The TEFL Times

Ajay Shringi discusses the benefits of getting certified when teaching in China.

China is one of those places that has always led a very sheltered life. It has, for a very long time, held on to its native traditions and cultures, guarding it jealously from outside influences. But, if there’s one thing about the Chinese, it’s their fierce competitiveness. They just cannot abide to be second best. As a result, the country has been seeing a continual period of industrial and financial boom. But that has not prevented the Chinese from looking for more. In fact, the emerging middle class is hungrier than ever before to make their impact on the world.

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In the last few years, the Internet has been causing a mini-revolution in China. In IT, the Chinese have found one more bastion which they have been actively cultivating and expanding. It is in the context of this technological globalization that the importance of English dawned on the Chinese. They understood that in order to have the edge in the era of the Internet, they just cannot afford to ignore English. Not just that, most of the demands for cyber activity came from European markets and the American markets. That made English a necessity for survival in cyberspace.

All these factors have contributed to people from the middle class developing an intense craving to learn English and impart quality English training to their children. They are even willing to provide expensive private tuition to their children so they can be equipped to handle the needs that arise in the future.

Due to this unabated eagerness to learn English, many academic institutes are having a difficult time filling vacancies for English teachers. Thus, they turn to foreign recruitment agencies to fill the posts. Mind you, most of these institutes want native speakers and are therefore turning to markets in the US and UK.

As a direct result of the demand, many institutes are now offering TESOL courses in China itself. By taking a course located in China, students have many advantages. First, they are able to see the way of life in China firsthand even while they study. Thus, they are able to break through the cultural barrier much before they are ready to hunt for a job. Students can also explore various job options independently while they reside in China.

Most centers have their institutes in Beijing itself. Beijing is a huge melting pot of culture and politics. The living environment is good despite what the media seeks to tell you. It is a large city with all the modern conveniences that people look for.

TESOL certification can help students find attractive job opportunities in China.

About the Author

The author is involved in International TESOL Teacher Training, an organisation that provides high quality tesol China certification courses.