A "hooligan foreigner", a self-proclaimed university English teacher working in Shanghai has gained notoriety for his philandering behavior, detailed on his online journal. In his blog, the young Englishman writes about his exploits with Chinese women -- most of whom are his students -- in distasteful language.
He misses no opportunity to insult, denigrate and misrepresent Chinese men and the Chinese government. Foreign teachers in China have again become a subject of debate.
It is looks that count
Two decades ago, foreign teachers were only permitted to work in universities and a handful of foreign language schools. They came to China as visiting scholars or in exchanges arranged by education authorities. Today, they can be found working at almost every university across China, and in some big cities, such as Beijing and Shanghai, foreign teachers work in high schools, elementary schools and even kindergartens. In many of the privately-owned foreign language schools, small classes and individual tutorials with foreign teachers are highly sort after.
Not all foreign teachers are native speakers of English. Our reporter once met an English teacher from Russia in the Training Department of a well-known five-star hotel. Many Europeans speak excellent English and have a very good understanding of grammar. On TESOL recruitment websites, people frequently ask if they can teach in China, despite not being a native speaker. Generally, native speakers of English are preferred. However, if an applicant's English is good and not too heavily accented, he or she is usually welcomed. In China many foreign teachers are not born in English-speaking countries; however, they are educated in English-speaking countries and have no strong accent.
The situation has aroused complaints from some people. A Chinese Canadian teacher called Pan said that many Chinese schools only care for foreign faces, not what they are qualified to teach. Another foreign teacher said, "Young foreigners are more popular. Students like them and rate them highly."
International experience -- the purpose of teaching in China
Why do so many foreigners teach in China? Most foreigners are more interested in getting life experience than money. The average income of a foreign teacher in Beijing is only 6000 Yuan, far less than what they can earn in their home countries.
Stephen, an American teacher at an English school in Beijing, used to manage the Production Department of a company in Silicon Valley.
"I had planned to do business in Chongqing when I came to China in 2004, but the Chinese lady I was doing business seemed more interested in marrying me than working with me so I had to go back to the US. After that, I contacted a school in Beijing through an educational organization. However, I found when I arrived there I had been misled. I was told I would be housed in a villa ¨C but there was no villa at all. I had to live with two other men and a dog in a very small apartment. What is more, the dog shared the restroom with us. I was very angry and I couldn't believe they thought nothing of getting me to China on false pretences. They said that because I am American, I must be rich, so I wouldn't mind. They said that although I didn't have a villa to live in, they would not cheat me. It was too late for that so I resigned and went to another school."
"I can live well even if I don't have an income from teaching, but I need this job to establish relationships with others. I am well aware that good connections and relationships are crucial in China. I will avail myself of these ties when I open my own company in the future," said Stephen.
Although he has had many "miserable" experiences in China, he bravely faces the challenges of the new day. He expects to stay in China for another ten years, and may even marry a Chinese girl. According to Stephen, most Americans teaching in China are open-minded, and have the courage to break out of a cycle.
Jonathan, an American, studied Finance at university. After graduation, he worked in this field. It took him a long time to make the decision to quit and come to China in 2004.
"I began to tire of my work; I was working with sums and figures every day. A minor mistake could get me into big trouble. I decided I wanted to change everything."
Jonathan then came to China. He finds that life in China is free and comfortable. He has also made some good and reliable friends in Beijing. He recently bought an apartment in the Asian Games Village. "Perhaps I will stay in China forever," he said.
Jay, from Canada, said that in this era of globalization, international experience is an indispensable part of a person's resume. He attaches great importance to this, which brought him to Beijing.
Biggest problem -- cultural diversity
The majority of foreign teachers have no professional language teaching background which, in Jonathan's opinion, is not an obstacle.
"Professionals may in fact be more likely to experience setbacks because the kind of training they receive is very structured. If problems emerge in their teaching, they will have a more rigid approach to the issue. Cultural diversity is the biggest problem in teaching in China. The class that you are facing is totally different from an American one, and it is not a completely Chinese style class, either."
Stephen shares his opinion.
"Chinese students always smile and nod while they listen to you, but in fact they do not understand you at all. It took me a long time to realize that. Furthermore, if they are confused or have a complaint about your lecture, they will not tell you directly. In my opinion, foreign teachers that understand the cultural differences and adapt to them early on are the most successful."
