China is Cracking Down on Terrible English Teachers

The Chinese government has finally decided to crack down on unqualified English teachers who are currently employed or seeking a jobs in schools and learning institutions in the country.

The State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs has announced that they will be implementing new rules and regulations to filter only the best qualified English language educators, reported China Daily (via Shanghaiist).

Department representative Qiu Xusheng explained how interested teachers may apply:

“Expats who want a job as an English teacher will have to obtain a teaching certificate in China, just as Chinese teachers do,” he said. “Once we confirm that people have been hired illegally, we will report the facts to the relevant administrative departments, such as the public security department.”

In addition to the new requirement, guidelines released late last year required expats from non-Anglophone countries to at least have a bachelor’s degree from a university in an English-speaking country. Applicants must also have two years of teaching experience unless they have an accredited TEFL certificate or a teaching certificate from their home country.

While specific details of the new guidelines have not been released, Chris Stevens of global education provider Houghton Mifflin Harcourt International thinks the initiative will improve English education in the country.

“The new policy is in any sense a good thing. The government is taking steps aimed at improving the level of expat teaching in China,” he said. “Students can hardly learn a lot from teachers who lack systematic training. I don’t see any reasons to lower the standards for English teaching when many other professions have them.”

Share this Article