China might soon start allowing for more Filipino English teachers by adding them to the country’s list of native English-speaking countries.
The official languages of the Philippines are English and Tagalog. But regardless of their English proficiency, people from the Philippines have had difficulty landing jobs teaching at Chinese schools or training centers. Noli Castillano experienced this first hand when he was looking for a teaching job in China, but was not considered because of the color of his skin and background as he reported to The Nanfang.
“Some parents are very particular about natives, and we are not given a chance to showcase our teaching capabilities. But after we are given a chance to teach, some Chinese parents realize that Filipino teachers are also good,” said Apachicha. He is now 38 years old and has been teaching in a Beijing school for nine years.
In the past, there has been a massive demand for English teachers in China. However, there have been recent changes to the school systems that could lower the desire for teachers. Last week, all for-profit schools in China were banned from teaching compulsory education to children grades 1 through 9. Also, a new classification system will be used to put expat English teachers into separate groups based on their importance on the Chinese labor force.
Last month the Filipino president Rodrigo Duterte visited China. The relationship between China and the Philippines continues to get better. China has recently allowed Filipino fishermen to continue finishing in the Huangyan Islands and repealed a ban on Filipino imports. These new goods include bananas and hopefully more English teachers.
[Image via tuoitrenews.com]
