Employment & Prof. Development

Hello,

My girlfriend and I are planning to go to China to teach English in about a year. She is technically way more qualified for the job. She has a master's degree and 5 to 6 years of teaching experience.

However, she is a Filipino-American. She was born and raised in California, heck she doesn't even speak Tagalog. My question is: Is she really going to have a hard time getting a job in China? What if we go as a couple and I say I will only accept a job if she is hired too?

If your girlfriend is a certified K-12 teacher, she should only be applying to American-approved international schools in mainland China where her ethnicity will not matter a hill of beans. In addition, she will earn a salary comparable to or even better than what she is currently earning (assuming she is teaching at a primary or secondary school). You could then look for work as an oral English teacher at a private school close to her job.

You didn’t mention why a master’s level teacher with five to six years of teaching experience would even consider teaching English in China: Such a move would be a career killer. For the sake of discussion, let’s assume your girlfriend is not a certified K-12 teacher but has been working as a part-time lecturer at a community college with a master’s degree in, let’s say, history.

If that’s the case, she should only be applying to Chinese universities and, depending on her skin tone (some Filipinos are very light-skinned), the fact that she is clearly not of European descent shouldn’t matter. She should not even consider applying to private English language schools (see our article Teaching English in China for Non-White, Non-Native Speakers). Once she has accepted a job offer at a university, you can then apply for jobs at private schools in the vicinity. If you have a bachelor’s degree (you don’t mention that either way), you could also consider applying with her to the university as a couple.

In the new era of a post-Obama world, developing countries are becoming somewhat more tolerant of light-skinned Blacks and other people of color, including China. Your girlfriend’s ethnicity and skin tone should only be a significant problem at private language English schools where foreigners are hired predominantly for their appearance, showmanship, and native English-speaking ability and far less so for their teaching experience and other credentials. Depending on how dark she is, for extra insurance, along with a copy of her passport and C.V., she might want to attach a 30 to 45 second mp3 file sample of her speaking skills.

Thanks for the reply.

I guess I did leave out some information (new at this forum thing). She is not currently teaching. She taught at a private school for 6 years where they do not require state certification. She quit her job 2 years ago to pursue her masters in... well, I don't know what it is called technically but it allows her to be a school psychologist. How do you like her chance of getting in at an international school without the teaching certificate?

As for the reason she would want to come: It has been my goal for quite some time and because she is awesome she is willing to go along for the ride.

And yes I do have a bachelor's degree.

Thanks for your advice.

Is there any chance your girlfriend can sit for the state licensing exam as a school psychologist before you two head off to the Middle Kingdom? If so, I can easily see many different types of international schools being interested in her in that capacity. As long as she's licensed (as anything), that--in addition to her private school teaching experience--could then be used to justify her presence in the classroom.

Without state certification, international schools will be unable to hire her as this would violate accreditation standards.

Worst case scenario, you two can apply for university teaching positions as a couple. Chinese foreign affair officers have a very difficult time passing up the option of getting two foreign teachers for the price of one apartment.

The downside to this, as I alluded to above, is that a prolonged stint of teaching oral English in China will take your girlfriend's career off course. She can always say that she was traveling or studying Chinese.

Dr. Greg,

This is said girlfriend. I am state certified as a school psychologist. In fact, I have national accreditation if that makes any difference. Just so I understand completely, are you saying that, with my qualifications, I can teach at an international school? But, I should also look for work as a school psychologist, but only in an international school?

I never thought teaching English in China as a career killer. I was interested in teaching abroad mainly because job opportunities in my area have been very limited. I wasn't even sure there was a market for school psychologists in international schools. I love teaching, and thought the opportunity to return to the classroom overseas would be a great experience. However, it looks like I should redirect my job search.

There are six regional K-12 accrediting associations in the United States. International schools in China are free to choose which of those six accrediting associations they will be accredited by. These international schools in China are all private schools by definition and seek accreditation from a regional association that provides them with the most hiring latitude.

What I am suggesting (although I don't know for a fact) is that--depending on the accrediting association--a headmaster may be able to hire you as a state and nationally certified school psychologist and then legitimately use you in the classroom on the strength of your previous K-12 teaching experience. I am not familiar with the specific criteria of these regional accrediting associations. I can't advise you with any certainty but I think it's possible you could be very marketable.

What I suggest you do, when you're ready, is send your résumé to Joseph Azmeh, the headmaster of TEDA International School in Tianjin. Tell him that Dr. Greg, the American professor from Guangzhou who visited his school in October 2010, suggested that you write him personally to solicit his feedback on whether he or other international schools in China could hire you as a teacher. I have a hunch you will be pleasantly surprised.

As for China TEFL, it is an unregulated and unaccredited industry fueled by political and financial interests only. Consequently, the experience that you acquire as a China EFL teacher is not applicable or transferable when seeking teaching employment back in the States. In essence, as a professional educator, you would be creating one giant black hole in your curriculum vitae.

If you were a registered nurse back home and you spent two years working as a visiting healthcare professional at a traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) "medical school," learning how to brew herbal teas to treat common ailments, you could not possibly expect accredited American hospitals to recognize that experience as professionally valid or even desirable. In fact, it would seriously work against you in the minds of most head nurses and other hospital administrators.

As a licensed school psychologist with six years of private school teaching experience, I would urge you to abandon any thoughts you have of teaching oral English in mainland China unless you can afford to treat that time as a vacation from your career.

In addition, once you step foot into the China EFL industry, as I alluded to above, you will be exposing yourself to prejudice and discrimination as a person of Filipino descent. My wife is a Filipino, a certified elementary school teacher, and faced incredible hiring discrimination while we lived in mainland China. With a master's degree in school psychology and six years of teaching experience, there is absolutely no reason why you should subject yourself to that kind of abuse.

Please, stay away from the China EFL industry. It's not for you. If you haven't already, spend some time reading through our comprehensive Foreign Teachers Guide. It will be a real eye-opener for you.

Best of luck.