[lg policy] China: Foreign instructors face more policy regulations

Sat Jan 7 16:08:32 UTC 2017

 Foreign instructors face more policy regulations and changes, which will
keep qualified non-native English speaking teachers from obtaining jobs in
some Chinese regions
By Chen Ximeng Source:Global Times Published: 2017/1/6 17:18:39
<http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1027455.shtml#>
<http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1027455.shtml#>
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[image: According to the new policy for foreign language teachers, even
with a degree from an English-speaking country, non-native speakers can not
work as English teachers in Beijing, Shanghai and other pilot areas for the
new work permit policy. Photo: IC]

According to the new policy for foreign language teachers, even with a
degree from an English-speaking country, non-native speakers can not work
as English teachers in Beijing, Shanghai and other pilot areas for the new
work permit policy. Photo: IC

When Noli Castillano Apachicha, 38, a Filipino English teacher in Beijing,
heard the new policy that non-native English speakers may not work as an
English teacher in Beijing, he was upset.

>From October 2016 to March, a new work permit policy was launched by the
State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs (SAFEA), which classifies
foreign workers into three categories, ranking them as an A, B, or C expat,
based on their profession, level of education, work experience, and so
forth. It has been piloted in Beijing, Shanghai, Tianjin, Hebei Province
and other places, according to a post on the administration's website. In
April, the pilot will spread to other areas in China.

In these pilot areas, foreign English teachers should be native English
speakers with a bachelor's degree from their home country, in addition to
having two years of teaching experience. Before this new policy, non-native
English speakers could work as an English teacher if they have a bachelor's
degree from an English-speaking country. Yet under the new policy, the bar
has been raised. Non-native speakers cannot be an English teacher, even if
they obtain a degree from an English-speaking country.

"I expect that later on, I will not be qualified for my job because of this
new regulation," said Apachicha, who works at RISE English language
training school. "It will also shun many qualified non-native speakers like
me who hope to come to teach English in China."

An official with the SAFEA, who asked to remain anonymous, told
Metropolitan that they did so to attract qualified native English speakers,
and to improve the overall quality of foreign language teachers. Although
there are good intentions, foreign English teachers and a manager of a
recruiting agency for foreign teachers interviewed by Metropolitan think
that it would further increase the shortage of foreign language teachers,
and advise for more nuanced requirements over the qualifications.

[image: Foreign English teachers interviewed by Metropolitan think that the
new policy should not focus on a person's passport, but their quality of
work by issuing more nuanced requirements. Photo: IC]

Foreign English teachers interviewed by Metropolitan think that the new
policy should not focus on a person's passport, but their quality of work
by issuing more nuanced requirements. Photo: IC

*Being shut out *Apachicha came to Beijing to start his career as an
English teacher back in 2007 because he thought there was a huge demand for
English teachers in China.

Filipinos often speak English in the Philippines in business and even with
their peers when they communicate, he said.

"Most of us sound like Americans. Young Filipinos have strong American
backgrounds, and they can easily speak in an American accent without many
difficulties. They are born to be good speakers," he said.

Despite his skills, he admitted that during the past eight years, there
were cases where he was not considered for a job because of his background
and skin color.

"Parents are very particular for wanting native English speakers, and we
were not given a chance to showcase our teaching capabilities. We are
judged according to our background," said Apachicha.

Non-native speakers also needed to fulfill requirements such as a degree
from a native English-speaking country. This new policy will worsen the
situation, he said.

"Even with a bachelor's degree gained in the Philippines, a TESL (Teaching
English as Second Language) certificate, and eight years of teaching
experience in China, it still does not guarantee that I can teach English,"
he said.

Rebecca Rosenblum (pseudonym), an American math teacher at an international
school, has taught in Beijing for more than seven years.

She does not agree with the new policy. She believes it will force many
good teachers to find work in other cities that do not have such
restrictive policies.

"Being a native English speaker is good for a teacher, but there will be
many people affected who have near perfect pronunciation and
education/experience but are from other countries. Some non-native English
speakers actually have better teaching skills than natives," she said.

*Shortage aggravated *Grant Dou, owner of Panda Guides, a Beijing-based
expat service provider that includes foreign teacher recruiting, is
recently busy helping schools recruit foreign language teachers for the new
semester starting in February, which is usually the recruiting season.

This year, Dou found the teacher shortage is more serious due to the
tighter restrictions on teacher policies, and it will make it harder to get
good foreign teachers.

The need for foreign language teachers, which is estimated to be over 1
million, is far from satisfaction in the country. Last year, he heard that
SAFEA issued over 250,000 foreign expert certificates, but according to the
new policy, many will be unqualified and only over 40,000 people will be
able to get the work permits, said Dou.

Preston Thomas, who hails from the US and now works as an English teacher
at a Chinese public school in Beijing, thinks that it is good news for
native English-speaking teachers, because they are going to be able to
command a higher salary and more benefits due to increased demand.

However, he does not think that this new policy is accurate because it
passes judgment solely on a person's passport and fails to justify on
quality. "Even as a native speaker and English teacher, I think the level
of quality education is going to decrease," said Thomas, who has been
teaching in China for over six years.

Native English speaking teachers are going to want more money, meaning that
first-tier cities, private schools and other institutions who can afford
them will hire them first. However, the students in second- and third-tier
cities or schools outside the city center are going to suffer because it
will be harder for schools in these places to entice them, he said.

"I can only imagine that schools will then start putting more students in
one class, making it harder for the teacher and the students. Bigger
classes do not help students master a language, because students will not
have enough time to practice speaking."

"Under current situations, some schools or recruiting agencies will have to
walk in the grey area to use illegal teachers," said Dou.

*A plea for change*In recent years, driven by China's great need for the
English language, local media has reported that some English learning
centers or language institutions hire unqualified English teachers, even
foreign students from non-native countries such as the Philippines, India,
Africa and Russia to work as teachers or to pretend to be native speakers.

Michael (pseudonym), head of the foreign teachers department in an
international school in Beijing, has heard about this policy change and
thinks there are some good points.

"I believe this new policy is directed at the so-called 'learning centers'
here where many 'teachers' are not qualified to teach ESL," said Michael.
"I do not believe that it will impact our hiring practices since we hire
foreigners where English is their native tongue."

However, Thomas thinks that if the policy was meant to curb some learning
centers, they will just find another way to get around the law, either by
issuing tourist visas or by hiring the non-native teachers for other jobs
and then putting them in the classroom.

He said raising the bar might be good, but the focus should not be a
person's passport.

"I have seen countless times where non-white teachers (native and
non-native) are tossed aside for a white face. Give them a chance and stop
'white washing' teachers. It is 2017, and it is time to let prejudice go
and let the most qualified teacher get the job regardless of where they
come from or their skin color," said Thomas.

Rosenblum also suggests that Chinese government look more at actual
teaching qualifications and experience than if they are native speakers.

"I think education, experience and pronunciation should be considered
together when looking for English teachers. The longer you speak a
language, the better your pronunciation gets," she said.

"The new rule is going to keep out people who are adequately qualified to
teach English. What if someone is from the Philippines but has been living
in an English-speaking environment for 15 years and has fluent English?
They are going to be kept from getting a job because of the new policy.
That's why someone's spoken English level needs to be considered."

Dou recently wrote a letter of advice on this issue, and he plans to
present it to SAFEA.

In the letter, he suggested that the administration could set a united
grading test system directed at foreign language teachers. One part is on
language to test whether their pronunciation is standard, and the other is
the demo class to test their teaching skills.

"In addition, according to the grading system, they can also decide which
groups of people (children and adults) the foreign teachers are more suited
to teach. Then recruiting agencies and schools can make a better decision
on their qualifications and decide on their pay level based on their
performance in the system," said Dou.

Apachicha shares the same opinion as Dou. He is still employed at his
school, but is anxiously awaiting impact from the policy and hopes that the
new rule might change.

"Why not give teachers a licensing examination to ensure the quality of
education being received from Chinese students? It doesn't matter if you
are native or non-native; credit should be given to all great teachers no
matter their nationality," he said.

"There should be one government organization that will handle and assess
the qualifications before someone can apply for a teaching post. In this
way, we can have the trust and confidence in English teachers."

http://www.globaltimes.cn/content/1027455.shtml

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