Expats Teaching English Without Qualifications Causes Alarm

IJOBINCN ijobheadhunter 2020-02-01

Source: ABCNet; JobTubeDaily

Education experts in Australia have voiced concern over the number of unqualified foreign English teachers hired overseas because of their "foreign face", and the lasting negative impact it could have on students.

China is one among many Asian countries — including Indonesia, Malaysia and Vietnam — struggling to regulate unqualified foreigners teaching English as a Second Language (ESL).

A recent report by state-owned Xinhua news agency said two-thirds of the 400,000 foreigners teaching in China in 2017 were unqualified, with some also working on incorrect visas.

Lynette Kim, director at TESOL Australia, told the ABC that foreigners becoming teachers without formal training could have a lasting negative impact on both students and the teachers themselves.She said it could affect students' pronunciation, vocal expressions, their ability to learn how to form sentences, and even their interest in continuing to learn English.

"They are coming in thinking I'm going to … make some money and get out of here," she said.

"[They] get very exhausted, they get very stressed, they start to hate [teaching if] they're doing it only for the money."

Many English language centres in Vietnam & China hire native English-speakers without qualification — as long as they looked the part.

Schools 'would rather pay fine' than hire local teachers

Ms Kim, as well as several other teachers the ABC spoke to, said that many schools overseas hired foreigners for their "foreign face".

"People think unless you have that western person [teaching in the school] you're really not going to get that culture right, and to some degree that's true," she said.

French-British national Nathaniel Kempster arrived in China on a student visa in 2006.

He told the ABC he was approached to teach in a kindergarten on his second day and did not have a valid working visa.

"You don't even have to be a native [speaker] to get good pay, you just have to have a 'foreign face' — that's the most important — that's the first criteria," he said.

He taught on weekends for six months before officials questioned his credentials.

"One Saturday morning I was teaching. All of a sudden, about ten different agents walked in, all with cameras filming us," Mr Kempster said.

"Kids were absolutely terrified, and no one understood what was happening. And I spent the night in the police centre."

But Mr Kempster said schools with foreign teachers made a lot of money, so his employer would prefer to pay a fine than hire local teachers.

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"[The school] knows that they are going to make an enormous amount of money from that teacher, so paying a fine is a very small thing compared to the amount of money they will make over time," he said.

"In China, being western can be viewed as being superior or educated by many people," Mr Kempster said.

"Also, the fact that you're western, [people think] you are obviously super good at English, even though some people aren't."

The absence of vetting procedures has not only led to untrained teachers, but criminal backgrounds have also gone undetected.

In Shanghai, one student found her college English teacher, Daniel William Hiers, on a US list of the 15 most wanted criminals, according to Chinese state media CGTN and the Global Times.

The man had been profiled on America's most wanted list since March 2005 for murder and criminal sexual conduct.

Some people teach just 'to stay afloat' financially overseas

"Many language courses employ native speakers, but some don't want to undergo the correct procedures or obtain a permit from the Ministry," he said.

"This is often due to the time to process and the cost factor."

However, he said it was not the Ministry's issue to resolve.

"It's actually the police's job to file a lawsuit against those kind of workers," said an expert.

Sydney-born Anya Filla-Dwehus, who has been teaching English in China for 18 years, said it could be hard for foreign nationals to work in the field they are qualified in due to strict Chinese Government regulations.

"While some are actual teachers back home, I've come across some people who are basically passing through and it's just something for them to stay afloat," she said.

There are conflicting reports on regulations around foreign teachers.

A Xinhua article published in July said it took at least four months to hire a foreign teacher by following the correct legal process.

Foreign teachers also need a bachelor's degree, two years of relevant work experience or a teaching qualification to obtain a work permit, the report said.

But Zhang Fucheng, vice-president of Yanshan University, told Xinhua in a separate article last September that there were currently no laws and regulations for foreign teachers in China.

"Legislation should be completed as soon as possible to improve the standards and methods for the appointment of foreign teachers, and their legal status, rights and obligations," Mr Zhang said.

English language skills seen as key to children's future

Learning English has been growing in importance in Asia over the last few decades.

International language company Education First (EF) revealed in their English Proficiency Index that Asia has the second highest non-native English speaking population, second only to Europe.
The company's 2017 report — based on test data from more than 1 million participants — also found that adult English proficiency levels are directly correlated to the country's ranking in the United Nations Human Development Index, which measures the standard of living and economic growth among other achievements.

Economic development offered new incentives and resources to learn English, the report said.

Ms Filla-Dwehus said Asian parents saw learning English as a key pathway to a successful career.

In China parents want their children to be fluent in English, she said, and be able to pronounce words "just like a foreigner".

"[Parents] want to have that skill already developed before they get into secondary education."

Source: ABCNet; JobTubeDaily

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