Teaching in China and Racism

[ask_weasal]

Well Mikey, I'm not saying its hell over here, but it won't be what you are used to in Canada. It's possible for you to get a job but it will be very difficult for you to get a good job, unless you have some sort of relationship or you are white. If you are frequently in the company of whites you will see the degree of treatment you receive compared to them. If you have a TEFL degree that might be able to help your chances but not by much. In my experience its only used as an excuse to weed out non-white applicants. I have nothing at all against Caucasions/Europeans. I'm just tired of being treated like I'm ignorant, or that my years of schooling means nothing. For caucasions and rich people it's the wild west out here. For the rest we are left fending for ourselves. You as a Chinese(not as a Canadian) in certain instances will be treated worse than I am. In the bigger picture we are always being compared by races here and its bad...just plain bad. Don't let this hinder you from coming. Take a chance. thats why i havent returned.

[griz326]

Reading this thread is very sad. The facts here cannot be determined on the Internet.

Racism is part of the human condition. Can we realistically hope for any more than to come together and rise above it as individuals?

No matter how many government rules and regulations are imposed, there will always be racism. It means that someone is always handed the dirty end of the stick.

It is a shame on all of us. To fail to recognize this reality is the ultimate ignorance.

[Lu]

Mikey: It will be harder to get a good job for you than for a white person, but it's by no means impossible. I myself am not Asian (and never looked for a job there) but several of my Asian friends had teaching jobs. You may look Asian, but you are still a native speaker of English, and you'll have a teaching certificate on top of that. Some of my friends had neither.

[Mikey_Mouse]

Hey guys, thanks for letting me have more of an understanding on what i might face over there in China. I'm going to apply for some schools in China anyways and just to see what will happen. Of course i will not put all my eggs in one basket andI will also apply to the different education boards in my city and surrounding area. As a male teacher and a chinese in a city where a quarter of the population is of visible minority, people tell me that my chances of finding a job in the city is great. I still want to teach in China for many reasons, one being my fiancee is a native chinese living in china and another is because i want to learn more about the country and language. I recently visited China last december and will go there again this december to visit my fiancee. If i get a job at the board before China, maybe i can talk my fiancee into immigrating to Canada. I am very disappointed when hearing about the hiring practices of china and i can see it even at the education career fair. Schools from the UK and Australia are very enthusiastic and genuine when talking to me about their schools but the schools from asia ignored me when i walked by their booths.

[Mikey_Mouse]

sorry, i did not walk by their booths but instead i was standing in front of their booths. One school from taiwan even turn away when i tried to talk to them.

[ask_weasal]

Yeah Mickey it's going to happen twice fold here and don't expect anyone to care. It's really a dog eat dog country. I don't know why Chinese mainlanders look down upon Chinese from westeren countries and other minorities. I mean I have never seen anyone bow down to a bunch of people as Chinese do to whites. It reminds me of my own races character UNCLE TOM. It's really sad. BUT, in all fairness many people in China don't care who you are or what color, but most do. The sad thing is when I writie articles on Racism to the media in Shanghai I won't get a response. So you are kind of on your own. Good Luck and congradualtions on your engagement. Stay Sharp