Job Discussion Forums

Wicked Stepmother · Joined: 01 Dec 2016 Posts: 49

I think you need to be at professor level not to get turfed out after aged 60. Otherwise, the only choice is to come as a visiting scholar of a foreign university. I guess China does not want to be a retirement home for low rank westerners. What's in it for them, when they can get thousands of native speakers with good teaching experience in their 20s and 30s?

Greg 09 · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 169

I'll take exception with the "retirement home for low rank westerners" characterization. Age 60 is hardly time to be put out to pasture, or to stud, as the case may be. Wink

And who sez I'm low rank? Not everyone in China is a couch-surfing backpacker with nothing better to do than skate around the world on OPM pretending to teach something.

And who, in their 20s, has any appreciable experience save a few intern lessons or a year at Sunnybrook Primary in the suburbs of Springtime, Nowhere? The vast experience of a twenty-something will enable them to assess a foreign culture and its people and see how to respond to the unique learning needs of their students?

In your 30s you begin to know how to ask the right questions but you're still following the formula taught you by your "betters". Hardly a treasure trove of valuable experience. Your "betters" are usually too technically oriented on what should statistically work that they don't see buttons on blouses.

But I do understand your point. I don't take offense at your post, just exception. Smile

Methinks the problem is more financial, as is the point with many things in China. Its liability and money. They don't want to bear the insurance cost or the stigma of someone dying in their country. I've heard and read a lot about that even from Chinese FAOs. Seems that a laowai dying in China is a big pain in the ass for some official functionary body of bureaucrats.

Chinese do NOT like to take responsibility for anything and will go out of their way to avoid it. Its a collective mentality. Personal responsibility dies when the collective is the primary and leading force in society. China does not want waiguoren dying here.

Teaching is so low-impact a job that an 80 year old can do very well if they're not suffering from dementia. I think the prime teaching years are from 50-70. Teachers need to be trained to a point, but if I want to learn something give me someone with a life full of experience and let me talk to him.

I've seen quite a few "teachers" come through here in the past number of years, some good some bad. Some older some younger. Some young ones were ok, but the older ones, older than 50, were the best.

Just my take on this. I think China made a mistake.

Greg 09 · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 169

I just reread my post, and I want to say that I've met some great teachers in their 20s and 30s. But the best teachers I've know were older.

teenoso · Joined: 18 Sep 2013 Posts: 365 Location: south china

Greg 09 · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 169

nimadecaomei · Joined: 22 Sep 2016 Posts: 605

The age limits are linked to Chinese retirement ages.

twowheel · Joined: 03 Jul 2015 Posts: 753

geosmiley · Joined: 25 Jan 2016 Posts: 62

Qi tells me that where her parents work, both have good jobs and work in the same place, that the retirement age for women is 50 and for men 60, mandatory. In her view it's one generation making way for the next and she sees nothing wrong with this.

For my part, I think it's a little more complex than being tied to the retirement age of Chinese as some have stated quite reasonably. Older teachers, at least the ones I work with, are more experienced, on pensions, and a lot less likely to put up with some of the rubbish that goes on.

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

Greg 09 · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 169

Non Sequitur · Joined: 23 May 2010 Posts: 4724 Location: China

Speaking is a personal skill and cannot be learned by rote. Rote learning has its place - look at times tables.
Chinese classes are just too large to permit the student/student or teacher/student reactions that build conversational skills.
BUT we FTs are expected to overcome that. Some class exercises like cocktail party games provide the opp for the whole class to be engaged at once. Best done in an open space though.

TexasHighway · Joined: 03 Dec 2005 Posts: 779

I am 69 and have been teaching at a university in Jiangsu province for 8 years. When I was first hired the cutoff age was 65 and then it was reduced to 60. I have been fortunate to receive waivers up to this point. For the coming school year, I had to take a physical. I even had to meet with the foreign experts bureau to show I am still alive and kicking. They reluctantly approved me for another year. A couple of Japanese teachers in their 60s were let go but that was their department's decision. I doubt if the foreign expert bureau would approve a new teacher in their 60s.

Greg 09 · Joined: 30 Jan 2009 Posts: 169

Yes this unfortunately is the case in most places in China. The past couple of months I've talked to loads of schools and recruiters around the country. You just can't get the chop if you're older than 59.

You're very fortunate to have lasted this long. My school could not pull enough strings to get me to stay, but another Province was able to swing it. They told me that as long as my Med Exam was good I could stay. Seems the more logical policy.