Is it safe to teach in China in 2021?

We are not an agent or recuirter, but a headhunter !

Lots of people are asking whether it’s safe to teach in China this year.In this blog, I’m going to summarize teaching in China from a safety perspective and what you need to consider. I’ll keep it fairly concise so you can make an informed decision about your plans for 2021.

The impact of COVID-19

Unless you’ve been living under a very big rock, COVID-19 has had an unprecedented impact on the way we go about our daily lives. As far as international work and travel goes, many countries have slammed their borders shut, or at least made it difficult to get in.

At the moment, entering China – unless you’re a citizen – is extremely hard. I’ll talk more about that below.

If you’re already teaching in China

Are you already teaching in China? Lucky you!

For the most part, life in China for teachers has gone back to pre-pandemic normal. There have been a few outbreaks, but these have largely been contained. In most places, face masks are optional and life is pretty sweet. The virus is essentially non-existent.

If you’re currently in China and considering going back home when your contract ends, just remember that it may be some time before you’re able to return to China.

(Decisions around renewing your contract in China is a whole other story.)

If you’re thinking about teaching in China

For the rest of us, teaching in China in 2021 is not so clear cut.

At the moment, unless there are exceptional circumstances, new teachers are not being invited to China for health and safety reasons.

Besides, for the handful of people who have managed to make it to China, there are additional entry requirements such as COVID-19 medical tests and hotel quarantine at the traveler’s expense. So, you’ll need to hold on to your hat and wait it out a little longer.

There is light at the end of the tunnel, but it will likely involve vaccination.

So will it be safe to teach in China in 2021?

As the nature of the virus changes, and outbreaks keep popping up or even get worse in certain places around the world, we’re all very reliant on the roll-out of the vaccine.

It’s impossible to predict what certain countries will do regarding their border control and quarantine arrangements, and this includes China. But if I had to hazard a guess, countries will require a vaccination certificate to allow you to enter. This is similar to the current arrangements for yellow fever when you travel to sub-Saharan Africa or tropical South America.

Under international health regulations, proof of yellow fever vaccination (a certificate with your passport) is compulsory for travel within endemic regions. Proof of vaccine may also be needed to re-enter your country once returning from overseas.This arrangement may likely be the case for the coronavirus vaccination as well.

For example, Qantas has already announced passengers will in future need to prove they have been vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to board Qantas flights.

Once countries and airlines have bedded down their vaccination requirements, there should be some level of normality that returns, making it relatively easy to teach and travel overseas again. When that happens, it will be very safe to teach in China, as it always has been.

It’s unsafe to teach illegally

It goes without saying that it’s never safe to teach in China illegally.

The horror stories you hear about teachers being deported is usually because they were working on the wrong visa, like a tourist visa. You must have a Z visa, sponsored by a Chinese school, to teach in China legally.

Why aren’t teachers being encouraged to go to China now?

The virus is still prevalent in many places around the world, and China doesn’t want the virus spreading through its population again.

This could cause major problems on Chinese society and the economy, as well as the international ramifications of slow growth.

The health advice of most countries is to avoid all non-essential overseas travel.While the vaccine has started to be administered in a few countries, it will take some time before everyone has the chance to get it. In the meantime, international work and travel arrangements are still up in the air.

Here’s what you can do

If you want to teach in China in the future, there are a few things you can do now to be best prepared.

Do lots of research on the cities that you might like to teach in, the kind of school you’d be comfortable in, and the level of students you’d like to teach.

Assuming you already have a non-teaching bachelor’s degree, you’ll need to complete a TEFL course that’s at least 120 hours.

If you’re currently in some sort of lockdown, this makes online study easy!

Then, when you’re ready, apply to teach in China (knowing that you won’t be interviewed until the COVID-19 situation changes). Of course, make sure you get vaccinated as soon as it’s available to you. This is likely the key to being able to fly again.

Safety is always the number one priority

When you go overseas, your health and safety should always be your first priority. You should follow the travel advice of the country you live in, as well as the rules of the country you’re going to.

Please remember to be patient, and stay safe.

Former US teacher in China:It's catching up to people who I know

John McGory, on the front porch of his Worthington home, was retiring after six years of teaching English at a university in Wuhan

John McGory has spent more time in coronavirus quarantine than most Ohioans, but he has yet to catch the virus even as some of his friends and loved ones have fallen ill with it.

When COVID-19 first emerged, McGory, 66, of Worthington, was stuck in Wuhan. After about a month, McGory was able to escape Wuhan with several other Americans on a U.S. State Department airplane.

Although McGory was living in the epicenter of the pandemic, he has never tested positive for COVID-19. He wonders if an illness he came down with in November 2019 in Wuhan could have been the virus, but it's unlikely he will ever know for sure.

McGory said his pregnant daughter recently tested positive for COVID-19, though it appears she will be fine.

"It's been a challenging year, to say the least," McGory said. "It seems like it's catching up to people that I know now."

Upon return to the U.S. from China and before going home, McGory and other Americans had to quarantine for two weeks at Marine Corps Air Station Miramar near San Diego before being allowed back into the general population.

McGory had planned to leave China around the time the pandemic started. He had retired after teaching English to students at Wuhan's Jianghan University for six years.

When he thinks back to the start of the pandemic, McGory said so much seems funny to think about now.

There were rumors circulating in Wuhan when the outbreak first started that China would spray disinfectant from planes over the entire city. Although that never happened, rumors like that one were rampant when the virus first emerged, he said.

What still puzzles McGory is the debate over mask-wearing in the U.S., as most people in China wore face coverings without hesitation.

He also is still surprised by the testing situation in the U.S. While China was able to test most of its residents for the virus, McGory said Ohio can't seem to test the population of Clintonville, which is around 30,000.

When McGory left Wuhan, the sprawling Chinese city of more than 11 million residents was the last place most people wanted to be. Now, McGory joked that he would almost rather be there because China was able to tamp down the virus quickly, albeit with strict measures that he admits would never fly in the U.S.

"I should have stayed," McGory joked. "They're all fine there, school is back in session, they cleaned things up a lot faster."

McGory considers himself lucky since he hasn't contracted the virus yet. Now that he has been back in central Ohio for around 10 months, the one thing he is looking forward to is traveling again, hopefully in 2021, he said.

Travel has become a thing of the past for many, with most medical leaders, such as Dr. Joseph Gastaldo, OhioHealth's medical director for infectious diseases, advising against it for the foreseeable future. If people do travel, they should consider getting tested and isolating before and after their trip, Gastaldo said.

"Think twice," Gastaldo said about traveling during the pandemic. "If you really have to travel, obviously double down and follow to a 'T' the mitigation strategies" such as wearing a mask, social distancing at least 6 feet, and washing your hands regularly and thoroughly. 

Although the U.S. has stumbled during the pandemic, McGory said he thinks Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has done a decent job of responding to the virus. The governor, he noted, was put in a difficult position between doctors and the members of his own political party, many of whom disagreed with emergency health orders.

When McGory first arrived back in the U.S. in February, he said he felt a sense of deja vu as Ohio and other states began locking down. With distribution of vaccines underway, he said he is more hopeful.

Although McGory is uncertain when he might be able to get the vaccine, he said he plans to get one when it's his turn. He also is curious what the world will be like once a majority of Americans have been vaccinated, the pandemic fades and people come out of isolation. 

"You wonder what's going to be the outcome of all this. How's America going to be different?" McGory said. "I don't have an answer to that, but it will be interesting to see if it changes people. I can't imagine that it wouldn't."

Source: https://www.helloteacher.asia;https://www.dispatch.com;

https://mp.weixin.qq.com/s/jCAvdeJEr8FA7HhJcZo79g

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