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Sign up with Google Sign up with FacebookQ: why are Chinese,mostly employers obsessed with all things white mostly American and English?
i have had several unsucceesful job and internship applications because am black or not american or both, and when reading the job requirements especially teachn english,you find things like have lighter skin,have american or english accent. i had a job interview and they were unpleasantly arguing over that fact that i wasn't american and am even black,while i was in the room.am guessing they believed i dint understand chinese or else they are really rude people!
12 years 33 weeks ago in Business & Jobs - China
this again. listen this is china. it is as advertised no human rights no civil rights. we cant come to this country and expect to be treated better than the locals. locals have to deal with discrimination and so do we. and in the end they get it worse than us. i cant figure why people come here , accept a job where they are hired and paid more than the local counter parts (becoz of their nationality) and then they are upset that they are not being treated as well as their white counter parts (only in some schools and cities) . you can get the job in the city of your choice. learn to bust your ass get the names and contactsa of the schools directly , make them hear your voice make them read your resume. the dumb pucks will discriminate becoz they dont want to look at you and think "my wife would kill for a cock that size" but hey who gives a puck this is not the real world this is the middle kindgdom the center of the universe. do your time her then go back to your home country with your marbles intact. i have reached a point where nothing upsets me anymore. i pity them. to walk through life so damn ignorant and not have a clue becoz everyone around is justas ignorant. for the first time in my life i want to hang an american flag over my bed. i never realized how lucky i was to simply be born in america. no matter what problems america has i can always say this. "i am self aware, and aware of what's around me"
Shining_brow:
Crimo, that's actually a pretty good post! You're right... we WILL get paid a hell of a lot more than locals...so we really shouldn't complain when we willingly come here to look for a job.
It's NOT the land of milk and honey. We DID choose this place. In some ways, it's better than back home...
Sandywagy, if you're having problems, you've got 2 choices... keep trying, or give up! But, be fully aware - THIS STUFF HAPPENS! is it 'fair'?? Is it more or less fair than getting paid more than double the local counterparts, who had to work a hell of a lot harder to get where they are now? Is it fair that bribery and corruption are an accepted - nay, necessary - way to get ahead here??
China - money or integrity? You can't have both.*
(*before someone flames me for it... yeah, it is possible, but not lots and lots of money...)
danielmarino:
We came here, our choice, our bad. We take it or leave it. I know.
It's a real shame that this kind of discrimination is so common in Asia generally. I'm sure that my CV and credentials weren't even checked, just the picture. Long way to go...
If they were as keen on adopting Western management practices that would be nice too.
That's absolutely appalling!
I don't understand how employers can possibly be so ignorant as to think that your colour could affect your ability to communicate. Or are they aware that people of all colours can be great teachers and it's just straight up racism on part of the students/parents/staff?
That said, I've never felt that being Aussie, rather than British or American, has stopped me being competitive for the teaching jobs I want. I know some centres advertise for Americans only but they're rare.
Perhaps they think they're being less rude by saying 'we want an American' rather than 'we want a white one'?
sandywagy:
oh yea i forgot to add Aussies too:>),most ads have native english speaker from America, England n Australia.
MissA:
One thing to add here: Sandy is a braver woman than I! Were I not of European ancestry, I'd never work here, given the number of stories like this I've read/heard.
GuilinRaf:
A school once wanted me to give intenssive english lessons to a group of workers who were going to ship to Kenya. Anyway, one of my friends is Kenyan and I suggested that they hire him instead. Unlike me, he IS an English major and has an MBA, he grew up in Kenya, knows the custums, etc so I thought this was perfect! Well, when we got there, they took one look at him and told him that they could not give him the job because they had given it to me! I said "no way, I dont want it" and they said "yes you do". After a few seconds of this, we both left. It got worse! The owner then called me angry that I had brought an "Africa People" to his school. I suggested he F**k a waterbuffaloe and blocked his number from my mobile. Like you say, it is thier country and while we cannot change it (heck, if we even tried we could face problems ourselves) I just refuse to participate in this kind of business or actiity. If asked why, I will tell.
The accent thing I can understand a little - we non-American or English have a certain stigma about our accents (not ignoring the fact that Americans and English can have aweful accents as well!). But that's how they want to sound.
Skin-colour... one day, maybe, they'll get the hint... maybe when some country gets the guts to ignore their premier or president, and ask for the 'real' one, because obviously you can't really have a yellow-skinned person for that role (except in our countries - cos they're all too chicken-shit scared to do the right thing )
sandywagy:
funny thing,the closest i came to being hired was by some agents who found me a school and asked me not to reveal that am not American and forge an accent....i mean seriouslyyyy!!!
crimochina:
seriously dude even with your accent you can get gig at a higher pay than a local. even at my school there are people here with accents and we are all paid the same. get on the ball, contact schools directly, be realistic , and understand you gotta start somewhere.
Shining_brow:
So, where ARE you from?? I presume, from part of this discussion, you DO have a strong accent??
this is a real discriminated policy, but not just happen to you guys, some times company don't want waste their time to check your real ability, which have a little complexity,so they just made limitation for this job. like you must have doctor dregree, they wouldn't talk with you only have master deree, even who has great working ability.
crimochina:
hehe that's called needing qualifications. and white rats always get preferential treatment
Shining_brow:
But Icerock, no-one checks for 'real' degrees anyway... at least, not the ones who are likely to discriminate based on the irrelevancy of skin-colour!
MissA:
Asking for concrete qualifications is not the same as asking for someone to have a specific racial background, in my opinion.
this again. listen this is china. it is as advertised no human rights no civil rights. we cant come to this country and expect to be treated better than the locals. locals have to deal with discrimination and so do we. and in the end they get it worse than us. i cant figure why people come here , accept a job where they are hired and paid more than the local counter parts (becoz of their nationality) and then they are upset that they are not being treated as well as their white counter parts (only in some schools and cities) . you can get the job in the city of your choice. learn to bust your ass get the names and contactsa of the schools directly , make them hear your voice make them read your resume. the dumb pucks will discriminate becoz they dont want to look at you and think "my wife would kill for a cock that size" but hey who gives a puck this is not the real world this is the middle kindgdom the center of the universe. do your time her then go back to your home country with your marbles intact. i have reached a point where nothing upsets me anymore. i pity them. to walk through life so damn ignorant and not have a clue becoz everyone around is justas ignorant. for the first time in my life i want to hang an american flag over my bed. i never realized how lucky i was to simply be born in america. no matter what problems america has i can always say this. "i am self aware, and aware of what's around me"
Shining_brow:
Crimo, that's actually a pretty good post! You're right... we WILL get paid a hell of a lot more than locals...so we really shouldn't complain when we willingly come here to look for a job.
It's NOT the land of milk and honey. We DID choose this place. In some ways, it's better than back home...
Sandywagy, if you're having problems, you've got 2 choices... keep trying, or give up! But, be fully aware - THIS STUFF HAPPENS! is it 'fair'?? Is it more or less fair than getting paid more than double the local counterparts, who had to work a hell of a lot harder to get where they are now? Is it fair that bribery and corruption are an accepted - nay, necessary - way to get ahead here??
China - money or integrity? You can't have both.*
(*before someone flames me for it... yeah, it is possible, but not lots and lots of money...)
danielmarino:
We came here, our choice, our bad. We take it or leave it. I know.
Oh, and one more point... once you've finished up in China, or almost anywhere else in Asia (except maybe Japan), go look for a similar job in Europe or the US... what will they think of your 'teaching experience'?? You could do 10 years here at the top rated schools and universities, and in Europe they'd still pass you over for a newbie fresh out of TESL school!!!
kchur:
So don't waste your time here get your HSKs. Sign up for some part-time Chinese classes. That's something employers do look at, and salivate over.
Unfortunately and sadly, China is the land of the proud and ignorant. This really saddens me because I see a land with so much history, I expected advanced medicine, technology and ways of thinking. Instead, all I see is silly superstitions, poor and cheap copies of other's advancements, and ignorance that's sometimes makes me laugh and cry.
I have seen lots of beauty here, but mostly I have felt disappointment.
I doubt they knew you understand Chinese. It isn't fair, but this is also a country who has not fought for rights of any kind, from basic freedoms to food safety to you name it. I'm not saying it's their fault, I'm just pointing it out. It's their country, we have to play by their rules. For some of us, we get preferential treatment, and for others, not so much. If you really want to be here, then keep trying. You'll find a job.
GuilinRaf:
So true about the preferential treatment! I have on ocasion received an invitation for a new bar or restaruant or club that is opening on "x date". Often times, the foreigners can go for free while the Chinese pay full price! When a freidn of mine invited us (foregn teachers) to the opening of his newest bar and said we would be for free, i suggested instead why not just have everyone pay half price, foreigners and Chinese alike. Man! my colleagues almost killed me!!! Anyway, I do not like this practice (so unfair when foreigners get better treatment than the locals) that I will not attend any event of this sort unless all have the same treatment. My guess is that they want to fill it iwth "foreign faces" to attract more people?
Jnusb416:
Yes, having foreigners associated with the bar is probably good for business. As far as preferential treatment, I can usually bear it. The worst one for me is when I'm on a bus, and there will be one seat open, and my Chinese friend will invite me to sit down. Worse than that, when I was visiting a friend in a small town outside of Jinhua, the people in the back row made room for me to sit, even though there were people standing in the front. I asked my friend "Would you sit there?" and she said "No." So I said "Well if you don't want to, why would I want to?" Later I did get a seat, but I gave it up for an elderly man. Why anybody should be impressed by that, I don't know. The bus was very crowded, and I didn't want him to fall on the stairs. If I had been Chinese, nobody would have cared, that's what bothers me.
Discrimination in the barbarian way or civilized way, without the packaging, it is all the same. Born a Chinese in your next life, better yet, born in a rural/poor areas, and try you luck in the cities.
It's a sad sad thing ,China is not a free land ...high discrimination and narrow minded ness will make it really hard for them to achieve their goal of being the best nation in the world