Racial discrimination in China's ESL industry?

Published May 17, 2012 5:30pm

It may not be easy for overseas Filipino workers (OFW) who are part of the English as a Second Language (ESL) industry to get hired in China, which pays English teachers handsomely.

According to a report of NBC News on Tuesday, China is looking for more English teachers but seems to prefer white people.

NBC News said: "Speak a little English and are willing to relocate? Well, you’re probably qualified to be an English-language instructor in China. As long as you are white, that is."

The report said racial discrimination was "a harsh reality within China’s ESL industry."

The country reportedly prefers "the blond-hair, blue-eyed all-American archetype (along with similarly equipped Britons, Australians and other native speakers close behind). While brown hair also is acceptable, having a white face is a near-absolute requirement," NBC News said.

Quoting Byron Vogue, of the English training company Stanford English, the report said Caucasian applicants will always be preferred over their non-white counterparts.

On an online forum and classifieds site — The Beijinger — Vogue wrote: “In Beijing, this is the general pecking order in terms of a company's recruitment (by Chinese managers):

1. White Americans/Canadians

2. White British

3. White Australians/New Zealanders and South Africans

4. European Nonnatives/Black Americans/Black British

5. American Asians/Black Aussies (Australians) and Kiwis (New Zealanders)/Filipinos/Africans”

NBC said the ads for English teachers on Beijinger’s classifieds section usually indicate: “Job requires American or Canadian white teacher” or “white color is preferred.”

According to NBC, aside from the ESL industry, recruiters prefer or require white people for other jobs in China such as a “face job” where a white person is hired temporarily to pretend to be an employee during important business meetings.

Mike Lee, a Korean-American, said the preference for Caucasians "makes you feel like crap," the report added.- Andrei Medina, VVP, GMA News

Tags: china,