Job Discussion Forums

[sbmoor262004]

I also posted this question on the Taiwan forum. I'm a teacher planning to come to either Taiwan or China, and I will be bringing my girlfriend. I have an MA in TESOL and she has a BA in English. We both have several years of teaching experience (adults). We are probably coming in September. My questions are:
1. I'm white and she's black - how much would this limit her opportunities? some people have said the Chinese are racist (I know bla bla everyone's racist etc., but at least the U.S. has Affirmative Action and she has a good job now)
2. if I worked at one school and was offered housing by them, would my girlfriend also have to be employed by them to live with me?
Any help or advice would be appreciated!

[Dalian Veteran]

If I were you, tell your employer that you two are married. They usually don't check for proof of marriage as long as both of you are foreigners. As long as there are no Chinese involved, they don't care if foreign couples co-habitate. But still, tell them that you are married. You have the right to take your spouse with you, and there's even a provision in the Foreigner's Residence Permit for listing family members. But she does need a visa, whether its a spouse visa, work visa, etc.

It's true that blacks are stared at more than whites, but locals are usually less rude to girls.

[Crippler]

Big City China or small town? Small town will get a lot more stares but I have found that it is not generally negative just curiosity. Big city less staring but actually more likely to see the racist bug raising its head.

[Roger]

Yes, I too would say "married" and by implication, I would mean "common-law marriage". They won't check. Cohabitation among outsiders is handled coolly.
Perhaps both of you get jobs at the same place. In any event, your girlfriend can stay with you under most circumstanc even if she has no job in your school. Will she have to commute? If so, that would be a heavy drain.
Generally, housing is quite adequate; I have, for the time being, a two-bedroom flat all by myself. The FAO asked me if my "girlfriend" wanted to live with me... He wouldn't mind if I had someone staying with me even though there is a jaded notice in the living-room that specifically bans hosting members of the opposite sex overnight...

[sbmoor262004]

Yeah, now I'm adding 'my wife' to the cover letters I send. But would the fact that she's black have a strong influence on her employability? She has a pretty good job here, but since we're both teachers we figured it would be a good opportunity to live in another culture. Or would another country be more tolerant (Indonesia, Japan?)

[mr pink]

Like everybody says, there is plenty of racism in China. I had a friend who was fired from a private language school for some pretty bogus reasons. She was the only black teacher and her students liked her. i would suggest going with a public school or middle school of some kind. They will either hire her or not, rather than deciding at a later time her race is a problem for enrollment or customer satisfaction.

mr pink

[anthyp]

[blackguy-n-Asia]

Waaah! Aiiyaa!!

More 'poor black people are discriminated against everywhere' syndrome? Anthyp, exactly what are you? Please include a DNA test

It's a valid question! How is it in China? I wanted to know, and these chaps are very knowledgable and give good answers. I'm satisfied. And no, racism is different in different countries and regions. Being stared at is one thing (China), being beaten to death because you're different (Veronezh, Russia) is another. But this is an extreme case.

[gmat]

[anthyp]

I had to edit my initial response because it was too abrasive! I hate petty squabbling.

[blackguy-n-Asia]

I see, anthyp.

I'm really 'talking out my neck' because I haven't travelled much (Caribbean, Cuba, New York), so I wouldn't know... yet.


Yea, petty squabbling is for petty people. Good to edit.

[sbmoor262004]

The problem is she has a good job here, but we don't really want to be apart. We both also like to travel but know that living overseas is different. Being a biracial couple in DC is not strange at all, but in other places (ie the South) we did feel like being in a fishbowl. I assume foreigners are automatically in the fishbowl in China. But I thought the Chinese were so desperate for teachers that racism wouldn't really be an issue. Am I right?

Also, I heard that the Chinese censor the internet and that the people are kind of paranoid. Is this still true, or are things a bit more lax?

Also, in which East/Southeast Asian countries has discrimination been the worst for any of you?

[The Voice Of Reason]

[Roger]

I suppose, if yuour girlfriend insists on being regarded as a WESTERNER (American, Canadian, whatever), that might help her a lot.
Chinese have an obsessive interest in white skin. They even look down on their own nationals of a more bronzed skin colour. The amount of money that goes into cosmetics, skin whiteners etc. is enormous. Physical attributes typical of whites are highly coveted - including curvaceousness in women.
Their abhorrence of Africans stems, I suppose, from their own poor living conditions. Anyone poor is "brown" or "black". The closer to the tropics, the more brown people get, and the poorer they are; Africa is "full of black people, and black people are dirty and poor" - official opinion handed down here since time immemorial!

[migo]