Will a good BA degree in Chinese make me more desirable...

[NiveaTango]

So I graduated recently with a good degree in Chinese from a good university, and I want to teach English for a year or so before finding work. Will a degree make me a more desirable hire for the school and would it even be possible for me to teach classes in both languages?

[roddy]

I wouldn't be surprised if they would prefer someone with, eg, an English Lit degree. You might be preferred over someone with an entirely irrelevant degree I guess, but it's not going to be a massive advantage. Doesn't matter though, work's easy to come by.

Can't see that they'd want to spend all the money on a foreign teacher and then have them lecture in Chinese.

[valikor]

For some jobs, that might make you more desirable. For example, if you are teaching someone with a very low level of English (like kids) who won't be able to understand any complicated explanations of grammar/usage in English, but would understand much easier if you told them in Chinese.

It would be especially useful in a 1-on-1 setting, when you don't have an assistant teacher etc. to do this for you. In some schools I've worked in, it's just as Roddy said. They want the students to have exposure to English... not Chinese. (And reasonably so.)

[jbradfor]

What about emphasizing learning about the cultural aspects that (typical? should?) come with a Chinese degree? Do people think that would help, to understand questions better, less likely to leave half way through, etc?

[Matty]

It also depends where you got your degree, to legally be eligible for a Chinese work visa as an English teacher you would need a BA+ degree from a university in Australia, England, USA or similar, a native English speaking country. Not to say you couldn't do it without one.

Usually they prefer you not to speak any Chinese in class, or that has been my experience so far, so I wouldn't see it being a great advantage.

[kdavid]

Don't plan your major around getting a job teaching English unless you want to do ESL forever. And even if you think you want to do ESL forever, don't get a degree in TESOL, get a degree in Education. Education will be easier to build on than TESOL if you change your mind later on.

I also wouldn't recommend a degree in Chinese language unless you want to teach Chinese. If you want to do something China related, get a degree in East Asian studies or history--these are a bit more broad and will give you more options later on.

[NiveaTango]

Geez calm down, your response was really weird.

1. Is it not clear I have already graduated since I..you know, said it in my post?

2. I don't want to teach English for the rest of my life, just a year or so.

3. I didn't learn Chinese because I wanted to teach English, that makes no sense. I learned it because I like the language and wanted to know more about the country.

4. "I also wouldn't recommend a degree in Chinese language unless you want to teach Chinese", oh PLEASE. If people want to learn Chinese and are interested in China then why the hell shouldn't they do a degree in Chinese?

Honestly, if you're not going to properly read the original post then don't bother answering.

[jbradfor]

Geez calm down, your response was a bit out of line.

Your OP was poorly phrased, I can see why kdavid read it the way he did. While you did say "I graduated recently with a good degree in Chinese", you also said "Will a degree make me...". The fact that you said "a", rather than "this", made me too think at first that you were thinking about getting another degree.

Also, I assume you didn't get a degree "in Chinese"; was it Chinese language, Chinese history, Chinese literature?"

As for "If people want to learn Chinese and are interested in China then why the hell shouldn't they do a degree in Chinese?", it's pretty obvious: because your prospects of getting a good job are low. For people that consider a degree a path to a better paying career (which is most of the world outside the spoiled class in the USA and Europe -- of which I too am a member), rather than something you do for fun, it makes no sense.

Honestly, he was only try to help. Chill.

[kdavid]

@jbradfor

Thanks for the back-up.

@ OP

I'm sorry you read the tone you did in my post. It certainly wasn't my intention to say whatever you thought I was saying. I was merely trying to provide a response to a question I obviously misread.

Take care and good luck.

[doraemon]

I don't think it really matters as long as you can demonstrate you have an adequate level of Chinese under your belt. I suggest you try and take the HSK (Chinese Proficiency Test), which will indicate how good you are at the language.

[Lu]

I also wouldn't recommend a degree in Chinese language unless you want to teach Chinese. If you want to do something China related, get a degree in East Asian studies or history--these are a bit more broad and will give you more options later on.

Sorry for the slight derail, but I disagree with this. If you want an East Asia-related career or a career in history, you should certainly get a degree in East Asian studies or history. But if you want to do something China-related, the best thing you can do is get a degree in Chinese studies, obviously. Puts you in the right path right from the start.

Getting a degree in just a language (no culture etc) is not a great idea I think, regardless of the language, but even with such a degree I can't imagine your only option is becoming a teacher.

In the end, you should study what you are interested in. That puts you in the best position to find a job you are interested in.

[BeijingDaniel2011]

I'm not sure whether the schools will actually care what you studied at university. In part they look for teachers with BAs because its much easier for them to get you a visa. I don't see how studying Chinese would be to your disadvantage so long as you can still speak English

[Brian US]

Many private schools will probably tell their students that all their teachers are English majors with several years of experience.