The new Chinese economy is undergoing changes at a rapid pace and has an extreme need for English (TEFl) teachers. While many positions are good, there are a few bad apples out there. Surprisingly, in early August AP ran this article about the abuses in China. Some of the abusive behavior committed against teachers are scary to say the least and would make me think twice about teaching in China. I would like to hear your comments about both the good and bad of working in China.
BEIJING — Ms Tanya Davis fled Jizhou No 1 Middle School one winter morning in March, before the sun rose over the surrounding cotton fields.
In the nine months Ms Davis and her boyfriend had taught English at the school in rural north China, they endured extra work hours, unpaid salaries and frigid temperatures without heating and, on many days, electricity.
As they rode away in a taxi “the sense of relief was immense”, said Ms Davis, 23, who is from Wales. “I felt like we had crossed our last hurdle and everything was going to be okay.”
It’s a new twist on globalisation: For decades, Chinese people made their way to the West to end up doing dangerous, low-paying jobs in sweatshop conditions.