Job Discussion Forums

[PuckNChina]

Our school recently hired a qualified, experienced teacher from Australia. Her parents immigrated to Australia from Hong Kong when she was very young. She does not speak Chinese but obviously looks Chinese. We are having a very difficult time up here in the wintry Northeast filling up her classes. Our school has a foreign teacher and a Chinese teacher in each class but apparently since she is not blond and blue eyed, she is not considered a foreign teacher by many parents.

What to do? Anyone else have this situation? Any advice, suggestions?

[stevey]

well me ol'mucker...i am from england but both me parents are chinese - i was born and bred in england for 20 odd years.

for me being in china...hmmm - well it does seem kinda difficult for me to find jobs, but at the moment i seem pretty much well liked by students and it seems my students prefer and like the fact that i can speak some of the language - but this does tend to lead to them getting lazy in practising their english with me during class.

my advice is to get the girl to meet some of the parents and be introduced as a foriegner. I think personality is also a trait which the parents look for - i might look chinese, but the way i dress, speak and act identifies me as totally foreign from the moment you meet me. I think the parents are looking for a foreign teacher that looks like they can bring in some western influence rather than the rigid chinese teaching that the kids get from their regular chinese teachers. maybe ur gal just LOOKS boring!

hope that helps....:S