Been here for nearly six years.

I have seen teachers with university degrees who did great jobs.

I have seen teachers with universities who did poor jobs.

I have never seen a "degreeless" teacher do a good job. They all sucked, but that is my experience. Others may have had a different one.

Actually I did work with a guy who was one semester away from graduating and taking a study break - so technically no degree - and he was fine, but I don't think he fell into the standard 'no degree' category.

I worked with a girl who was essentially on a very extended gap year and is now well on her way to a degree, and she was great.

I worked with a guy who had a degree and was crap. Its hard to make generalizations. Actually, I suspect any 'no degree' rants you've heard may actually be shorthand for 'people who have sh*t English in the first place' which, personally, I don't think is fair.

A non-degreed teacher in China is an immigrant of sorts, albeit a temporary immigrant.  Like all immigrants, like the migrant workers in China, they go elsewhere in search of a better life, or of a better career, or simply of a job period. Nonetheless, as some have said, one can only bring to bear in any situation that which one has acquired or learned.  Would I visit a non-degreed doctor if such existed? Hardly.  Would I consult a non-degreed dentist if such existed?  Again hardly.  I have worked with a certain number of non-degreed teachers, including one who did not even finish high school in Canada, and almost to a person, their lack of education impeded their success in the classroom -- but then again we are talking about a more formalized academic setting than a LTC.  I do not pass judgment -- each person's life has its own vagaries -- nonetheless if a choice were available between degreed and non-degreed, I would opt for the degreed -- with several caveats:  (a) no online degree schools; (b) no meaningless diploma mill colleges; (c) a training relevant to the subject matter being taught.

For me, there are several reasons why I don't like these people:

1) They are liars. A type of professional licensure does exist for foreign teachers in China by virtue of the process by which we are issued our teaching, and working visas. When people agree to pay money to have a specific teacher teach them or their children they take it on good faith that the teacher has the minimum qualifications. If the teacher doesn't but takes their money anyway they are misrepresenting themselves. In terms of professional ethics, it is no different than pretending to be a doctor without having gone to medical school, or pretending to be a pilot without having a pilots license. That this person might be the best in the world when it comes to curing the sick or flying a plane is irrelevant as they are still committing fraud. 

2) Their poor behavior makes honest people look bad. Because nobody can tell how many foreign teachers are lying, every foreign teacher has to deal with a certain amount of suspicion. That there are many people from Africa or from the Middle East  teaching in China without the proper qualifications it makes it much more difficult for Africans or Middle Easterners with the proper qualifications or for people who are of African or Middle Eastern descent but are from European, North American, or Oceanic countries to find a job at a reputable school for the pay they frankly deserve.

3) It depresses all of our wages. In economic terms there is a high demand for foreign teachers. That not only makes it easier for us to get jobs, but also means that we can demand a higher salary  from our employers. The fewer teachers there are, the higher  the remaining salaries become. Admittedly, this is a slight oversimplification, employers also have to offer relatively high salaries because they have to compete with schools and job opportunities that are in other countries. In any case, it means a higher number of people in the work force that are willing to accept lower pay. That is bad for me professionally.  

hate is a very strong word my friend. 

I know a lot of teachers who have no degrees but they teach at decent place and very good salary. 
If other recruiters don't want people with no degrees, that's fine. They want teachers with skills and experience in that field. I personally support that. 

Lets not think about ourselves all the time. These kids needs quality education from people who actually knows how to do the job. 

I know only a couple of teachers without a degree and one of them is an excellent teacher, totally natural and very dedicated.

I don't think I hate anyone, for me, that is a VERY strong word.

I think a part of the problem is the official government requirements are totally bonkers. A degree? OK, but at least make it relevant, as the regulations stand a person with a BA in Spanish can teach English even though they may never have had one single minute of instruction in how to teach.

If you are going to insist on a degree at least make it in English. Personally I would lower the degree qualification to any post compulsory level 3 or higher qualification in general English (in England A level or equivalent), or a high level English TEACHING qualification e.g. CELTA, but ADD a teaching qualification Cert Ed / PGCE or equivalent. At least then you know you are getting someone who knows how to teach.

I resent people who attack others with faulty generalizations. 

I don't like people who display a superior attitude despite their lack of knowledge or education. 

I am entertained by the uneducated who display their ignorance when they write more than two simple sentences.

I hope you're teaching kindergarten. That will allow your students time to correct the obvious mistakes you teach them.

There is a saying for foreigners in China/ Asia that teaches English:

"A foreigner English teacher without English Diploma is equivalent to a foreign Prostitute"

U understand*? = Sell yourself for whatever to get some money

I know one guy who doesn't have a degree but he's a great teacher. In fact, I've noticed that about half of the degree people are horrible teachers who should be banned from the classroom. One of them thinks that English teaching is making students play monopoly all day, every day. 

It just comes down to unqualified people getting jobs that qualified people could get I think.

There are people in the world that can drive well but, for one reason or another, do not hold a licence. Should that make it acceptable for them to drive anyway?

A degree is the minimum stipulated requirement for obtaining the right to work i.e. obtaining the 'z' visa. Surely there has to be a minimum stipulation or it would become a free for all. Maybe the degree stipulation is the wrong one but, for the time being at least, it is the only stated measure of minimum ability. Just like holding the driving licence is the minimum stipulation for driving a car on the road.

Speaking English does not qualify anyone to suddenly be a teacher. Does this answer your question?

I remember being at school and doing bad in certain subjects ....why? SHIT teacher. Society dictates allot of bull.  People should stop criticizing others and be more concerned about their own lives. Clearly you have NONE, and so look to others to entertain yourself. PASSION for what you do, and the rewards thereof...THAT IS WHAT IT IS ABOUT....A degree....that is only a piece of paper....So you are educated, but you suck at what you do...

Can u read? Try the whole line....if it still does not make sense , then i can help you

To give a general answer:

            There is a whole big douchey PMS gossip/resentment thing going on with all the teachers here. They recriminate, they compare, they put on airs or become senstive to others who do. It's ridiculous really. 

3 quick examples:

            Friend of mine came from a foreign country TO Canada as a teenager and has to learn English. Becomes the 'family translator' for the next decade.

*Note: on that ALONE is now more qualified in life experience than half of all 'Degreed' people out there,

however,

He goes on to 'expand' by volunteering and later being paid to help immigrant workers (Chinese, Filipino, Russian etc) pass a kind of language benchmark.

Still no degree in anything.

Ends up being hired by some big company to do this 'benchmark English' tutoring. He is simply excellent.

Travels around the world as part of some Christian iDontknowWhat group/charity/mission thing. Essentially doing translation, language, cultural exchange and organizing people by language exchanges.

Still no teaching degree.

     Surprisingly, has never taken 'TEFL' or whatever they are calling these things these days. Takes 'TESL' (whatever it is called).

-So this here is an example of someone who has NO teaching degree and by life experience - and by just sheer natural gifts - fantastically qualified and IMO would match or outperform any Degree on this planet.

I've seen them work and they are simply 'magical' imo and absolutely beloved by students.

2. Friend of ours 2 years into teaching degree. (2.5 now). Actually does quite well in school, decent grades, definitely dedicated and driven.

BOMBS real practical in-class tests. I mean by their own admission is HORRIBLE. Its beyond 'fear of speaking' or 'nervousness'. Actually stutters, goes into aphasia shock, becomes confused and surprisingly - has ZERO TOLERANCE for children lol. 

3. Recruiter tells me the 2 best teachers and 'superstars' of the kids and local teachers too: 

One (amazingly) has ZERO post-secondary education and ZERO previous life-experience and somehow a fantastic love and knack.

Other has a BA in teaching from a fairly good Uni in the USA, all the certs, good experience. 

*And yes, there is a real value in a genuine BA in English/Teaching and I do believe you WILL see that pay off over the long run and overall. And its for good reasons and for correct reasons.

I do not disparage anything about it but maybe agree with the OP in the sense that it turns out teaching English in China surely is more about natural talent, passion and 'the person' themselves and maybe a little less about degrees than we seem to think. 

*btw, I admire anyone who chooses to come to China and teach English in any kind of school or with any degree or non-degree. It's a great and noble thing, its fun, its unique and what a great thing to do!

Probably because they take away the jobs that could have been left for those who had a degree? It's like you walk 10,000 miles and you can get this....you walk 10 miles and you can still get this. It's not really fair it's called hard work some people have gone through it some people haven't.

There are so many grammatical errors in your question, that I feel I must inquire, do you, sir, lack a degree?

Hold on here!

As I've posted before, how can you work in China without a Uni. Degree?

Isn't it according to Chinese law, that you need a Degree (in any subject, regardless of however relevant it is to ESL) to gain a work visa & residence permit?

I was refused cos I had ONLY had a Teacher's Diploma (spent 4 yrs at Teacher's College in Aust.) but not good enough for China.

So, are all these 'teachers' legally employed? What's the story..?

I do not hate non-degreed teachers.  They should be honest about their situation though.  If employed, they can then get some teacher training. They would be sort of a technician.

I ask some people what is the subject they have the degree in? So I haven't met a FT who doesn't have a degree.  I have met a few who have a teaching degrees. I am a teacher and possess a B. Comm. So I get to teach ESL in China.  "everybody" and "hate" are two words I don't like to use. In Canada I would not be allowed to teach without a B of ED at a minimum. I would speculate the reason for having a degree is you will have more opportunity to learn more about the world around you as a younger person.  There are older people who are great teachers. I am not sure if they have degrees. But I do know having a degree does not automatically bestow intelligence or a good personality. Even in Canada I have met some real assholes and retards who have MBAs and MAs. The best natured and easiest going people seem to be the ones without a degree. Go figure.

You just answered your own question in the title. They are teachers, and they have no degree.

Qualified teachers are probably mad because these people are giving them a bad name. Non-teachers are probably mad because they are doing a job they are unqualified to do.

“FYI im not a teacher,”
That’s a relief. Though, you could always search for a teacher who could help you with learning English.

“so you can forget the holier than thou answers of how i should teach kindergarten, i just simply see alot of hate on here for people with no degrees. 2. did some of you really just compare yourselves to doctors??? jesus get over yourselves. “
Yeah, that’s not “holier than thou” at all.

“in one post you complain about being nothing but foreign monkeys and the next your doing a valuable service to children.”
I’ve been treated as a foreign monkey, and dropped that job immediately, and looked for one that valued education. I don’t define myself by the views of others.

“if we were all just realistic, and understood we are really doing nothing of value (including myself) and just in china for whatever reasons, then i think all the hate would stop. if you guys really thought you were so valuable and professional, there wouldn’t be that hint of shame when you told others your job.”

Now you’re projecting. You might be doing nothing of value, but I actually teach. I have a teaching license, and a degree in English Education. I can discuss Lev Vygotsky’s Zone of Proximal Development, or Maslow’s Hierarchy Of Needs, or B.F. Skinner’s influence on education psychology. I don’t need to “get over myself” anymore than a mechanic who knows how an alternator works, or a programmer who can write code.

A teacher getting by on a smile and charisma, without any degree devalues my profession. It would be like if I was hired as a lawyer just because I watched Law & Order.

Firstly, it's the law! I know, who cares, right?? I mean, phfft! Laws! But hey, I have to do the run-around and other BS. "But TIC...". Yeah, well, ain't hypocrisy a wonderful thing! I suspect not too many on here would be happy if immigrants to our country were so condescending towards our laws back home!

Speaking of TIC... so, it's China - they deserve  a lower class of education. Certainly lower than what we expect of our teachers back home - right??? That mentality, perhaps more than anything else, is why I would (if I used such a word) 'hate' those without a degree. It's insulting! To the students (in particular), to the parents, and perhaps most of all, to the other 'real' teachers our there.

Secondly, while the above answers from others mention a few good examples, I sincerely doubt that they are the majority! Yeah, there are a lot of bad but highly qualified teachers... and a lot of good but under-qualified teachers. But, are they the majority? Jnox mentions those who show up on Jeopardy... yeah, we're all going on Jeopardy to make buckets of money, hey??? Or writers... we're all writing ourselves a Top 10 novel - right??

But lastly, and probably most importantly, by by-passing the legal requirements to work in this country, they're undercutting the rest of us who have our degrees. I didn't work my butt off (well, no I didn't actually, ) to get my degrees and certificates (yes, plural!) and fork out the money to become a tolerable teacher (but to actually know what I'm talking about), to be offered 6000/month in one of the richest cities in China... the same sort of salary they were offering 5+ years ago! "Oh, you want to be paid more cos you actually know what you're doing? Sorry, I'll just pay half that to some backpacker who doesn't know the right end of a consonant!". There's a lot of bitching about NNS teachers on here... well, how does it feel for them to put in a lot more effort than a Native Speaker, and have the qualifications to be teaching (as well as the experience of learning a second language), yet constantly get overlooked by some wanker with no degree, no knowledge, but the right passport??

Sorry to burst everyone's bubble, but the vast majority of schools in China do not teach English effectively. It has little to do with the quality of the teachers, and everything to do with stupid mismanagement on behalf of the owner.

Most of you, no matter what your qualifications are, and no matter how good you are, have been reduced to White Monkey status. Nothing wrong with that in and of itself - a job is a job - but you don't need to be a rocket scientist to teach English here.

Before accepting my last job in China, I heavily studied the role of an English teacher in both on here, and on the internet. I have no degree, but I wasn't about to admit that while still in China. Apparently I was the best teacher they've ever had (and they've only hired people with degrees previously), so when I tried to leave they tried to hold me hostage by taking away my passport.

A job's a job. Either you're good at it, or you're lazy. Degrees mean nothing here, so as long as you can be a parroting white monkey.

How about because they are not properly trained and qualified to teach anything other than their own life experience and what they read in a book - assuming they ever read one.

I think it's kind of a defense mechanism, we all kinda want to feel like we're special, like we're doing something extraordinary.

It's tough to rationalize that you have a good job when it's taken so lightly by your bosses and when literally anyone from your country can get it. No one wants to feel like they are just the beneficiaries of first-world privilege.

But no, I don't think the way ESL is conducted here that a degree is necessary. If someone is good at it, who cares? 

I dont have a degree,I have a cert in childcare.I have 14 years in China at teaching in a kindergarten.

I have worked in Childcare centres in New Zealand and Australia,I have taught Kindergarten Children in Japan,Taiwan and Korea.

I am more qualified to teach in a kindergarten than someone with a degree.

I am a good teacher,I am very good at my job.