Job Discussion Forums

[LookingForESLWork]

I'm considering coming to China to teach ESL. My question has to do with health-based prohibitions against foreign teachers.

I am middle-aged and an experienced teacher.

My health issues are:

1. diabetes -- I take insulin and pills for this.

2. I also take medication to keep my blood pressure and cholesterol down.

I have plenty of energy and am a hard worker, but I am concerned about laws that may prohibit me from coming to Taiwan to teach because of these health issues.

Does anyone know the answer or know where I could look online to find the answer?

Thanks.

[Sheep-Goats]

Taiwan and China aren't the same country (unless you ask a nationalistic mainlander) and have different regulations. I've never worked in Taiwan.

The physical for the visa (which I had to do twice, in America and again in China...) involves blood pressure, a blood test (for HIV), and an X-ray. Nothing too probing.

Try sending an email to a Chinese (or Taiwanese) embassy for more specifics.

[7969]

i've worked in both taiwan and china and the physical exams in both countries were more or less the same. it seems to me that they're more concerned with infectious diseases and an auto immune disease like diabetes will probably not exclude you from working in either country. in fact, they may not even discover you are a diabetic unless they analyze your blood for that specific disorder, which is highly unlikely.

contact the relevant consulate and see if they can help you. otherwise, just come on over. i'm sure things will be fine for you.

[tofuman]

I'm supposing that China and Taiwan are two very different places in many respects.

I can tell you that the school I work at in China has definite concerns about the fitness of FTs. If you are a hypertensive diabetic, you are at greater risk for events that would almost certainly be fatal here due to antiquated, inefficient, and probably incompetent emergency transport services.

The last thing any school wants is a foreigner dying, not because they care about you, but because it might cause problems for the government, which would then rain fury on your employers.

You should be aware of these things yourself. There is a lot of unbelievable stress here related to culture, climate, toxic and dysfunctional organizations, prejudice, etc.

Consider going through a lifestyle medicine program to deal with your health issues before coming.

[7969]

i've visited a few doctors in my day, and this is what i found. in taiwan, most doctors speak at least some english, and some of them speak very good english. so communicating with medical personnel in taiwan likely wont be a problem, depending on where you end up of course. even in china, i've had to visit the opthalmology department a few times, and the doctors here, despite the differences between eastern and western medicine, have given me satisfactory care. further, most of the younger doctors in china are supposed to speak english as well (the one i saw last week did).

in the end, if your diabetes is under control and you have medication with you, i wouldnt anticipate any problems. look for a job that is a little lower on the stress level. having said that, china is probably the better bet. most of the teachers in taiwan work between 25-35 hours a week. you'll do a lot less than that in china.

[tofuman]

Since 7969 is so cavalier with your life and health, you might want to enter into a binding contract that he/she will provide round the clock nursing care for you should you require it.

We had a great Ft here last year that was a bit older (60s) but previously in relatively good health and active. Here less than a week and had a major health crisis that required a week of hospitalization and evacuation to HongKong for major surgery. Be advised that you have surgery here at your own risk due to infection control issues.

I can't say with certainty that coming here triggered this event, but the timing would certainly point that direction. Fortunately, the FT had a good travel insurance plan which more than covered costs, including recuperation in HK.

You might want to discuss this issue with a qualified health care professional, including availability of suitable medications.

I myself found radical climate and working changes debilitating when I was much younger, but have not had any problems here so far.

Good travel insurance with medical evacuation would be a big plus.

I would discuss these issues with a prospective employer before coming.

[Jolly]

[7969]

lookingforeslwork, i'm sure you're clever enough to know your limitations and needs if you leave home and come to asia. dont let tofuman and his misguided diagnosis discourage you from coming to asia. after reading a number of his posts on this board over time, it sounds like he'd rather not be here either.

[tofuman]

Any middle-aged person with diabetes, HTN and hypercholesterolemia would do well to take my advice and get some treatment in a good life-style medicine clinic, whether coming to China or not. Without treatment, those problems only worsen. Symptomatic treatment is not the best answer. Health problems of this sort are typical for sedentary individuals in Western countries, who don't eat properly nor exercise. Although not mentioned, obesity is probably an issue as well.

A person in this kind of shape who comes to a country with a tropical climate is probably inviting a health crisis of one sort or another. I can assure you that you do not want a medical emergency in my locale.

ESL, Let 7969 at least pay your travel insurance premium.

Since he apparently doesn't know what the word "diagnosis" means, his prattle underscores China's need for experienced and capable teachers.

7969, I'm not ready to write off all of China. My world is overshadowed by a moronic FAO in a dysfunctional institution. I plan to leave this particular place when my contract expires and I have a great option, in China, to persue. If that is a bust as well, then I'll probably be moving on.

[Roger]

The problem the original poster is faced with revolves around his insurance coverage, not around his acceptability as an employee.

I have in many years never had to seek medical treatment from local hospitals or doctors at school expense; maybe this enhanced my employability.

In my current place of work we all have, apparently, rather good medical cover, as I learnt from some of my colleagues. BUt if you are known to have serious chronic conditions you are not likely to be their most sought-after job applicant.
It's always best to have some private insurance policy of your own that would pay for your hospitalisation in Hong Kong or a western-run clinic in one of the few cities that have them.

[ResiWorld]

Previously, I was teaching in a small town in Shandong, hours away from any city of any decent size. There was another full-timer working at my school and she was diabetic. She didn't bring enough insulin and whatever other medications with her. When this was brought up at school to the FAO, apparently noone knew what the hell diabetes was. She went to the local hospital with the FAO to no avail. Then she ran out of supplies. She told the FAO that she could possibly die, who then in turn proceeded to laugh in her face. Luckily she had a friend in a city 2 hours away, whom she visited. She ended up becoming friends with a married couple who were both doctors and they hooked her up with some Chinese supplies. She was lucky. My advice is to make sure you bring enough supplies with you, and locate yourself in a large coastal city.

[brsmith15]

I have a friend in the US get my meds for me and then mail them here. There's never been any problem in the 5+ years we've been doing this and she even writes "medication" on the little green export slip that goes on the envelope.

[7969]

[tofuman]

Type 1 diabetes may be an autoimmune disease, but type 2 diabetes is definitely not an autoimmune disease. The OP was almost certainly talking about type 2 diabetes. Type 2 is the consequence of lack of exercise and improper diet.


"China has over 40 million diabetes patients, ranking the second in the world, said Huang. The incidence rate has been on the rise,from 0.67 percent in the early 1980s to 3.21 percent in the mid-1990s among people between the ages of 15 to 74"

http://www.china.org.cn/english/Life/51602.htm

Another good topic for English corner.

[7969]

hey, you wont find me arguing with you anymore. you're the kind of guy who knows everything.