Employment & Professional Development

Dr Greg,

I've been thinking about teaching in China for about a month now. I have been doing as much reading as possible and contacting certain "experts" in the industry for their opinions and insights. I'd heard about teaching opportunities in China when I was in college, but it seemed you had to be a bona fide teacher to even stand a chance and I quickly became discouraged. From what I read on your website, it seems they've hired people who really didn't have any business stepping off the plane. It is a bittersweet thing, as you detail in the guide, because it means there are lots of opportunities, but also means that the teachers don't really matter that much. According to the strict interpretation, I'm just as unqualified as those high-school drop-outs who just want to go on a casual fling. I am about to finish up an AA Degree at a four year institution and have been considering getting a TESOL certificate--the real kind, where they actually watch you teach a sample class--and exploring the possibilities in China. I am considering a career in teaching English abroad, but would like to see what I'm getting into before I commit to a bachelor's program. I’d appreciate your comments and suggestions. I'm kind of a prolific writer, so I hope you have the time and inclination to sit down and listen to a little story.

My interest in China first began in 2005 when my AP world history teacher came back from a summer program in China. He wanted to broaden our humanistic understanding by sharing his insights and journey with us. I was rather fascinated with it because it was the first exposure I'd had to a foreign culture in any meaningful way. In fact, I can thoroughly understand why foreigners get undue attention in China; I had spent my entire life in a rural Florida community where 95% of the population was white and the vast majority were Protestants. The homogeneity frequently got on my nerves and on the rare occasions that foreigners did roll through, I was intensely curious about their culture and religious beliefs. For a country that was supposed to be so individuated, all I saw was sameness. I think I did quite a bit of staring myself in my early and mid teen years when a "dark" person showed up who spoke funny English.

At any rate, my teacher showed us Chinese movies, gave us some Chinese snacks, showed us pictures and videos of his teaching, and we had to do a book assignment on modern Chinese culture. My book was a narrative on one woman's journey through the modernization of China and the struggle between remaining loyal to tradition in an increasingly westernized environment. At the end of the term, my teacher offered me and a few other interested students the chance to go to an Asian culture seminar that was being hosted by a colleague of his who had traveled to Japan. We had a sampling of local food, (most of which I liked) calligraphy lessons, traditional music, and a presentation by two Chinese foreign exchange students. It is difficult to accurately describe the effect it had on me, other than I had found something which was not sameness and it seemed to have a mystical quality to it. I know that this is a trap many people fall into, thinking that Asia is all mystical, but it led me to another very interesting experience.

After the seminar, I started going to Chinese and Japanese pen-pal sites. I had a hard time finding people who were my age, but I did finally come across one girl. She had a lot of alternative beliefs when it came to philosophy and spirituality and we soon were exchanging deep and imaginative discussions. Another interesting theme of our exchange was establishment of an individual identity apart from the collective. Apparently, a lot of her peers thought she was “too traditional” and “childish” because she frequently talked about spirits, I Ching, and astrology. Of course, I found all of that very fascinating and was dealing with the same issue of not looking “too strange” in my Judeo-Christian surroundings.

She defined these outer pressures as “loudness,” and her inner spiritual frontier as “wonder.” Apart from being quite interesting to talk to, she certainly did stroke that western fantasy of being one of those “ethereal Asian girls.” In part due to our discussions, I was able to break free of the “loudness” over time, but she continues to struggle with it. I had a lot of other Chinese contacts as well, and after I posted my profile on this particular site, I got well over 100 responses in the first couple of weeks.

As you can imagine, there was no way to possibly keep up with this many people. I had a lot of people “befriend” me for free English lessons, which didn’t really bother me. Their intentions were usually quite clear, they just didn’t put “teach me English” in the header; you had to read down a ways. I didn’t feel lied to or cheated about this, usually I could get some interesting little tidbits about China’s culture before their lessons were completed and they dropped off the radar. Some of my English buddies became long-term correspondents and we talked about a wide variety of cultural and economic subjects while I helped them with papers or sentence construction. While I don’t really consider this teaching experience, as it was very sporadic, it did give me a little sneak peek into China. Although I doubt my story really means much to anyone, it does give you some context behind my appearance here.

I scored a 65 on your psychological adjustment quiz. In reality, all of the options you listed as reasons for teaching apply to me a little bit. I am looking for a bit of an adventure, and out of all of the Asian countries that I’ve had pen-pals in, (Korea, China, Japan, and Malaysia) China seems to be the most feasible and had the most interesting people. I am rather disappointed with my current field of study and think that teaching abroad could be much more rewarding, but I don’t have any experience on which to base a conclusion.

In addition, the employment situation in the US is depressing, to be charitable, and is certainly a factor pushing me in this direction. As far as disappointments and surprises go, it depends on how badly the contract was breached. As long as the base salary and travel reimbursement is there, I don’t see how it could be that bad. I don’t see where I would mind doing extracurricular things like English Corners and commercials, as long as it doesn’t get excessive to the point of consuming all my free time. I don’t expect to be paid for basically being a tourist. I would like my living space to be fairly clean, have functional plumbing air and heat, and a western style mattress as well as a couple of basic appliances. Having been raised most of my life in a working class family, I haven’t been spoiled with all of the luxuries such as elegant furniture and a nice living space. A 500 sq ft concrete box will suit my purposes. I’ve never done drugs and don’t care too much for alcohol. In fact, I couldn’t care less about the night life or bar scene. I view our whole western concept of dating as rather silly and am rather conservative about sex myself, so that is a plus for me. I am rather introverted in America (mostly because I feel the people here have a dangerous combination of ignorance and self-righteousness) but with like-minded people I can be quite gregarious.

It is interesting that in college I seem to get the most respect from the Middle Eastern guys because I don’t go around blindly repeating government propaganda about the war. I don’t care about TV much at all and it’s part of the reason I’m so critical of America. When one relies on the American press as the source of information, one’s view of reality becomes quite narrow. Much of American TV is simply mind pollution. I do enjoy trying new food and have at least enjoyed almost all of the western-style Asian food I’ve come across. Chocolate covered crickets and fish heads are a little too strange for me, though. I like reliable internet service, but mainly use it just for checking email and reading. I like to have routine in my life, but part of the reason I’m coming to China is to get away from that routine. Although I would still need to have some structure in my life, being taken out of one’s comfort zone by unexpected experiences is part of the excitement, I believe.

By the time I’m ready to come to China, I’ll be a 22 year-old American white male with an AA degree and a TESOL certificate. That gives me a 73 on your employee desirability index. That sounds like a very good chance, but I wonder how outdated the methodology has become with the recession and if this has actually decreased demand for English teachers. With America falling apart, it makes me wonder about the long-term future of the English language. If English truly is a global language, then it should be around for a long time independent of specific political crises. On the other hand, as western power wanes, are we now in the zenith of the language’s influence?

Well anyway, thanks for listening to my story and somewhat wandering thoughts about teaching in China.

Dear Faro,

If the data from the 438 foreign teacher satisfaction questionnaires I have received to date are at all representative of the larger foreign teacher population in China (and I suspect they are), you should do very well in China as a foreign English teacher.

Based on our current sample of respondents, overall foreign teacher satisfaction and retention (total months in China) are not associated with education level, age, school type, student age group, salary, satisfaction with one's classes, school administration, the quality of housing, or even satisfaction with one's current location in China. Of all the factors I have looked at, the only variables associated with overall foreign teacher satisfaction and retention in China are marriage to a Chinese national, contributing percentage of Chinese friends to total friends, and a relatively easy adjustment during the first few months. All of these variables have one thing in common, or at least are three different aspects of the same domain: The ability to assimilate into and accommodate a very different culture than what most Westerners are used to. From everything you have written, it appears as if you have already done that--at least in spirit and in mind-set.

In regard to the need for English language skills in China, now or even 20 years from now, my particular viewpoint on this issue is well-known: I don't believe the vast majority of our Chinese students will ever need to use one word of English after they pass their exams and graduate from college.

While China has the largest number of English language learners in the world, Chinese scholars estimate that the functional English language literacy rate is about .77 percent or 1 out of every 130 people (and they are heavily concentrated in first-tier cities). The reason for this is that there are no established English language environments in mainland China, not even within universities' English foreign language academic departments, outside the foreign teacher's classroom. You personally would have more of a need to learn and use Spanish in South Florida than will 85 to 90 percent of your students ever have the need or opportunity to use English with any regularity in mainland China.

The Chinese are among the most intelligent and determined people in the world, therefore I don't believe for one moment that the dismal functional English literacy rate is a mistake or unintentional. The Chinese government has absolutely no intentions of ever incorporating English as an official second language or, for example, creating the genuine need for English in the workplace: that will never happen. I suspect that what they secretly hope for is for the rest of the world to learn Chinese. Of course, if China continues its unbridled, meteoric rise as a global economic power, they may very well get their wish. Ten years ago, one could only find Chinese language classes being offered at high-ranking American universities: Now they are teaching Chinese in junior and senior middle schools throughout the United States.

The foreign English language program in China has always been mainly for show: to prove to the world, especially in the context of the former 2008 Summer Olympic Games, that China has truly become more international and has opened up to the rest of world by having forced everyone and their uncles to learn English. The fact that hardly anyone needs to use the English language after college is something most just don't like to think or talk about. There are only so many jobs in China as front desk clerks at 5-star hotels or at Western-owned companies, as Chinese English teachers and international tour guides, and only a relatively small percentage of the student population can afford to study abroad. Many private English language schools, from the small mom-and-pop operations to the major international chains, are now retooling their schools to teach Chinese to foreigners and are investing heavily in promoting these programs. In the aftermath of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and in light of how adamantly public schools and universities are fighting the Ministry of Education's exposure to a native speaker requirement, it's a smart move.

Nevertheless, and notwithstanding my personal viewpoints and predictions, based on the personal information you shared, if you do move to China, I am betting that you will assimilate into the culture very quickly and easily, and that you will make many Chinese friends, probably go through the trouble of learning the language, and will end up staying in China a lot longer than you had initially thought you would.

Either way, I wish you the very best of luck. Feel free to follow-up if you care to.

Dear Dr. Greg,

In the aftermath of the 2008 Summer Olympic Games, and in light of how adamantly public schools and universities are fighting the Ministry of Education's exposure to a native speaker requirement, it's a smart move.

Yeah, this is the biggest thing that concerns me about the whole decision; the fear of really getting into it and then finding out that one is obsolete like what seems to happen in so many other professions. On the other hand, a couple of years of total immersion coupled with formal Chinese instruction could be quite marketable in a variety of circumstances; I could end up teaching other people about China. It is understandable why schools despise hiring relatively overpaid foreigners who can turn out to be quasi-educated tourists. I suppose I am quasi-educated as well, but I also have a firm belief that the most important lessons, the ones of spiritual significance, take place outside of the educational bureaucracy. Formal education gives one the forms, but the substance comes from within...

Irrelevant philosophizing aside, you are right that I intend to learn the language, and am planning on putting myself through a year trial to see how I adjust. You are also correct, I believe, that I will be interacting closely with many Chinese. I am genuinely curious about the culture and beliefs, and not really interested in fraternizing with other foreigners. However, I am setting myself up for a big challenge; not being able to communicate with anybody in the beginning. I am not at all interested (to my possible detriment) in the "international cities." They seem to me like shrines to the religion of consumerism awash in "liquid modernity," to use a term coined by Morris Berman in his book Dark Ages America. I do have quite a bit of curiosity what life is like in the "real China," what everyone seems to refer to as second and third-tier cities. I don't have a romanticized vision of these places, I know full well that the "exotic Asia" meme promoted by these TEFL websites is greatly exaggerated, but based on my experience, the mystical stereotype does seem to exist in some limited fashion with more traditional Chinese, that there's something more to life than birth, money, status, and then death. Many Chinese seem to ponder these questions, and then many do not. I think that understanding what Chinese truly think about their existential place in the universe would be highly enlightening for my world view. I think actually experiencing this society in its uncorrupted and unromanticized form would be quite fulfilling. And all of this requires having Chinese friends who probably don't speak English. Perhaps on my questing, I can give some small thing in return, but right now I don't know what that might be.

On a more practical note, I don't want to go to a place so traditional that they hate me. In addition, my teacher also taught in a village, and while the people were very friendly, that's a little too far out for me. The place reminded me of an oriental Little House on the Prairie; quaint for tourist stops and photo shoots, but not very pleasant to live and work in.

Well, I'm sure you're a busy man and I don't want to clutter up your forum with a bunch of my personal feelings about things. I thank you for your opinion and will certainly post again when I get to the job search stage.

Hi Faro,

I have been in China for about a month now working in Chongqing, one of those "second or third tier cities". I have traveled around china a little bit to Shanghai, Shenzhen and Chengdu and I honestly enjoy working it a smaller city (not that Chongqing is small by western standards at all).

I work at a middle school teaching the senior students (16-18 year olds). I have maybe 3 western friends in China and about 20 Chinese friends here in Chongqing and others around China. Honestly having a few western friends to talk to is a good thing, pick them carefully though as a lot of western people here are not worth much (just looking to sleep with as many Chinese girls as they can or just being seen with them in public can give you a bad name). Much like you I met a lot of Chinese people on the internet and helped them with their English, but I also taught some students in my home country before setting out for China and they have made a lot of personal introductions for me to meet some great people in China.

I have felt little culture shock here in China and have adjusted pretty well I think, my Mandarin is pretty poor but I think personally the best thing for me was was to learn to count in Chinese, that way if I go into a shop all I need to know is how much things cost.

I come from a lower income family so the conditions here in China do not shock me and most things just roll right off my back so I have had little problems in that respect. Most of the problems I see from some foreigners about their accommodation comes from a western sense of shame about our living conditions. To my Chinese friends this does not bother them at all if one comes to my house they don't make a comment about my apartment or my crappy shower as they are used to it and it is nothing new for them.

I love the food here, my favourite is eel!! And my Chinese friends are a treasure to have: This weekend I am going to my first Chinese wedding so I am looking forward to that!!

At no point in the last month or so have I regretted coming to China but I will be returning home at the end of my contract to stay with my family and friends for a few months before coming back just because the reality is that I miss them and want to see them. Originally I had this idea that I would stay for a few years without going home but my mind has been changed in regards to this just because I miss them sometimes. I'll also pick another city other than Chongqing, not because I don't like it here but because I want to vary my experience here for however long that I can or want to teach and live here.

If you want to ask me any questions or anything about my small experience here or what it is like to come here for the first time, feel free to ask I have plenty of free time, hehehe, so it's no bother at all.

To add my 2 cents here...I would suggest reading the sections on culture shock and relationships again carefully.

As far as education Faro, skip the TEFL, even the "real" one with 6 hours of classroom teaching is not that useful. You will learn to teach if you apply yourself and don't worry if you happen to be handsome or maybe even blond, you will be considered a good teacher. You can also make the right friend and lots of Chinese people will beat a path to your door because you are a good teacher....it's all about relationships here and personal appearance. What you know will have little impact on your teaching career here.

I am living and working in a third tier city and came here for similar reasons as yours...I have learned better. I am having fun here and I enjoy teaching but I do not enjoy the average Chinese person that much. Frankly, the spitting, nose-picking, rudeness and lack of compassion for others is a real turnoff...

I would suggest letting go of this stereotypical idea that all Chinese people are this or that...there is no mystery here. Imagine yourself in a highly competitive completely alien culture where you are viewed as either an amusement or an opportunity and then you will be much closer to the truth about the Chinese experience. Be prepared to face censorship and social conditioning at every turn. If you can abandon idealism and learn to enjoy where you're at and what you're experiencing, you will be okay here. Don't believe you will make friends with people who don't speak English. You will meet plenty of people who want to practice their English however. You will miss western food unless you learn to cook and even then somethings are unavailable, especially in a third tier city. FYI: my best friend here is Muslim from Morocco. Make of it what you will...

Well, I don't think I have stereotyped people by saying everyone is this way or that way. To be honest, I'm not too impressed with the "average American" either, although I do have a few interesting friends. There are layers within a society that one chooses to associate with. Water seeks its own level. Now, if you're saying that everyone is corrupted by this greed and selfishness, that is very interesting. In that case, it seems a place one would want to avoid at all costs. I do not think this is the case, however. Based on my experience, there are some Chinese who have some interesting philosophical viewpoints and different world views to bring to the table.

I agree with you that the guanxi system is very oppressive. It is probably the primary reason for all of the opportunistic behavior that takes place in China. Admittedly, much discernment would be required in evaluating whether someone is truly a friend or not. I think all friendships in China are based on some kind of business interest in the beginning, and then develop into something deeper, if they ever do. It is just their way. I don't have a problem with this, as all of my e-mail contacts developed from them wanting something from me (usually free English lessons, or in some cases, to see what a white person is like) and then branched off in different directions. The people who were interested in only English lessons usually didn't last long because the things I like to talk about are too strange for them. It would also help to have some casual acquaintances who aren't real deep and can just show you around. And in reality, I think we're developing a kind of guanxi system in America. We can witness this on a grand scale with the banking situation and the "revolving door" between government and large corporations. I've seen several instances where people who were ill-suited for a position got hired over the better candidates just because they knew so and so. Then there is the issue of being labeled as un-American for expressing unconventional views and then there is the Patriot Act and on and on. I don't think there is as much difference between our cultures as we would like to believe, the American government has just mastered the art of subtlety.

As far as relationships go, I wasn't planning on getting involved in any. With all of the cultural programming, language barrier, and my potential status as a pretty white showpiece, they seem like more trouble than they're worth. With so much emphasis on "face" I think it would be too difficult to make a judgment on a woman's intentions. I may be wrong, but while in China, I plan to be "unavailable."

As far as the people themselves are concerned, while I also think that spitting and nose picking is rather unsightly, I don't think it is our place to judge a person based on their hygienic habits. I really think that rudeness and lack of empathy are endemic to all urban areas. When I go to the city in America, the average person just feels so plastic and disconnected from everything around them. In all but the best of neighborhoods, you can really get the impression that people hate each other and just disguise it under a veneer of superficial pleasantries. Maybe, maybe there is a higher proportion of "nice" people in America than in China, but I think this is analogous to our political situation: the forms here are just much more subtle, but since I'm not in China I can't speak with any authority. Maybe the Chinese are just absolutely horrible, although I rather doubt it based just on what I've read in the Guide.

Basically, this all comes back down to the idea that it is very unwise to stereotype any culture in any way. I did not mean to come across as propagating the "mysterious Asia" meme, but I am interested in seeing what exists beneath China's exterior plasticity and materialism. Could it be that there is nothing there? Of course, and if that is all that exists, guanxi and mianzi, then I suppose I should move along.