#  >  > Living And Legal Affairs In Thailand >  >  > Teaching In Thailand >  >  Travellers teaching English overseas without qualifications cause alarm

## David48atTD

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I can't link the article so it will be displayed in full  1/2
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*Education  experts in Australia have voiced concern over  the number of  unqualified foreign English teachers hired overseas  because of their  "token white face", and the lasting negative impact it  could have on  students.*

*Key points:*
Learning English has been growing in importance in Asia over the last few decadesRecent report says two-thirds of the 400,000 foreigners teaching in China are unqualifiedSome schools "would rather pay a fine" than hire local teachers 


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'redoing it only for the money."




Former Gold Coast resident Jake Sharp (above) was 27 when he decided to  move  to Vietnam because he, like many other young Australians, enjoyed  the  adventure of living in a new country.

Mr Sharp, now an accredited  English teacher, said teachers in Vietnam  earned a good wage and many  Australians decided to stay for the  long-term because living costs were  much cheaper.
However, many English language centres in Vietnam  hired native  English-speakers without qualification  as long as they  looked the  part, he said.


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 "token white 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 (above) 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 'white 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."[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 is viewed as being superior," 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.
Mr Sharp said in Vietnam, foreigners were often hired without background checks."The   [English] centres are often not regulated  people are working with   children without having to show a police check," he said.

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## David48atTD

2/2




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



Indonesian law requires English teachers to have a masters degree and  a minimum of five years teaching experience to teach in an  international school.
But teachers who meet these requirements are becoming increasingly difficult to find as the demand to learn English increases.
Some schools have chosen to work around these requirements.
Yusuf  Paudni, director general of tutoring from the Ministry of Education in  Indonesia, said unqualified teachers could sometimes slip through the  cracks.
"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," he said.





Sydney-born Anya Filla-Dwehus (above), 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.



Lynette Kim (far left), director of TESOL Australia, says many foreign schools want "the token white face"


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.


Many Asian parents see learning English as a key to a successful career.




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."

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## hick

*Yawn*

apologies David


nothing new here...

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## david44

> *Yawn*
> 
> apologies David
> 
> 
> nothing new here...


not at all , the final photo solves the mystery of where all the pies went

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## cyrille

Why is she in her nightie?

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## Jack meoff

^She heard you were on the course  :Smile:

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## Cujo

I don't see why 'education experts' in Australia should be the least bit concerned.
Just who are these 'experts'?

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## SKkin

> Why is she in her nightie?


It's expandable...allows for more pie intake.  :Smile:

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## Neverna

Bloody Aussies poking their noses into the affairs of other countries. Get your own education sorted first. Can't even speak proper English, innit.

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## david44

> Why is she in her nightie?


  :smiley laughing:

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## hick

> Just who are these 'experts'?


Could be the backpacking "teachers" who've been at it for over a decade.

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## Cujo

> Could be the backpacking "teachers" who've been at it for over a decade.


Actually it turns out they're selling TESOL courses so that explains their interest.

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## hick

and "expertise"   :Smile:

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