Teaching English in China - Debunking the Myths

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conduct a Google search on "teaching English in China," and you'll find more than 54 million hits in a list of sites primarily from China sent recruiters, TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification school EFL forum and "cultural exchange", ie glorified employment agencies, all of whom stand to get a lot of convincing Westerners that they are moving to China to teach oral English when the adventure of a lifetime. Although it is generally true that EFL teaching position can be a good way to subsidize your travel expenses in exotic locations around the world, it is disingenuous to suggest anyone you so it makes sense as a new and permanent mid-career move.

This article will reveal some of the most common myths you'll read about teaching English in China, and will argue that it so you just need to take into account the very limited number of people who meet the criteria listed below. It was written by an American psychoanalyst who has worked in China since 2003 as a mental health consultant and a professor of psychology.

Myth # 1: All the Chinese are desperate to learn English and will use it in everyday life

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Nowhere among these four broad areas you will find English as a foreign language, or any of the humanities for that matter. The truth is that English as a foreign language has a very low status as an academic discipline in China. It is to be assigned as a compulsory course to incoming freshmen who scored too poorly on the national college entrance test (Gao as well) to obtain the required major in more lucrative fields.

If students have specific plans - as well as significant funds - to study abroad one day, I hope to work for an international company, or intend to marry a foreigner, they will never use a single word of English for the rest of his life, after graduating from college. In fact, in a country of 1.3 billion people, the Chinese, not English, the most commonly spoken language in the world today. Many of us who have lived and worked in China for years have come to recognize that what the Chinese really want is for the rest of the world to learn Chinese - and who want to come to pass one day as the Middle Kingdom continues to grow as an unbridled economic world power .

Foreign English teachers were recruited as competitive as they meet high despised and bitterly contested national requirements promulgated by the Ministry of Education mandates that exposure to a native speaker for all students of foreign languages. In addition to public schools and universities, the proliferation of private foreign language schools - where most abuse and exploitation of foreigners to come - was created by the insatiable demand for white faces in the classroom to attract new students and command higher fees far above what they can charge for the classes with their Chinese English teachers only.

What you need to keep in mind is that the learning and teaching English in China is underestimated China's academic leaders and administrators, the role of foreign English language is de-professionalized: This is limited to facilitating the students' speaking and listening skills, with very few exceptions. Any foreign teacher has a doctorate in linguistics with a specialty in second language acquisition methodologies, or recent graduates with little or no relevant work experience, in most cases, each will be assigned to teach exactly the same classes with a salary differential is not more than 700 yuan (102 , $ 00) per month.

Myth # 2: the teacher can live very comfortably on the salary provided and may even save money

The average wage of foreign English teacher in China - outside of Beijing, Shanghai and Guangzhou - is in the range 4000-6000 yuan per month ($ 584 to $ 876, respectively) for 14 to 20 hours of face-to-face classes per week (Mavrides , 2009). While it is true that the salary is up to 70 percent more than the current national income per capita of 1,800 yuan (Economy Watch, 2009), this does not mean much unless you're willing to live as if you were Chinese.

Although it is possible to save up to third your typical salary of 5,000 yuan a month, you'll need to live a fairly modest to do so, which means we are forgoing all western food and amenities, and carefully limiting the use of utilities, especially air conditioning. For example, one can of Campbell's Cream of chicken soup sells for $ 3.21 (22 yuan) at a local Western store in Guangzhou, and that comparative cost ratio of 2-1 is fairly constant in all imported goods in China, if you are still enough happy to find them at all (and not outside of China three of these international cities). In addition, western brand appliances and electronics in general personal cost as much in China as they do at home, sometimes more, and often you'll be buying very sophisticated clones, ie, counterfeit products that will not last nearly as long as the genuine article do .

The reality is that any Westerner who lived a middle class existence back home will just barely survive on the typical pay to most foreign oral English teachers in China. Even if you are self-depriving enough to save some money, these savings will quickly disappear if you decide to travel or if you become seriously ill (real health insurance is not provided, only accidental injury insurance). Most of foreign English teachers in China and the moon does not do so because they can not get enough of it.

In addition to salary concerns, should also be aware that "free" housing, provided that foreign English teachers vary considerably in size and quality, and is most typical of today what the Chinese working poor live in, ie, small (580-900 square feet), an old and rundown units in the eight story building with no elevator, and the hot water is available only for showering. You will need to grow accustomed to washing their hands, as ijela in cold water, unless you decide to purchase the unit for heating water for the bathroom and the kitchen sink into your account and you can plan on getting plenty of exercise especially if your apartment is located on the eighth floor .

Myth # 3: Teaching English in China is fun, easy and personal rewards

The reality is that teaching English in China is very demanding and challenging job, but for the most part, it's a thankless job. While students who believe that they will use the English one day it will have acquired a reasonable speaking and listening skills, most of my students will not be able to understand everything, unless you speak very slowly and use simple vocabulary. Unfortunately, this is not only true of your students, but will also be the case when trying to communicate with their colleagues, administrators, and just about anyone else who will have contact with in China, unless, of course, that other person is also a stranger .

It is highly unlikely that anyone other than a career EFL / ESL teacher will find a job that is personally and professionally rewarding, nor will anyone but a teacher with a master's degree and state teaching certification to be able to make a real living in this -. and only then submitted to an international school, a joint venture program, or the Western University with a branch in China

Myth # 4: Any native speaker can and should learn English in China

There are four groups of Westerners that teaching English in China can make sense: 1) recent college graduates who would like to study Chinese or get some travel experience before returning home to continue their real career, 2) active seniors in very good health looking for a short adventure (four to six months), 3) retirees looking to stretch their pensions in the west Asian countries and, as already mentioned, 4) career EFL teachers who will be or work as a school and program director, or in places accessible only properly credentialed and licensed trainers.

to anyone else, especially middle-aged and middle career of individuals, with no significant meaning, he moved to China to teach English will probably make you a prisoner of the Asian EFL economic system: You'll be stuck spending the rest of his life teaching English as a Foreign Language without saving, moving from position to position, perhaps country to country, hoping to find greener pastures and forever curse the day you decided to teach English in China.

Notes

Economy Watch (2009). Income of China, China National Income. EconomyWatch.com. Retrieved third from July 2009.

Mavrides, Gregory (2009). Foreign teachers' guide to living and teaching in China. Middle Kingdom Life. ISBN number 978-0-578-02423-3

Wertz, Richard R. (2009). Chinese history. China and the four modernizations, 1979-1982. Retrieved third from July 2009.

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