I think it a little hard to refer to Chinese parents as racist- they just feel that they know what an FT should look like- and if the FT has got a turban on or a burka- or looks like they do themselves, they rightly feel short-changed.

The Chinese parents are Chinese people too. Chinese people in general are being racist when you in fact decide a teacher cannot teach English well merely by physical looks alone. Millions of Pakastani British Folks and I've met a few when I was working in the Middle East would make more reliable English Teachers than the drunk, alcoholic, racist, and perverted Westerners I've met in China. As for people wearing Turbans, nothing wrong with that as that is just a display of religious beliefs. Would you discriminate against someone who wears a crucifix pendant on their neck? I've met well to do, upper middle class Americans of Indian descent back home who have much better qualifications to work in the USA than native born folks, and I don't think they would bat an eyelash towards ESL teachers in general or think anybody who is working in this field has a "real" job when they themselves work in industries such as Finance, Industrial Technology, and Medical related jobs rather successfully.

No, Chinese parents ought to be thankful that there are still foreigners who are idealistic enough to come to a country like China in this case. Not all expats who go there do so because they are out of options back home. I know a guy in his early thirties who worked a six figure job in the USA, but quit to come to East Asia to have a different life. He is now a musician who does tours and works as an ESL Teacher as well. Excusing people who judge a book by its cover is the same thing as excusing progress from ever coming. As expats if we accept this kind of backwards "value" we are shortchanging ourselves.