Topic: news Foreign Teacher Training Institutions: The Only Qualification Necessary is a Foreign Face

All said and done, it's the parents' demands and schools (bona fide or otherwise) providing the supply. Demand exceeds supply (legitimate supply I mean) so schools (scammers) grab foreigners off the streets and put them in front of the kids. If you look at some of the advertisements, you'll note that many do not require a degree or some form of teacher training. Don't even think about them asking for teaching experience. So what do you get? A half baked English school with ever changing teachers. And parents fork out fortunes just to see some white faces, thinking that their kids would learn some English. The government should clamp down on schools that hire uncertified teachers. Let the demand exceeded supply and perhaps ESL teachers will get paid for what they are truly worth. At the moment, ESL teachers get a paltry 5,500 to 6,000RMB a month in universities. I think they are grossly underpaid. Recruiters are always saying "but you only teach 16 hours a week". I say it's not the number of hours you teach but the quality you deliver that matters. It will take eons to get the system changed to something acceptable. Until that time, ESL teachers will get peanuts for their profession.