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Q: Why English schools prefer native English speakers as teachers,even if they don't know how to teach?
Most of English learning schools hire native English speaking teachers, i.e the people from USA, UK, Canada etc, even they don't see whether the person is good at teaching or not.
Is it just to earn money by displaying their photo on big banner outside the school?
12 years 29 weeks ago in Teaching & Learning - China
Yes it is so shit in China, they just want the looks.
I am a Chinese born Australian, but because u don't have blond hair or blue eyes, I am not 'acceptable' because the parents will complain as to whyyy a foreigner isn't teaching their child.
Chinese people are so ignorant. I would rather hire someone who isn't even a English native than me only because they have the physical appearance.
For the last 18 months I have been discriminated again by Chinese people because of how I look. And sadly because of my background I look like them. I can't believe how acceptable it is to discriminate against people for appearance/race and gender. Arghhh
They think it gives them some credibility and promotional advantage and it is often only for converstion and context rather than grammar.
Regardless of whether a native speaking teacher can teach or not, schools want their students to be taught to talk with a normal accent. I've talked with numerous Indians, Pakistanis, and native English speaking Africans and they almost always have an accent that makes it incredibly difficult to understand them. How bad would the school look if they just constantly churned out students whose English can't be understood by native speakers from Europe and North America?
DaqingDevil:
I won't bother answering this one - this post covers it pretty well.
it's not so much about teaching it is about exposure. look at you learning chinese here in china , you are not learning because you are being taught you are learning because of exposure. we did not learn our native tongues because we were taught, we were exposed to it.
and it is also about credibility and marketing
Actually, I've been working on getting a visa extension lately, and the Visa expert lady at my company's headquarters mentioned that some Gonganju include "authenticity" in their Visa-making decisions, so it can be riskier hiring a non-native.
Hell, most Chinese people can't tell, and just assume every foreigner of every colour is an English-speaking American anyway. Not like anyone screams "Bonjour!" as a foreigner walks down the street. I've never worked at any school that has a conceptual problem hiring non-natives.
what they mean by 'native English speakers' is actually anyone that does not look Chinese. So it does not mean crap that they can't teach.
There is another point to consider: The parents. The student's parents have a lot of control in Chinese schools. Many teachers have told me horror stories of parents getting in the way of a teacher disciplining and teaching the kid. They pay the money and the schools cater to them. That is another topic, but the point is parents want their children to be taught by blond haired, blue eyed foreigners. Their mastery of the English language is unimportant as well as their ability to actually teach. Parents control the game. If they wanted their children to learn english from dancing monkeys, the schools would provide them. Perhaps in the future, intellect will triumph over ignorance. Until then....
Guess it's just a way to learn language.
When u learn Chinese, u also want to talk to a native speaker.
It's for oral English, so it's doesn't matter if he/she know how to teach or no, as long as he/she can speak...
I believe the post above me got it all right: it's the parents. The question we should be asking ourselves is why do the parents think that way? Heck, at my English school parents complained that a teacher was too ugly/not attractive enough to teach their children. Funny enough the children weren't so attractive themselves ... but that's beside the point. The ideal teacher is white, blonde, blue-eyed, physically fit (or at least not fat) and attractive (based on whatever they consider attractive). If they can speak English well or have a degree, well that's just an added bonus, but really isn't essential.
The same reason they prefer Putonghua. Standard.
If you wanted to learn Chinese where in China would you go? Most people would probably say Beijing/Dongbei...
NOt only native , as long as u r white they will take u, i know a school, hiring only Russian, cus white color, blue eyes blond hair, lol. funny business
What about someone from Glasgow? 
Is that a good accent to pick up?
My last year colleague was from Cork, he had to force and fake his accent for them to understand him. I had no problem...I am Bulgarian, English major, lived in the US for 7 years...so I can say I'm as close to native as it gets...Actually many native speakers ask me grammar and spelling questions...so all this is pretty relative. I got turned down many times because of the native thing...now I work in a place where they love having people from all over the world...and I ain't got no blue eyes 
Njord:
I worked with a Belgian who lived in Canada for over 15 years and his English was balls, sounded like a french queer... Needless to say his "English" pronunciation was like listening to Inspector Jacques Clouseau, so it was good they canned him, but he really, REALLY believed his English was great (yes his grammar was awesome) but alas he was hired as a NATIVE speaker... If you do in fact speak English as a native, then right on, power to you! But if sound like a Russian reject (yah, yah, yah I know it's a Slavic language so is Russian) when you spoke and I worked with you, I'd call you on it...
Native English speaker only refers to someone who spoke it at home with their parents and learnt it as the formal language at school. There are supposed to be only about 260 to 290 million people where this is so! I am going to post a question about this as a lot of non-native teachers get rather frustrated about their abilities in the english language. Keep in context with my first sentence before you blow your fuse!! 
Njord:
Yah I've met a few "I can speak like a native" types and you know, they did speak great English and without accent then came in the other kicker that only a "native" usually gets... slang, Idioms, Metaphors acronyms, to name a few... Worked with a Swede (tall, pale, blonde hair, blue eyes) and a Brazilian (short, dark and hairy), GREAT spoken English, dead standard pronunciation... But... native... Sorry... Nope.
Like what ALex and Njord said,a native speaker can express shock,anger,happiness,love,hate in 5 seconds,just by the pronunciation and tone of their mother tounge,and get the meaning of the words across at the same time,its just a natural way of expression non natives cant relay to their students
hehe so funny .... a training school in Chengu recently fired all white teachers simply because the manageress thinks that whites are lazy ...
crimochina:
and chinese work so hard, took 5 bank tellers and a security for them to wire my money to the states. yesterday i went in to let them know i wanted to send money to the usa bank account, it took them 20 mins to figure out i needed the "overseas" form
GuilinRaf:
Took two cashiers to charge my purchase at the supermarket ten minutes even though I had EXACT CHANGE in hand. Between their giggling and texting. Finally, i called the manager and told her that I wanted to pay for my purchases and leave. She walks up to the girls and....starts pointing and laughing at what they were looking at in their iphone!!!
I left. Without my purchases, even though the manager chased me and yelled "hello! hello!" and "please! Please!".
Then my friends wonder why I prefer eating at the schools dining hall...
There are many reasons why schools ask for native English speakers.
1. Native English speakers speak English the clearest, however, the schools must careful when hiring some teachers from some countries like America. Depending on where they are from, some of the American accents can be very strong.
2. Native English speakers now much more than just English, they know slang and certain phrases only none to Westerns.
3. North American's are educated in North American Phonics where other countries such as England, Australia, New Zealand and South Africa only know the older form of phonics which slower in results. Of course, non-native English speakers wouldn't know the phonics system at all.
4. Chinese parents want their children to be taught by blonde hair, blue eyes, young, good looking foreigners with 10 years experience. Which sounds impossible but they want the best and complain when they can't get it.
5. School Masters have to answer to the parents and if the parents aren't happy, the school masters not happy.
6. Fairly simple, parents can't speak English and neither can the grandparents that normally pick up the children after school. They can only judge the teachers by the colour of their skin and to the Chinese, only white people speak English
7. Parents really don't want a teachers who is still learning English themselves. If you were learn Chinese, would you ask a foreigner to teach you Chinese or a Chinese person. Spanish people teach Spanish, French teach French.
xtremebob:
Let's look at a country that has learned English from non-English speakers. Mainly from themselves. In the English speaking world, when the need to call a toll-free "tech-help" number arises, it cause a great deal of stress before the call is placed. The number is dialed and suddenly, there it is. The voice that insists you are talking to someone in Kansas or Texas, only they don't really speak hindy-English there, do they? When it becomes clear to you that the call is futile, that you can not understand a WORD of the person on the other end, you decide to re-treat. And the arrogant person who answered the phone is angry. Not - as it should be - at their inability to clearly speak English, but at your inability to understand them. When you want to learn anything, be it how to paint a house or brain surgery, you study with someone who has done it the longest. As close to the origin as possible. If you think this is unfair, try listening to people from countries where English is newly introduced, or countries where they only learn from inside, where mistakes are perpetuated and compounded. It is better to learn from someone who knows the meaning of the idioms used in today's most popular culture, not from someone who thinks over the top means filling a glass with too much water. As for the quality of teachers, I agree that not anyone can be a teacher and I really hate to see native speakers who take advantage of this situation because it ultimately reflects on me. As for the moronic suggestion that American accents can be too strong, try listening to English speakers from Cameroon, India, Pakistan (they are better than the others) South Africa, many European Eastern Bloc countries etc. As for the Chinese, I have found through many years of experience that when they learn proper, native English, they tend to speak it more clearly. But more importantly, they are willing to be corrected when they can't pronounce something. Try that on a help-line.
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1. Cos Chinese parents are as stupid as Source 1 (Panda Education), which if they are great, they won't be forever sourcing for teachers. Goes to show much complaints from parents, meaning what they posted are a load of BS.
2. Chinese likes to brag, perceive when they the parents don't know much about English. They just drool over the intonations and accents and slangs & just adore the flowery rhythm of an unknown language (& mistakes along the way!)
3. Well, if Chinese enjoy throwing their $$$ onto the faces of the native speakers, I say, fine! But after so many years of native -nastic learning, the progress seems far from their runaway economy? Why? Aren't the natives supposed to perform the magic?
4. It is rather stupid to analyse to learn Chinese from a Chinese, Spanish from a Spanish, thus American English from an American. Gotta be best? No, unfortunately. So who will want the "small equipment" then since the bigger it is, the better it is supposed to be!
C'mon, out of every 10 American teachers in China, how many are pure (not migrant) Americans? & American educationalists have confirmed many varsity graduates could not even read, write and spell correctly. & poor in general knowledge & current affairs. So God bless their cultural imparts to the Chinese.
Remember their VP Gole who fumbled in front of the TV and kids (in spelling potato incorrectly?)
derek:
Ah yes, VP "Gole", that rascal!
Al Gore, it's VP Al Gore...you know, as in Vice President Al Gore.
GuilinRaf:
I wouild guess they would be the Native Americans yet even then emigrated from the Bering Strait and the Polynessian sailors...
dnt knw and i thnk its unfair and those who can teach better thn thm thy dnt even gt a chance caz thy are nt native english speakers
Dagobah:
i rz englash toocher, I hve lerds n lerds a edacootion. it irz like sooo unfare that iz dont get r anglsh teecher job. I r defanitely not a tard and not dastry the english language. Thank you please.
GuilinRaf:
I is a inglish teechur, an I is a gud wan! I haba western fas so dey nowe i is gud!
i dont need no grammer leson. jest tak to my stewdents so dey lurn good bekas i hav faiv sousand year kulcher!
hapy fools of april festival!
Show for the kid's parents because they paid for a foreigner teacher. Who cares? Grandpa&grandma s, no one speaks English. However, I think it'll be changing sooner or later. If I have a kid, I will talk to the teacher first and have one lesson with my kid as I can get some information from this lesson. We pay, we worth the best.
The schools have teachers for Grammar, linguistics, vocabulary etc. They want foreigners for 2 reasons
1) exposure to natural style / pronunciation / idioms etc
2) Foreign teachers = higher fees can be charged
At the first place,locals have the illusion that the native one is better than non-native one.
Secondly, the amounts of native teachers can be effective advertisement even though the quantity has nothing to do with the education impact.
I can tell from just glancing at the above post that you are not a native English speaker.
IN the first place, not AT the first place. I think this is just one example why it is better for a school to hire native speakers.
biodamon:
You are too picky,aren't you? I am sorry, are you a British native or American native?
LiamAFCB:
Being correct has nothing to do with being picky and judging from your tone I would guess you are a non native English speaker with a chip on your shoulder because you can't get a teaching job, or those damn natives are paid more than you.
Don't be sorry, no need to apologize, I am a British native. Are you a British native or American native?
Native English teachers are unqualified retards that steal the jobs meant for real teachers.
I have been turned down many times because I am not a native speaker. Even though my English is flawless and probably better than many native English speaker. I have no accent because I am Dutch. I opened my own school out of frustration and behold, it's rush hour everyday. I have 2 English teachers in my school and they are both not native speakers !
llBamBamll:
I think it is awesome that you decided to open your own school because of all the frustration. Is it that easy to open and run a school? :P Are you hiring? :D
LiamAFCB:
" Even though my English is flawless and probably better than many English speaker"
lol, I think you mean better than many English speakerS. Flawless my arse/ass
kchur:
Wow. A non-native speaker managed to throw his ideals to the wind through Ah-Q like self-delusion and scam the hell out of a bunch of other non-native speakers who couldn't know any better. Lie so much that you believe your lies, that way, you can still look in the mirror, although you still can't trick a native speaker. ^_^
But you, indeed, do Engrish speaka so guda. Way to go Champ!
MissA:
Yes, yes, native speakers (note the use of the 's' here) are retarded and unqualified and only a non-native speaker can possible be a good English teacher... if your charmingly winning approach here is the same as your approach in real life, then I, for one, would just LOVE you to come work at my school.
Being correct has nothing to do with being picky and judging from your tone I would guess you too are a non native English speaker with a chip on your shoulder because you can't get a teaching job, or those damn natives are paid more than you.
Don't be sorry, no need to apologize, I am a British native. Are you a British native or American native?
1. I don't think all of the Chinese parents care one way or another but certainly the more upwardly mobile Chinese parents prefer a native English speaking teacher in the classroom because they offer more exposure to 'western' ways including culture i.e.Christmas, Halloween, Valentines Day, etc.
2. The international and private schools definitely cater to the parents and what they want because they are the ones paying the $$$ after all.
3. The typical western teacher's approach to teaching, discipline, interaction with students is quite different than the typical Chinese approach, I think.
This is based on my observation thus far and is an 'opinion' because I'm certainly not an expert.
