Job Discussion Forums

[etgs]

Hi everyone,

I'm a recent BSc graduate from a Canadian university and I'm interested in a teaching position in China. I've been in contact with some recruiting agencies but one issue that's always been in my mind is my nationality. Despite the fact that I speak English with perfect pronunciation without any accent, and even though I've studied at American and Canadian schools all my life, I have a Turkish passport, and no citizenship from a "Native" English-speaking country. I'm wondering how much of a hindrance this is for employers in China. I know for example that the South Korean government won't even issue work visas for teachers without a specific nationality (or so I've been told). Is this the case in China as well?

As an aside, does anyone here have any experience with the English First school in Nanjing? One of the recruiters I'm in touch with recommended that school but I'm hesitant due the dubious comments I've heard about that organization.

Any and all comments would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Sinobear]

If you're not a passport holder from the 'big 5': Canada, U.S.A, U.K*, Australia or NZ, then you can be flat out refused a FEC/FRP.

There can be exceptions to this outside of the 'big 3': Beijing, Shanghai, and Guangzhou.

As there is tons of evidence available to support this - if you're prospective employer has enough guangxi (connections), they can get you your legal papers regardless.

There are two interesting points about the above. It's interesting that in GZ, they'll give a person from NZ an FEC/FRP without a hitch, but some people from Ireland were asked for proof of their ability to speak "comprehensible" English. I can't, for the life of me, understand Kiwis, but have no problem with the brogue.
The other thing is that there are teaching jobs (other than EFL) that you can obtain with a different passport if you can provide proof of English competency.

[Mister Al]

OP, If you have good experience in teaching ESL then I wouldn't worry about your passport.

[etgs]

Hey guys, thanks for replies.

So if I am to understand this correctly, its not necessarily the visa that would get denied, but possibly the foreign expert certificate required for teaching once I am actually in China? That might potentially be worse

[LeopoldBloom]

Where I was in China there were more FT's from outside the big five. It might be the situation that in Shanghai, Beijing, and Guangzhou you could encounter some problem. But anywhere else and you'll be golden, no problem. For all practical matters China has to have as large a pool to pick from as possible. FT's have no rights and the salary is low, go figure.

[Mr. Kalgukshi]

Several inappropriate postings have been deleted.

ALL members involved in addressing the messenger rather than the message run the very real (more than highly probable) risk of being permanently banned to include ISP.

[joey2001]

[HiddenTreasure]

Technically speaking, most provinces have a rule at the education department/PSB level on who exactly can be granted working credentials based upon their country of origin - though rarely enforced.

How did you get non English speaking passport? Even American passports don't speak - they just have watermarks

[7969]

[Guerciotti]

[joey2001]

[xiao51]

[Guerciotti]

[The Great Wall of Whiner]

Most of us are simply oral English teachers, or the foreign face for the school to increase prestige and gain a certain level of credibility.

In China, there really is no such thing as discrimination, per say. It is not against the law to hire Han Chinese over Man Chinese or Xian Chinese or Miao Chinese.

The same applies when schools hire foreigners. It's all about business, I'm afraid. This goes for both public schools and private schools. In fact, there is a lot of money to be made in public schools. Chinese call this money grey money. It's something that 99% of us foreigners never get to deal with or be a part of.

Look, schools want foreigners that will attract more students. If parents and/or students peep their head into a classroom or walk into the foyer and see no foreigner, they will ask outright "I thought you said you had foreign teachers?"

At this point, the boss or dean will point to three Chinese-looking people and say "They were all born in Canada". The prospective students will look at their parents and vice-versa with a 'are you kidding me?' look, then walk out.

Is it unethical? In our ethnocentric points of view, and the way we were raised, you bet it is.

But it's no different than when my Chinese friends come back to China from overseas and say "Wow! I saw pregnant teenage girls, and boys smoking during class hours! I saw teenagers driving cars, drinking beer, and young girls wearing clothes even my 30 year-old sister would be afraid to wear in public! And so many blue-haired children and green-haired kids with nose rings and eye rings! It's unethical! You let your kids do that?!?!"

It's all about points of view. And in terms of the 'law', well, the 'law' clearly states that you have to be from one of the listed English-speaking nations in order to get a foreign expert's certificate teaching English.

I wouldn't pay good money for a French guy to teach me German any more than a Chinese would reasonable be expected to pay to learn oral English from a Russian.

I pass as Chinese on the phone, but I don't pretend to be Chinese.

As for the "passport" issue, I would strongly suggest that if the individual is really interested in teaching 'as a Canadian', he/she becomes a Canadian and not pretend to be anything else.

[xiao51]

Dear Great Wall,

Maybe the tone of your post is a little severe / austere, whatever, but at the end of the day, I have to say that I more-or-less agree with you. Things are in a state of flux in China in terms of foreign teachers and it seems to me that the rules are becoming more stringent and not less stringent but again this is China and miracles do happen here.

BTW, how about a easy-to-do recipe for stuffed cabbage rolls on your other thread (it's a great thread BTW!)

XL