia even to Asian people and suddenly I thought: I am sure that if an Asian English teacher came to Barcelona they would give him/her a job faster than to a teacher from Spain. Funny how we humans work!
jose lee
- 2004-05-17
Thank you for your response. I do not think colour is qualification and best service. Here in China,dark-skin teachers and Asian teachers are working for long class periods with more work load ,but the salary is lower than most White teacehrs witht the same degree and wualification. Yeah, the schools use the teachers for marketing's sake. They would never know the true implification of being a teacher, Teachers teach is true, more important teachers are repuired to improve the society as Michael told. Teachers in China are not allowed to tell to the media more about their own feelings by the school principals. Once they donot do as told, they are facing the problem of losing their job. Freedom of speech is a bit banned, although the constitute of China stipulates it free to speak. I wanna chanllege that Any newspaper in China dares to release the corruption of the government at its will? the answer is negative> I think anti-discrimination law should be debated in our congress.
Budda
- 2004-05-16
China has been a closed society for so long and the people have not had access to foreigners or foreign media. Our 28 year old tour guide of Beijing had never heard of Elvis Presley! The discrimination is to be expected, especially as white people are used as marketing tools. The school owners don't want to improve society, but to make money. All YOU can do is speak up when you see it and have discussions with as many people as possible. Form an International Club and have speakers and activities. You will find that very useful.
Michael Joseph Beauchot
- 2004-05-16
zhouleecn@yahoo.com.cn It's absolutely discrimination - the thing is that Chinese want (and the Koreans are much worse in this thought) people that look like foreigners- and have lighter skins than themselves(and in Chinese society the lighter the skin the better). How to eliminate thousands of years of incorrect thought? beats the hell out of me! (I am not trying to be facetious or unsympathetic here- my wife is Chinese and, even though her English is better than most native speakers, it has been a real pain in the posterior trying to find jobs for the both of us(and I am over 50 and don't get me started on the ageist policies in Korea!) to get a job in Korea - or anywhere in a non-native speaking country.
Buenos dias, I am Chinese guy.
China is a country with discrimination and prejudice!
Here, in China, teachers from Africa, Ohter Asian countries are discriminated when applying for a post as ESl teachers. This is summarized with my rich experience as personal career agent for foreign teachers from English Teachers' Organisation, Yaounde, Cameroon. When i tell agencies and schools here that i have qualified ESL teachers from the Organisation to recommend, i am always told that PLS DO NOT GIVE US DARK TEACHERS AND ASIAN TEACHERS, WE NEED WHITE ONLY FOR good value for money. This is absolutely bullshit!
How to eliminate the Chinese discrimination, i do not know.
you might tell me the answer. hope to read answers from you. do not hesitate to write to me at zhouleecn@yahoo.com.cn