First published in 2008, has anything changed?
English teachers in Nanning and China? Wanted - Business Managers
Are they any good and do they need more?
Just recently I seem to have been over burdened with western English teachers
Some already here - Some hoping to get here and Teach English in China ...Mmmm
Well, first, let me say for the record.
Those that I have met so far, online TESOL in hand, here in Nanning and China, most I would not let teach English to a budgerigar let alone college students or children.
Those that have written to me, asking, and sometimes demanding information I would not let near a classroom at all with the exception of maybe, for a little light cleaning, mop and bucket provided.
The standards, for want of a better description, are sadly lacking.
The Americans and Australians appear to be the worst, although it is fair to say most British also fall way short of what I would call, an acceptable, indeed, expected standard of English.
To my mind, anyone that intends Teaching English in China needs at the very least, way above the average oral and written English skills, including grammar, not to mention excellent communication and presentation abilities and of course the main stay of any real, talented teacher, the desire to carry on learning themselves.
Sadly for Nanning and China, so far, many of the English teachers teaching English as a foreign language I have communicated with are lacking in most, if not all of these aspects.
They appear in the main to think that a quick, relatively cheap Internet course and the ability to 'speak' makes them prime candidates for teaching 'English' to the ever growing numbers of Chinese that believe they, or their children need to speak it.
For the potential teacher, Teaching English as a foreign Language the rewards are considered high, a visa, maybe an apartment, a wage and of course that old favourite - When asked, "What they are doing in China?" - I'm teaching English…Yeah Right !!!
Why is the standard so low? - Because all the good ones are employed in the west - Most that land on these shores are doing it for all the wrong reasons.
They are teaching English in order to stay, very few set sail with the sole intention to teach English.
Most of the young teachers are here for the experience and it will look good on the CV later on when back in the west.
And some of the worst candidates, are not teachers at all in any way, shape or form and should not be allowed any where near a school.
China doesn't need any more second, third and sixth rate English Teachers, it needs business managers, good ones.
All levels of managers for all levels of business.
Preferably Chinese speaking and a few years experience.
Vast opportunities in this area now and in the coming years here in Nanning and China.
Anecdotes and Topical Information for the 老外 Laowai in China.
Thank you Andrew, my sentiments exactly. The quality of many of the English teachers leaves much to be desired. It's one of the things that makes me climb on my soapbox.
ReplyDeleteIn many cases the Chinese have only themselves to blame. They have this attitude: I want an English speaking Westerner at my college. No teaching experience? No qualifications? No visa? Don't worry we'll deal with all that. And they do! Serves them right.
Graham
Andrew,
ReplyDeleteThanks for your interesting post on English teachers in Nanning and China in general. I'm going to bookmark your blog so that I can peruse it, and the many useful links, at my leisure. I’m an American, (Northern California), I’m planning to come to China soon to teach, and I’m currently looking for a position in Nanning, Kunming, or Guiyang.
I think your point, that not everyone who speaks English makes a good English teacher, is true. I learned this from the teacher training program I went through in August. I’m currently tutoring a Chinese student in San Francisco, and he’s told me stories of bad English teachers he’s had in Beijing. It’s harder than it seems. I’m hoping to always continue learning and improving as a teacher.
Ken
Yours is a somewhat high and mighty attitude which really does not reflect the reality on the ground for Chinese schools. Most Chinese schools have very good and well qualified local teachers who can teach English grammar and vocabulary. But for the most part these teachers themselves lack the skill to participate confidently in oral English discourse and therefore have little hope of developing oral language skills in their students.
ReplyDeleteThis is where the majority of western "English teachers" come in. Their role is not to be the arbiters of English in their schools or to uphold the high standards of English language education, but to get the kids (and hopefully the teachers too) to actually participate in English conversation activities.
I fit into two of your "put down" groups - I'm Australian and I hold a TEFL qualification obtained via distance studies online. I taught in Nanning for a year (before having to return home for family reasons) and both my work and my wife's work (and she was not qualified at all) were highly praised by the school management, the Guangxi Regional Education Board and visiting English curriculum advisers from Beijing during our stay.
In the year we were there we taught middle school classes, senior school classes, university summer school classes and business college classes as well as taking English corners in the city on weekends and visiting rural schools that had no foreign teachers.
What do you do, Andrew?
And as for the rewards being "very high" - what a load of old cobblers. We earned the grand average of AUD$150 per week for our efforts in Nanning and were given a run-down apartment in a building which should have been condemned a decade earlier. We had to tolerate constant construction noise outside our window for months on end, as new apartments were built for the Chinese teachers. And we were there on formal "Z" visas for a regional pilot program, not some shonky backdoor backpacker scheme.
I still also get lots of enquiries from people wanting to teach in Nanning. I don't judge them at all. I just pass them on as I know some schools would be pleased to have almost any foreign teacher, rather than none.
Agree with Tony. This Andrew person clearly looks down on teachers. I'd love to meet Andrew though and give him a piece of my mind!! I have a degree, a TESOL-not online, many years of experience and all can be referenced...and I wouldn't dare work with or under the ridiculous snob who posted that smear on all of us
ReplyDeleteYou just assume that you have some anan, ana, ananonimity, anonymity? Yeah, anonimity.
ReplyDeleteThe problem with a lot of teachers with a TESOL on line or a 5 day training course is they don't have the experience, so what do you expect. China doesn't pay enough money anyway and they sure can't afford a teacher with a degree, so they want the job done on the cheap.
ReplyDeletePeople with very little training will leave a bad image with the chinese because of the lack of expertise regardless of what country they come from.
If you want to be a teacher go to teachers college and get a degree.
bad mouthing people like that says more about you than it does about anyone else
ReplyDeleteyes I wonder who's band wagon Andrew is pushing and why? wouldn'd be an established English person who runs a school in Nanning and dislikes competetion?.:)
ReplyDeleteThe derogatory slur on Americans and Australians? I have been told by many Chinese students and Chinese teachers here in China they dont like British, English teachers because their accents are far to difficult to understand , they "prefer" Australians and Americans as english teachers.
Well Chinese have the option to send their children to Australia to learn English simply pay the $AUD 50.000 a year fees?
Andrew, from all of us Aussies...."you're a wanker"
ReplyDeleteIs that good enough English for a toffee nosed Pom living the high life in Nanning.
What do you do for a living sweetheart?? From all your other obnoxious posts it seems you just live there doing nothing but this website.
How did you come to stay in China? Did you come here as a traveler and find someone or are you one of these seedy old men......that makes me think of Thailand.
Some of us actualy came here as backpackers found a girl and then get stuck because of the stupid visa issues in China. What are the choices.....Marry a girl after 3 months, do continuous visa runs to Hong Kong every 3 months or get a job at a backwards school where maybe one can actualy do some good for people, not just take 'ala' your comfy little life in Nanning.
Andrew, you have been asked a number of times to respond to the question of just what do you do in Nanning? I would also be interested in knowing what qualifications you have which enables you to pass professional judgement on that large group of expats who teach in China?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Tone, professional judgement is often lacking and we most certainly need more of it.
ReplyDeleteTeaching, whether it be ESL or Quantum Physics is a vocation, not a quick fix to a personal problem as other posters have indicated.
In 2005, when I was asked to fill in for a teacher that left during the night, there were 18 well educated teachers teaching in the local college. All had been teachers before coming to Nanning and all were well respected. I having a background in Public Speaking and teaching adult classes in America agreed to a 6 month stay. I ended up staying 4 years after enjoying my students and staff. Over the 4 years, I saw changes in the company and government. They wanted younger teachers some without any teaching background. Lowering the pay each month to max profit. Most all the teachers I had come to respect left, new partying teachers came. The ones that really wanted to teach with backgrounds or had retired with 20 and 30 years behind them could not afford to come for the little they wanted to pay then, I to left because of the poor education the students were getting. I have stayed on in Nanning teaching one on one. Now with the new taxes the government has started, I feel it will even get worse. I miss the days of strong teaching and good teachers.
ReplyDelete