1	3	3	Teach, China

“Live your questions now, and perhaps even without knowing it, you will live along some distant day into your answers.”

Ranier Maria Rilke

This will be the first in a eight-part series. For those of you not interested in teaching in China I hope it serves as an informational piece on the differences between education and employment practices in China and the west.  It is in eight parts because the number eight is considered auspicious in China and I am not Stephen Covey. I would like this to become a "Letters to a New Foreign Teacher " guidebook, albeit I am no Rilke either.

Two schools told me, just a few days ago, that they hoped to increase their foreign teacher faculty by 100 percent in the next two years in an effort to internationalize their programs. They asked if I would help recruit qulaified teachers in a variety of disciplines to come to China and share their knowledge. And no, I am not being paid to assist. I am thankful for the great confidence placed in me and will do my best to give you a clear picture of what awaits you in the Middle Kingdom, both in the way of excitement and challenge. I love China and the students here, but it has taken me over half a decade to be able to comfortably discuss the culture differences and take a meta-view of all that is, to be euphemistic, foreign, about teaching here. There will be words, that to you may seem like criticism, but they are merely observations and truths as I have come to learn them. Take what I say with a small grain of salt: I wake up to new appreciations and frustrations every day and  the leanings of my western mind, even after 20 years in Asia, sometimes lead me into me into cultural and communication misunderstandings. Things aren't all so tangible and sayable as people would usually have us believe; most experiences are unsayable, they happen in a space that no word has ever entered.....

With this preface, I want to tell you that teaching in China will be one of the greatest learning experiences of your life if you allow yourself to be taught by those you have come here to mentor. Candidly, you have little to offer that Chinese teachers cannot. You should look forward to acculturating and adapting in such a way that you build trust so that meaningful dialogues allow you to develop relationships they can change your life forever. I will mix the practical with the esoteric. You will find many answers in the former and likely more questions via the latter: "Do not now look for the answers. They cannot now be given to you because you could not live them. It is a question of experiencing everything. At present you need to live the question. Perhaps you will gradually, without even noticing it, find yourself experiencing the answer, some distant day." And I hope you do consider coming here. I will also list, at the end of each post, a contact email you may write to and express interest. I will then use it only once or twice to notify you when a new recruitment site, to be used by the most reputable colleges and universities in China, is online and able to accept resumes or job queries.

Basics:

Age Requirements

You should be at least 21 to teach on a regular contract and 18 if you hope to volunteer in a rural area for a short time. The government has started to enforce upper age limits and some schools may require you to be below 60 years of age. 

Schools in China prefer native speaking English teachers from the USA, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and Great Britian. There are jobs available for non-native speakers but they are few and far between. Candidly, you have a better chance of teaching if you are a white anglo-saxon than if you are a person of color. Of all the countries in Asia, I find the Chinese to be the most curious and accepting of people from other countries.

Passports/Visas?

China requires that foreign teachers obtain a work visa in China. The school that hires you will assist you in acquiring this visa which is placed inside your country passport. It used to be that you could come here on a tourist visa and the school could have it converted in-country, but now you must exit to Hong Kong, Macau or elsewhere and have it processed there. It takes 2-3 days and the fees (sans accommodations) are generally paid by the school. Unless there is a legal reason that you are not allowed to leave your country, you should be able to obtain a passport in your country without too much hassle. A new center is being established in Guangzhou to assist schools in verifying your credentials and making sure you have no legal impediments to work. You may be required to pay a small fee to have your documents certified, but this will assure you have the ability to teach at better institutions.

Qualifications?

In the past, many schools in China have not required any degree to teach English. This has changed. You should have a bachelors degree and a TESL certificate or two tears of experience if you want to teach oral English. The best possible qualifications for a teaching candidate is to have at least a 4 year Bachelor’s Degree, TESOL/TEFL certificate, and some teaching experience or a MA or PhD in your field and two or more years of teaching experience. Most foreigners are assigned to oral English, basic writing skills and culture classes, but in cases where you have skills needed by a more internationalized school you will be assigned to classes in your discipline. You must always expect that you will be utilized to teach some form of oral English in addition to other duties as contact with native speakers is the primary goal.

Teachers with Disabilities

To say China is not as handicap accessible as developed countries would be euphemistic. There are few ramps and plenty of tripping and climbing hazards. Apartments and restaurants that would be required to have elevator access in your country probably do not have any in China. In addition, most people in China spend a lot of time walking from the train to a bus stop, or from a bus stop to their homes. Taxis are plentiful and cheap by western standards, but considered expensive by locals. If you do have a physical disability you should be up front with the school and see IF they can accommodate you. They are not mandated by law to do so.

Other medical Issues

Medical issues might disqualify you for work. Too, it is important to consider language barriers, and western style hospital access issues: China's medical system is good, but over-taxed by a demand for services. Some medications may not be in hospital formularies here. Check first. Certified western doctors, at private clinic catering to multi-national companies exist here, but are extremely expensive. If you take a rural assignment the conditions may be primitive at best and western medicine you are accustomed to may be hours away form your locale. Choose your assignments carefully and ask plenty of questions.

To be continued......

To be added to the mailing list (no-spam policies in place) send your email address to: yanzhi at blogofdreams.com