"What's even worse, though, at least in my opinion, is how these '"teachers," once they've been ripped off by recruiters and/or private schools, end up in the public school system - even at the university level. Now they're not the victims anymore. In fact, by disseminating the crap they call teaching, they are now the victimizers. Sadly, the administrators of these schools are well aware of how the majority of their foreign staffs are ill-qualified to be in the positions for which they've been hired; however, the pressure is on them to provide white faces for the students, and so they must each look the other way and privately bemoan the glaringly obvious truth that their foreign staff is composed of a high percentage of bozos."

The quote above is from the opening post of this thread, which was made by Kevin.

The problems that you accurately pointed out Kevin are symptons of the greed and opportunity for riches that has caught hold of many "entrepeneurs" (The leaders and owners of schools) in China.

Remember though that those "Bozos" and "teachers" were initially invited or at least tempted over here by such promises as "Come and see beautiful...", "No degree needed..." When they get here many are told, "Don't worry just keep them happy and make them (the students), laugh". It's a shame that many of the managers and owners of these schools cannot follow the same philosophy when it comes to the treatment of their teachers. I recently read on another forum about a university teacher who has been going through hell with an unteachable class. The remedy according to his manager was to just go in and stand at the front of the class and "Pretend to teach them".

If the only requirement is to entertain, sing, dance or tell jokes in exchange for an opportunity of cheap beer, and an opportunity to explore China, can you blame those "Bozos" and the like for accepting the offer? The school leaders and owners make the rules. The FTs are just fulfilling what has been asked of them.

So, as you correctly point out many FTs get fed up. "Hey this ain't as easy as I thought. I've sung "Yesterday once more" about a hundred times, but when I've inquired about my salary, I've been told, "tomorrow" about two hundred times. I'm off to a public school. I've heard that they're more trustworthy". So off goes "Bozo" to his publc school, and suddenly finds that "Yesterday once more" doesn't cut it anymore, at least not every week, anyway.

"Thats funny, they loved my jokes at the training school. I thought that's what they wanted here. Bloody humourless lot!" So it goes on...

Why is the pressure, at these public schools, put on administration to provide white faces and NOT to provide teachers? Is it because the leaders are less interested in the development of the students than in the development of their bank accounts? Each public school is given a certain quota each year to cover all expenses of each foreign teacher they employ. There's an opportunity for siphoning here.

The problem at many of these public schools, especially colleges and universities is that many of the STUDENTS require real teachers. So "Bozo" doesn't get his contract renewed. He probably doesn't care anyway because after a brief surf of the Internet he's back in business at another school. So it goes on, and it will keep going on.

I would only blame those FTs that deliberately refuse to make any effort to really teach if they were TOLD to. Even if they try hard but fail they can hardly be blamed when those who first called them to China only required the ability to entertain. They didn't realize that they might be finally called upon to teach.

However, now that he loves China, the scenery, the women, the cheap beer, and the alternative lifestyle, he doesn't want to go BACK. Why should he? He might even have a serious relationship going on over here. So he either keeps hacking it with the public schools until he gets the hang of teaching or he "once more enters the breech" of the training centres and language schools, this time spitting venom, determined to hold his corner as he is no longer a China babe, but is now older and wiser. So it goes on...

until...

no more schools are tempting FTs over to China with promises of long vacations, seeing beautiful China, drinking cheap beer and only needing to possess the minimum of "qualifications".

until...

the greed and selfishness of many who open those schools that go on to cheat their staff, their students, and the students' parents, is somehow abated.

until...

the students themselves in private schools start realizing that they should not be angry because their FT is not telling any good jokes or refuses to sing enough Celine Dion songs, but they should be angry that he DOES sing songs every week, and angry with the management that sent for him and told him to sing songs every week.

until...

the rich supposedly, educated parents who are paying a small fortune for their children to attend these schools, start seeing them as more than baby-sitting institutions. If they really want their children to learn English why are they not banging on the school leaders office door in droves campaigning for real teachers? So it goes on...

Until...

those same parents stop thinking about face and "keeping up with the Jones'", and start pulling their children out of those schools for good.

Until...

the leaders of this country do something about the scores of rogue training centres up and down the country, and start putting the future prosperity of it's country, and it's children before the mighty dollar.

The Government doesn't care. The education board doesn't care. The training school owners, leaders, and managers, don't care. Even the students and their parents don't care enough or something would have been done by now, because they have the real power to stop it. They're signing the cheques, and they keep signing, so they must be fairly content. In fact everybody seems to be happy. Don't they? So...

why should "Bozo" care?