One very upset Chinese-Canadian

[WilsonFong]

I've always wanted to visit China since I was young and I thought going there to teach after I graduated from university would be a great oppportunity to explore the country. I've been looking for a job for the last few months there and not even a single employer has called me for an interview. Although I was informed by my TESL teacher and my friend who's been to China that it would be quite difficult for me to find a teaching job because I'm not white, I didn't expect it to be this difficult.

One recruiter in Shenzhen e-mailed me immediately after I sent my application and told me that he could not hire me because I was of Chinese descent. I just called another recruiter in Beijing who told me that it would be nearly impossible for me to find a teaching job in China because I don't have a Western face. I have a Chinese-Canadian friend who's been in Shanghai for a month now and has been facing the exact same situation. What really ticks me off is that he told me that some schools were hiring people from places in Europe like Italy and the Czech Republic (whom I'll assume don't speak perfect English).

I still really want to go to China though. Does anyone have any tips for me as to what I should be doing differently?

[phbriggs]

It is possible to find a teaching job, even if you are of Chinese origin. It however can be difficult to find a position exactly where you want to teach and you may face some "discimination" from the locals. Particularly since you will be paid a higher salary, and the locals also think as you are of Chinese heritage, you should be paid the same.

Also, the locals think lao wai only are capable of teach English. As a result many schools will only employ lao wai, even if there English is not as good as someone like you. The schools also command higher fees for those students taught by lao wai. Unfortunately, it is difficult to comand the same premium when the locals think you are Chinese (even if you are not).

If you are having trouble, send me an email (see my website) I I can send you the contact details of an agency we used. I know that they have placed western Chinese in the past. You will get a grilling from the agency to make sure that you are of strong character and will be able to take what the locals give.

Anyway, good luck - Don't forget it is China where the impossible is possible and the possible seems to be impossible.

[hakkaboy]

I met a Nigerian once with a heavy accent teaching English in Zhengyi, Gansu province. It is possible you can have a more genuine experience in Gansu than Beijing, Shanghai...

[yorkie_bear]

Hi

I really feel for you! I'm thinking of doing a TEFL or TESOL and I'm in a similar position (BBC) - although I'm not in China, I would probably be in Asia where I imagine the situation is the same.

I'm just wandering whether you considered doing other jobs besides teach?

Good luck anyhow.

[trevelyan]

I know a lots of "overseas Chinese" that are teaching in China, and while there's definitely a preference for visible foreigners, if you're having trouble the issue is probably just that you're trying to find a job while outside the country.

I wouldn't worry about being unemployed. I also wouldn't read too much ethnic discrimination into what happens to you in your first year either. A lot of people who come to China end up in non-optimal teaching gigs when they start just because they don't know any better and aren't familiar with the market.

It doesn't help that a lot of the people who hire abroad are predators. If you're looking to work full time you're much better off coming to China and getting employment in-country, where you can check out the school/accomodations/etc. before signing on. Alternately, look for a REPUTABLE non-profit organization that can link you up with a school and won't make false promises on the visa/remuneration front..

[abcastro]

Hi! I was also planning to take online TEFL and hoping to find a job in China too. However, I am an Asian and am not sure if any school in China will hire me. They prefer whites right? Any advise?

[Dave]

quite a discriminating place, I for one was born and lived in South Africa for 17 years , and as such FAOs assumed I was black, but since I now live in Italy being however of Portuguese descendency, I sent them my picture.They apologized for the misunderstanding and a few days later I recieved a phone call and was interviewed by phone and was given a job in a small city in the Shandong province. I must however state that I have already taught at Univ.level and hold a MBA degree.

I feel bad for one you but, I have seen lots of blogs of Sino/Korean-Americans teaching in China usually in remote provinces.

I Wish you luck

Dave

I

[WilsonFong]

Thanks guys for the advice. travelyan, you're probably right about having to go to China first to find a job. Although that is an option for me, I have my reservations because I'm very short on cash right now and it would be a waste of money if I got there and didn't find a job (and my parents would be extremely worried about me living on my own there without a job, even though I'm 22! ). As for doing other jobs besides teaching English there, what do you suggest? (my skills are pretty limited).

I have one more interview coming up with a school in Taiwan. Hopefully they're more tolerant than Chinese recruiters. Wish me luck.

[trevelyan]

Well... the teaching market in China is really not lucrative. If you're interested in teaching English as an actual job, as opposed to just a way of making money while in China for other reasons, you should try finding work in Korea, Taiwan or Japan.

And I don't mean this to dissuade you, but if your job hunting plans involve waiting for people to call you long distance from China... it isn't surprising that you haven't found anything. The costs involved in long-distance telephone calls mean that no Chinese school is going to call you unless you're a sure thing. Email contact will be more reliable, and if you're contacting schools directly you'll probably have better luck corresponding with them in Chinese, since whoever is in administration is not likely to have great English. If you are applying to places that you want to provide you with a working visa, it helps if you can provide copies (scanned documentation) of your university diploma. You'll need them for the visa, anyway.

You're at a disadvantage in the job market if you only speak English, because you'll be ostensibly competing with people who "look" Western for teaching jobs. If you speak/read/write Chinese though, you can always try to get editing and translation jobs, as well as work in outward-oriented companies as a normal employee. If you want to go this route you'll have more luck networking in Beijing and Shanghai than trying to find stuff from abroad.

If money is a concern, one of the cheapest ways to get here is to enroll for a short spell in an private commercial school. They will be able to arrange a 6 month visa for you, which your employer should be able to renew for you or convert to a Z-visa. You should be able to find tutoring work fairly easily while you look for something more long-term.

[Lu]

The schools in Taiwan are just as racist in hiring English teachers as the Chinese schools are. But it is by no means impossible to find something, in the time I was in Beijing several of my overseas Chinese friends found jobs as English teachers. It will definately help that you are really from an English-speaking country.

[laian]

渤海大学 辽宁锦州

bohai "univeristy" in liaoning jinzhou has hired english speakers of chinese decent. Do your research first I have heard good and bad.

I also meet a japanese american teaching in harbin, I forget the name of the school its the one that is further from the town center than 哈工大

While teaching at 辽宁公园学院 my then girlfriend was interested in teaching english, the foreign dept informed me that the couldnt hire her because of her "chinese face".

good luck

[showmanshow]

If money is a concern, one of the cheapest ways to get here is to enroll for a short spell in an private commercial school. They will be able to arrange a 6 month visa for you, which your employer should be able to renew for you or convert to a Z-visa. You should be able to find tutoring work fairly easily while you look for something more long-term.

trevelyan or anyone else: you mentioned that a good way to get to china is to enroll in a short gig in an private commerical school??? you have any leads or names I can contact for that??? locations (of course major cities will be a +) and $ is not really a big issues for me atm but I only have a University diploma.. not sure if that will be a problem in this case.

[skanger]

Yes, I'm afraid what you look like is as important as how good you are in the classroom, sometimes more. This is nearly always true with private schools as they usually guarantee to provide foreign teachers to their students who pay a them lot of money for the privilege, so the teachers on show must look right as well as sound right. If the students aren't happy with what they get their parents take them somewhere else [this is a market driven economy]. I got caught up in this scam a while ago and was hired for a summer school. Teaching was the least important of the duties, the main responsibility was to be available and on show for parents bringing prospective students to the school.

However, PLEASE DON'T DESPAIR, a Chinese-Canadian colleague of mine worked successfully for 1 year in China, so it is possible. Instead of applying to private schools, apply to state-run schools, colleges or even universities [you have a degree?]. These are usually more interested in how good you are as a teacher than what you look like and are more likely to throw you out as a result of poor classroom performance than the colour of your face.

But you are going to need a thick skin in China - after getting a job please be prepared for some racial discrimination and some abuse. Being abused because you 'not one of them' has a logic to it, being abused because you are 'one of them' sounds very strange, but it can happen. It wouldn't be tolerated in Canada but this is different a country and culture and racism is one aspect of the darker side of China.

Failing that, bleach your hair blonde, wear heavy makeup and start stuffing yourself with doughnuts and burgers.