English teachers being kicked out of China
“We wanted to get into the way of life here,” said 24-year-old Natan Doyon, who moved from Britain last year with his girlfriend to teach English to Chinese children. He says his pupils were so upset when he told them he couldn’t renew his visa that they begged, “Don’t go. We’ll help you hide.”
He and his girlfriend now plan to try Vietnam.
So many English teachers are being forced to leave that many of the private language schools, the rage lately for children of the upwardly mobile, are closing down for the summer. With only three native English speakers left on its staff, Shane is cutting its summer camp in half and might curtail its fall program. Shane, which is owned by a British chain, advertises that it provides native English speakers.
“If we can’t fulfill that promise, we have nothing to sell,” Wan said. “We’re losing a lot of money.”
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July 4th, 2008 at 10:58 pm
More on this story here:
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2008031061_chinavisa03.html
“The Chinese also stopped granting an “investor visa,” a six-month visa widely used by English teachers and freelancers. The government is requiring foreigners who wish to work in China to have advanced degrees or expert certificates. A requirement that English teachers be at least 25 and have two years of teaching experience, in addition to their degrees, has diminished the largest pool of English teachers: recent college graduates.”