Aside from the fact that China is going to lose a whole load of FT's simply because they were born in the 'wrong' country, there is another 'issue' that will affect the ESL industry in China.

All degrees must now be verified in the country of issue before a FEC can be issued.

OK, so one can argue that the readily-available 'fake' degrees that can be purchased online are now essentially nothing other than expensive toilet paper, but didn't the Chinese government kind-of 'force' the proverbial 'degree-mills' to open in the first place?

When I left school back in the 1970's, people were more interested in doing 4-year apprenticeships than doing a 4-year degree. Apprenticeships meant on-the-job experience as well as pay, so it was far more attractive back then.

Teaching English usually requires that you are a NES and have a TESOL cert, the law states that you must have a degree.

I graduated with my degree at the age of 36, but if anyone had asked me to consider taking a degree at the time I left school, I would have laughed in their face.

When it comes to teaching ESL, TESOL is important, but you'll never convince me that a degree in 'ballroom dancing' even comes close to a 4-year apprenticeship in ANYTHING, yet the 'ballroom dancing' graduate would be accepted (over the 'time-served apprentice'), simply because they have a 'degree'.

I accept what that foxy-little-chick (amused) says about China trying to 'clean-up' the ESL industry, but at the same time why can't we have a little 'common-sense'?

There are some damn good English teachers in China who have 'fake degrees' and were not born in a NES country, and China is going to lose those people for the sake of absurd bureaucracy that makes absolutely no sense at all.

After all, what on earth does sitting in a classroom in 1972 in order to graduate with a degree in art have to do with teaching English to ESL students in 2016 - with a RECENT TESOL diploma?

The whole thing is as absurd as it is stupid!