Great wall of opportunity

More than 1,000 Indians have moved to China to teach English. A one-month crash course on the internet is all it takes

MUMBAI: A few months back, Murali Sharma was doing a PR job in Delhi. Now he teaches English in a primary school in the town of Xian, starting point of the historic Silk Road in north-west China.

Sharma’s  rapid career switch was enabled by the easy entry for English teachers into China. All it requires is a certificate in Teaching English as a Foreign Language or TEFL, which quick learners can get in a four-week course from training institutes like TEFL International. “There is a surge of Indians applying for our course to migrate to China.

These are mostly people from BPOs, corporate communication and marketing. We’re getting more than 100 applications every day,” says Sanjib Chakraborthy, programme director of TEFL International, which also offers the course online.

Even then, demand far outstrips the supply. That’s because with the introduction of English in China’s primary curriculum, millions of kids are now required to learn the language. The forthcoming Olym-pics, when the government wants citizens to put their best English foot forward, is another reason why teachers are in demand. So it’s boom time for people like Sharma, who is earning much more than he was in India, with a furnished accommodation thrown in to boot. “I only need to pay for food and internet access.”

It’s not only English teachers — any kind of teaching expertise in subjects like arts, physics and chemistry is also in demand, especially in the expanding International school system in China. But English remains the preferred subject.
The TEFL method does not require any knowledge of the local language, as students are expected to learn by using English in class. The teaching is mostly phonetic.

“I had to create situations and use those for teaching. It was difficult at first,” explained Nishant Puri, who quit his corporate communication job in India to take up teaching in China. “I show a clip from an English movie muted, then with sound, and finally dubbed in Chinese. I ask kids to enact the scene and speak the lines in English.”  

Puri, who has been at it for two months, loves his new job. “When I quit my job back home, I wasn’t sure of my decision. But today it seems different. I always wanted to teach, but ended up in the corporate sector. China has helped me realise that dream.” Puri now wants to get his family to join him in China.

According to the Chinese embassy, the last three months have seen over a thousand Indians migrating to China as English teachers, with schools on a massive recruitment drive for classes beginning in March in order to comply with the new curriculum requirements. Korstiaan Jong, a recruiter in China, says, “There is a huge demand and as we don’t have sufficient teachers coming in from the UK and USA, we are now recruiting English teachers from India.”

Mostly, they are men in their thirties, who are changing careers. For Sharma, the added attraction was a chance to experience a new culture and lifestyle, with the 2008 Beijing Olympics thrown in for good measure. “I’m treating myself to interesting dishes, making new friends, and looking at things from a different perspective. But most of all, living in Xian is a relief after the hustle and pollution of Delhi.”

“It’s a great way to see another country. But that’s not all. The pay has been mainly responsible for large numbers migrating,” says Sanjib Chakraborthy. TEFL International alone has sent 400 Indians to China in the last quarter. The monthly pay for an English teacher in an Indian school is around Rs3000 in government-aided schools and Rs5000 in junior colleges, by UGC standards. A similar position in China commands a salary of 4500-8000RMB (Rs24,000-Rs44,000). Plus there is free accommodation close to school in most cases. And the work load of 20-25 hours a week is also lighter.

With first preference given to teachers from primarily English-speaking countries, Indians are mostly recruited for schools in smaller places like Wuhan, Xian and Harbin. But those with international school experience can get bigger pay packages in urban centres like Shanghai and Beijing with a growing expatriate population.

For those like Sharma, posted in places like Xian, there are both positives and negatives. “I’m happy to be away from big city life. But there are pitfalls too. There is insecurity about the job as I’m on a six-month contract. Then, a small place is a lot less cosmopolitan. There’s not much to do after classes get over in the afternoon. I’m hoping to get my family down. Then I can spend time with them,” says Sharma, who shares a house near his school with four other Indian teachers in Xian.

Another Indian teacher, Rishi Khanna, says the short-duration contract is no problem. “In six months’ time, I will have a better idea of the place and lifestyle. But already I’m sure I’ll be getting my family to migrate here,” says Khanna, who has two school-going kids.

The demand for teachers in China is rising by the day, and it isn’t confined to English teachers either. China’s big plans for education are drawing teachers in all disciplines. This is expected to get a further boost when the Chinese government introduces a curriculum in which all subjects are taught in English.

a_anita@dnaindia.net