Yes, things have tightened up since the Olympics; however, PSB and Foreign Affairs Officers still view the laws regarding visa processing as guidelines when it is convenient for them to do so. In addition, there are loopholes to the laws. I know of one person without a BA who has been working in China for three years. He could care less about second language acquisition. It's all about the visa for him; a visa, by the way that continues to be issued by the head of the PSB who has a reputation for playing things by the book. I guess the book has pages torn out of it. Nevertheless, generally speaking, a degree is required.

Of course you could print yourself a degree. Joe Blow can easily offer up the necessary credentials. A little creativity with MS Word and you're good to go. And, hey, if you're going to fake your degree, might as will give yourself a doctorate. No problem, I would be shocked to discover that degrees, CVs and Resumes were checked by any administrators of any schools in China. Great scam against those who many of you would consider scammers. My take is that there's a whole bunch of FTs supporting the scam. As often as not, they're the ones who complain the most. Interesting.

Recently, when meeting with the new Associate Dean at our college, I inquired as to whether or not she had read the CVs and/or resumes of the staff. She'd already been there prior to the new term. Of course she had not. For her and the Dean, it's more about damage control than it is about providing excellence. They figure they're doing there job if they manage to keep the foreigners in line and convince the students to be patient with their unqualified teachers. How they determine which teacher will teach a certain subject is a mystery. I think they have a dart board with the names of the FTs on it. When they're deciding who goes where, that is, who teaches what, they close their eyes and throw the darts. Works out well for them; no need to determine who's qualified to teach writing for example. Just throw that dart.