Teaching english in China for asian (British Chinese)

[kilkenny]

Hello, My name is kenny and I'm a native English speaker from the UK. Next year I want travel to china and teach English. I've been doing some research online and the result has been negative as institutions are only interested in hiring white English speaker and being Chinese is at the bottom of the food chain when it come to the hiring process. So I'm just wondering what options is available to me on how to obtain employment in China as being Chinese is seen as a disadvantage?

I have a bachelor in finance but zero teaching experience. I going to start a course on Teaching English as a foreign language soon.

Thank You

[pokedmund]

Where in China are you going?
What is the TEFL certificate are you completing?

Yes, being anything but a foreigner trying to teach English in China (in my case Hong Kong) is a negative, but fear not, there are still opportunities to be employed. It just depends on whether you're willing to do them. Try applying to schools nonetheless, you never know what may happen. Tuition centres (not the tutor kings/queens) have vacancies all year round so you shouldnthave too much of a problem.

So how can we make ourselves more employable?

Get a recognised PGCE plus 2-3 years teaching experience In a local school(say from the UK). This makes you extremely employable and you'll surely get a satisfying salary with government incentives.

Or, find some teaching experience in the UK. Private tuition perhaps or even youth volunteering work.

If you're thinking of teaching kids, try taking a phonics course (especially Jolly phonics)

---

For other information please check my previous posts

[parisjetaime]

Hi pokedmund, I've heard phonics mentioned quite a few times on these boards - knowledge of phonics seems to be a useful skill to have as a prospective teacher in Hong Kong. I've checked out Jolly Phonics' website and they have a "How to implement and use Jolly Phonics" training day - is this what you mean by taking a phonics course? The day costs £170, would you say it's worth paying that? (Speaking as someone about to start a CELTA course and start applying for jobs in Hong Kong.)

Thanks!

[pokedmund]

Don't pay anything yet. Have a look on youtube to see what Jolly Phonics is like. I think it's cheaper to learn in Hong Kong if you were still interested.

It's only useful for Kindergarten and MAYBE early primary school students. But it's definitely good to have on a CV if you're teaching young students.

Jolly Phonics is the most famous one to teach and learn for students. In Hong Kong, teachers sell the idea of using Jolly Phonics because it is a British Brand and used nationwide...

Although, I had never even heard of Jolly Phonics until I came to HK. But the important thing in Hong Kong is that it sells.