With the new rule, China aims to attract native and competent English speakers as a means to improve quality of English language education in the country. (Photo : Getty Images)
In a new ruling released last September by the State Administration of Foreign Experts Affairs, non-native English speakers are required to hold a degree or show expert proficiency to teach English in China, the Global Times reported.
"Foreigners from non-native English speaking countries can no longer teach English in China at any level unless they have a bachelor degree or above from an English-speaking country plus two years' working experience in English language education," an email from the administration to Metropolitan stated.
"If a non-native English speaker majored in education, or has a teacher's certificate recognized by our administration, such as a TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language) certification, then the two years' work experience is not necessary."
A bachelor's degree or above, however, is still a mandatory requirement.
The new rule affects thousands of non-native English teachers who are currently working in the country without the necessary prerequisites.
Such is the case of Marco (pseudonym), a Filipino who worked as an English teacher in Beijing from 2006 to 2011. Marco graduated with a degree in Education back in the Philippines and has extensive work experience as an English language instructor, but the new law inhibits him from legally teaching for the fact that he's not a degree-holder from an English-speaking country.
With the new rule, China aims to attract native and competent English speakers as a means to improve quality of English language education in the country, the administration said.
In a 2015 report by Chinese Business View, plenty of non-native English teachers fared poorly in an evaluation proctored by a professional interpreter from Xi'an, Shaanxi Province. Most of these teachers go to second- and third-tier cities, thereby affecting English language education in those areas.
The administration's new rule also aims to quell Chinese people's demands for better English language education, according to Mu Yanwen, founder and CEO of Boto Education, which focuses on English-language education in Beijing.
As for non-native instructors like Marco, only time will tell if they will be allowed to teach English again.
"I feel bad about it," he said. "But what else can we do? Well, I am hoping for the best. I hope there will be changes in policy in the future."
