Job Discussion Forums

pinoy0320 · Joined: 09 Dec 2008 Posts: 3

I am of asian descent and have been applying to jobs as an English teacher/trainer. I have had several successful interviews until they found out that I "look" Chinese. Has anyone of asian background found success teaching in China?

xi.gua · Joined: 15 Jul 2010 Posts: 170

I know many people of Asian descent who teach in China. It is more difficult to find a job due to the schools desire for a Caucasian face, but it's still possible. You just have to keep trying, maybe change your search strategy a bit.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

All across China, there are thousands upon thousands of Filipino teachers teaching English in smaller communities. Look, this has been said time and time again: A school (especially a famous or profit-driven one) wants foreign teachers who um... look foreign.

I wouldn't study Mandarin from a guy born in Xinjiang, Suzhou or Sichuan, and Chinese students (read: parents) are afraid of getting cheated, which happens so much here.

Prospective Parent: I want my son to study English, do you have foreign teachers?
Teacher Wang: Yes! We have foreign teachers!
Prospective Parent: Where are they from?
Teacher Wang: They are Filipino, African, German, and Russian!
Prospective Parent: But my son is studying English.
Teacher Wang: But they all speak English.
Prospective Parent: Do they come from English-speaking countries?
Teacher Wang: Um.. but they are foreigners!
Prospective Parent: I want one from America or England!
Teacher Wang: OK, OK... I have a teacher from Canada.
Prospective Parent: Let me see him (looks at the teacher) He looks Chinese!
Teacher Wang: Ah, but he was BORN in Canada!
Prospective Parent: How do I know that? He looks just like my son!

Get it?

Don't shoot the messenger....

sharpe88 · Joined: 21 Oct 2008 Posts: 226

Yes it's a factor but not a big enough factor to prevent you from finding a good job.

HiddenTreasure · Joined: 03 Oct 2010 Posts: 81

You do, of course, mean you are American-Asian, and not Asian-American, right?

Zero · Joined: 08 Sep 2004 Posts: 1402

It's a numbers game. You just have to send more resumes than a Caucasian teacher would. Hard to pinpoint the ratio. Somewhere between twice as many and 10 times as many, I'd guess. But you'll find a job.

mrwslee003 · Joined: 14 Nov 2009 Posts: 190

When I went for the interview, the recruiter did mention that my Chineseness may attract some "credibility" encounters. What I found was to
the local staff (Chinese staff) it was a non-issue, not overtly anyway. The students showed more affinity to me than to the other foreign staff because I can speak their lingo (enough to get by).

During midyear the same recruiter visited our school and asked me on any adverse reactions toward my ethnicity. Of course the answer was negative.
Maybe it is an issue in the heads of some people, or people being too sensitive. I can see some schools wanting "white" faces to do pr for their
programs, and recruiting students. To some it is a status thing having a real gui lao in their staff. However, there is a saying "Doesn't matter if its a white cat or a black cat, as long as it catches mice!"

As to the question of Asian-looking-English-Speakers getting good jobs: I don't feel it is a barrier, although I wouldn't wish all foreign teachers are Orientals in background either. Am I being understood without having to defend
myself?

Now, we spent two years in the same school and I was offered another year's contract, but we decided to return to our home and native land. We had a wonderful time overall.

I say go for it, if one school doesn't want you try another. It is their loss!

laineylam · Joined: 11 May 2010 Posts: 7

Hey there, keep trying, I sent out hundreds of apps, found it probably more than ten times harder, than my white boyfriend.
I am currently working at a middle school in Chengdu, and really enjoy it here.
mrwslee003 any chance you could pm me and tell me the name of the school you worked at possibly for next year?
Best of Luck

igorG · Joined: 10 Aug 2010 Posts: 1473 Location: asia

My mom's Chinese, dad Russian (mob). I am a Canadian. Most of my students have to see my family pics, before they believe me. I don't really look Chinese, and so I don't know how it may feel when one gets turned down for looking local. I've heard of some FTs that had such issues with their local employers as well as when seeking employment. Nowadays on mainland, I believe it matters what kind of teaching job you are seeking/working. To my knowledge, nowadays, there are some local employers that would love to have FTs and even academic managers that have the "mixture of looks" and a local mentality. You may even get the tumbs up from your students depending on what educational institution you'd be in. There's more and more trust in the local educators than in the international ones and if you really could prove some of your local roots, it'd be a plus. Again, it depends on where you'd work.