u/Quick-Worldliness904

Hi Everyone,

I'm half Chinese and half white. My appearance is somewhere in the middle but Chinese people often tell me I look Chinese except for my grey eyes. I think I'm a pretty good looking and athletic guy. Perhaps if I was more western looking I would have an easier time.

I've applied for over 1,000 jobs in China this year with no luck. My WeChat has countless recruiters who usually ghost me when they realise I'm not 100% white.

Recruiters keep telling me the only jobs I can get are English teaching jobs advertised for Chinese English teachers from China. AKA a Chinese person who studied English and teaches English in China. These are obviously lower paid.

I really feel that China is a cultural desert. It feels like I'm living completely cut off from the outside world. Nobody at my kindergarten speaks English except me. I have no friends and there are no young people in the town I'm in except for Chinese new year when people return to visit their parents.

People even try and get me to teach Chinese but I can't speak Chinese.

I previously taught English in Cambodia where I had no problem with people understanding what I was. Chinese people literally cannot process the fact that you can be British and not white.

I've been feeling very low recently. I only got offered a job in a 6th tier city because the previous teacher quit at short notice and I already had all my documents legalised and was able to apply for the visa at very short notice for the start of term. I previously took the bus 2 hours each way to visit my girlfriend in a local larger city but she broke up with me when she realised I would not be able to get a job in the city she lived in. I feel my life is going very badly. I really don't know where I'm headed at the moment.

What are other non white Europeans or Americans ETC experiences living in China and teaching (if anyone actually offers you a job)

Do people understand you are American or British ETC?

I watched a YouTube video of a Chinese American man who left China for Vietnam. He said the Chinese cannot grasp that he is American but Vietnamese people have no difficulty understanding. This is probably white Chinese schools won't hire any non white people.

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently in Cambodia and I will visit my mother in England in a short while.

I plan on going to Vietnam after, do I have to be in Vietnam or do people usually apply for work online from outside the country?

The earliest I can start will be around August or September.

Also, can you get a job all year round or are there set hiring dates?

If you visit Asia do people think you are foreign or local ?

Literally everyone in China assumes I am Chinese. I guess it can be good at times as I can walk around in stealth mode. Its a bit awkward when people try and speak Chinese to me as I don't speak Chinese.

I have single eyelids which I think is quite rare amongst mixed people, but people still think i am Chinese if I wear sunglasses.

You can put your photo into Grok AI and it will give you a visual breakdown of your looks. It's quite interesting.

I used to live in Cambodia and people there assumed I was Cambodian.

I visited Vietnam with my born abroad (fat) Vietnamese girlfriend who spoke Vietnamese and people would speak English to her and Vietnamese to me.

We came to the conclusion that people thought she was too fat to be Vietnamese 😆😆😆

I'm trying to find a teaching in China job and there is a large amount of discrimination.

Schools would rather hire a white non native speaker than a non white native speaker. I'm qualified enough to teach back in the UK but lesser experienced and qualified people have been hired instead of me.

It's common for job ads to request a white or blonde teacher.

You can ask AI which white countries have English as an official language vs which non white countries have English as an official language. The majority of native English speaking countries in the world are actually black and not white.

Likewise most white countries do not speak English as an official language.

Chinese people still believe that speaking good English is a genetic trait that white people are magically born with.

Grok AI describes me as:

"""East Asian (most likely Chinese or of similar ancestry). The man in the pale/light blue shirt (visible as the teacher in the classroom photo with the children, and consistently as the man in the blue t-shirt across the other selfies) has clear East Asian features based on appearance alone: Straight, dark black hair with typical East Asian styling and texture. Facial structure: epicanthic folds (eye shape), relatively flat mid-face, and overall proportions common in East Asian populations. Skin tone: medium-light warm undertone typical of many East Asians. Build and context (e.g., the classroom setting and casual dining scenes) align with this as well. No features suggest other major racial categories like Caucasian/European, African, or South Asian. All individuals in these photos share similar East Asian phenotypic traits.""""

Grok AI does not actually pick up that I'm mixed unless I tell it.

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently teaching in a town with 120,000 people in China. It's not specifically a bad place to live, but I have no friends here and I'm bored.

I get paid 16,000 over 8 months a year so I'm only getting 10,667 CNY per month. It's a very low effort job with few hours but I'd rather work more for more money.

Despite having US and British passports, a PGCE + 6 years of experience teaching Cambridge, AP Lit and managing a WASC English Literature curriculum, I have been unable to find other work in China. I am experienced with kindergarten, primary and high school.

I am tall and consider myself fairly easy on the eye. Mid 30's. I think I should be quite a strong candidate for most schools.

My current school has a 2 year contract and wants me to return next term but I feel I am just surviving here. It's not a good lifestyle.

Recruiters tell me I'm getting rejected because schools want someone who looks more foreign. I am half Chinese and half white with a Chinese surname. I don't speak Chinese.

I literally know nothing about the ESL scene in Vietnam. I'd be grateful If some of you cool dudes and ladies could enlighten me.

I could stay longer in China in the hope I get a job offer but I am not hopeful. I've been searching for many months.

What are the types of jobs I should be targeting in Vietnam?

• I hear there are language centres that will have you in the evenings and other odd hours.
• Public schools where you must cart yourself around to different schools
• International schools that offer the best pay and holiday. I have heard that some fully qualified teachers have done the whole international schools thing and gone to public schools as its a lot less stress. I've been at international schools that were very toxic work environments.

I have a holiday from today until September 1 so I was thinking about getting on the next flight to Saigon and plugging the ESL market.

How do I find work in Vietnam?

• Do I just rock up visa free and how do I apply for work?
• Can I apply online while I'm in China?

Is Vietnam as racist as China?

• Would someone like me be able to get a job in Vietnam? I don't look Chinese, nor do I look white. I'm surprised by how narrow minded Chinese schools are.

If anyone has the time to shoot me a message, I will forever be grateful.

Have yourself a nice day everyone :)

Hi Everyone,

I'm teaching kindergarten in a 6th tier city in China.

The job is great fun but I find the city boring. It's a 6th tier city 180km away from a 2nd tier city that I can take a rusty old bus to. The last bus is at 6pm and there is no timetable so the bus leaves when it's full.

The job has a nice but unpaid 4 months of holiday pay year.

I received 16,000 CNY per month but I only get paid for 8 months a year so it's only 10,667 CNY on average per month.

I tried finding a new job but despite having one interview at a well known international school where the interviewer was based in the US I've not had other interviews.

British mid 30's PGCE holder with experience teaching kindergarten, primary and high school who is experienced with Cambridge, AP Lit and WASC.

I have experience in curriculum development and several years experience at international schools outside China.

Schools keep complaining that I had 3 different jobs in 3 years. I don't know what to tell them. One school literally did not renew any teachers contracts. The other school hired me to teach business and told me there was a change on the first day of term. They wanted me to teach English instead.

At the end of the year they fired me and said I could no longer teach English because they specifically wanted someone with a degree in English literature. I felt royally messed around.

The third job I quit because I was relocating to a different country.

I think it's just best to tell schools that I left at the end of my contract for new opportunities.

Is it normal for schools to make such a big deal over this? Most of my friends who teach in Asia have had lots of different jobs, because it really feels like schools are trying to nitpick.

Every time I scroll through the WeChat video it's mostly 3 things.

1. Chinese women trying to show off their western boyfriends. There are channels where it's basically just people showing off their relationship with cheesy videos of how happy they are together.

2. Chuds who kiss China's ass. These foreigners here with about 99999 videos all about how China made them a better person and how China is better than their home country and how they never want to go home and how they love China so much and people back home are all bad people. I get the point but there is only so much boot licking you can do before you get a black tongue.

3. Kindergarten promo videos and recruiters advertising contacts

Does your WeChat have a very linear and certain theme and what is it?

I can sort of understand what younger people say. But when old people speak all I hear is bbmmmmb hhmmmm gggrrgr gggrrr bumbgheh gmeum.

It sounds like they are mumbling incoherently and trying to clear their throat.

Are my ears bad or is there a difference in the pronunciation between old and young people?

I see people eating rice porridge with no flavour and no added seasoning. Don't get me started on those awful doughy things called mantou.

Are you supposed to dip mantou in some type of dipping sauce ?

Do people like this food or do they just eat it because it's cheap?

School keeps feeding me mantou and rice porridge with no seasoning and I feel like I'm living in a gulag. Is it supposed to be this bland or are they not preparing it properly?

I really miss western breakfasts. Simple stuff like a bacon butty or a bacon and egg sandwich.

Many years ago I worked for a business which (unknown to me) was involved in human trafficking.

I was just an English teacher there, however they would acquire visas and work permits for people trafficked into the country to work in scam centres.

I was quite surprised when this school was able to open me a bank account without me even being there. I did not trust this account they gave me so I emptied all my money when I left the job. Me leaving the job involved me disappearing on payday without giving any notice.

Let's just say the school has connections.

The school is still open for business and I have friends who teach there. They are just regular guys teaching English and they are fully above board, however the business has a dark side to it.

While in country I made two friends who were survivors of slavery and human trafficking.

If you google the business name you will find many news articles about how they are involved in human trafficking.

I was sitting on my sofa nursing my hangover and I had a spiritual epiphany that this might be something that has contributed towards me having such a difficult time finding work.

Hi Everyone,

I've been seeking a new teaching job since March 1 but no offers have come my way except English First which I dont want to accept.

I've got what seems like hundreds of recruiters floating around on my phone. A number of recruiters claim they have applied for jobs on my behalf but no school has been interested.

Recently I've had recruiters trying to get me into jobs paying even less than I'm currently earning for more work. I don't know if 12,000 pre tax for 18 teaching hours a week is the new norm.

I'm mid 30's, British with a degree, PGCE but no QTS and several years teaching at international schools outside of China.

I'm living in a 6th tier city and it's quite boring here so I want to relocate. This city is so small that it doesn't even have a name. People just refer to it by the name of the county it's located in.

If no offers come my way I'm considering going to Vietnam.

Is there a mad crazy rush close to August where other teachers quit their jobs and schools get desperate or should I kick the bucket and leave China?

Hi All,

I've been reading some other peoples job offers here and people are accepting jobs with around 20 teaching hours per week for 14,000 this year.

I've been approached by recruiters offering me loads of lowball offers circa 12,000 to 14,000 per month.

I teach 10 hours per week with no lesson plans or paperwork. I do however have some office hours where I try and learn Chinese. It's not working well as it just sounds like people are gargling water when they speak Chinese to me. I'd rather teach more hours per day and get paid more.

I'm currently on 16,000 for 9 months a year so I average 12,000 over the year.

This job does not have a calendar and cannot even tell me which month the 1.5 month summer holiday could be. I've asked the admin staff and teachers and everyone tells me the same thing. Its BALLS as I cannot even book a flight back home until 1 day before when they tell me and the prices are higher. Is this normal. The school tells me the government has not decided yet, but I think it's not a logical excuse for not having a planned summer holiday date until a few days before.

EDIT: I have a PGCE and several years teaching experience outside of China but I don't appear "European" at face value......... The white elephant in the room has been unleashed. I consider myself a fairly good looking and athletic guy but I do not fit the "image" schools want.

Is it unrealistic to want a job that pays 18,000 CNY + paid holidays or do I need to accept the new reality?

Hi All,

I cannot find a job in China, largely due to racism. I was considering South American.

I'm going to be honest. I'm largely clueless about South America but I have a degree and PGCE. Would people hire me in South America and what's the situation like over there ?

I've been unsuccessfully trying to land a new teaching job for close to 3 months.

I received a message from my boss telling me they had seen recruiters trying to advertise me.

At the end of the day, a person is free to leave employment if they feel they would be better suited for a different job.

I don't know what to say in response. I'm a bit worried they will try and force me to resign if they know I'm leaving so they can find a replacement sooner rather than later.

I've still not found a new job and I was trying to leave my options open of staying at my current job if the job search does not work out. I had previously thought they were trying to fire me but now I suspect they had planned on keeping me.

Any advice will be welcome because I don't know what to do.

I'm currently seeking a new English teaching job in China.

I currently teach in a 6th tier city in China and I'm looking to move to a new job in a larger city for a number of reasons.

I started my job search on 1st March I've literally not been able to get any offers.

My experience includes experience teaching kindergarten, primary, middle and high school. I'm familiar with Cambridge, AP and WASC curricula and I have previously worked in curriculum development.

I'm a British native English speaker with a BA degree and PGCE but no QTS and close to 7 years of experience at international schools elsewhere in Asia.

I'm mid 30's and I consider myself to be fairly easy on the eye and I keep in good shape.

Now I'm going to take the white elephant into the room. I have been told by a recruiter that schools don't like me because I don't have the right face. Without going into too much detail, I appear Asian or rather Chinese to people here. I can't speak Chinese. The recruiter told me most schools will only consider white candidates and most recruiters will only give schools several candidates CV's. These will obviously be the people the recruiter believes are most hirable as they are working on commission and time is money.

I visited a few job fairs and some school reps were downright rude to me. It was obvious they did not like the look of me. Others told me they were only looking for native English speakers. A very large amount of the people who were at the job fairs were non white native English speakers from some of the 7 countries China considers native speaking countries. It was quite obvious these people were likely at the job fairs as they were having a difficult time finding a job.

Am I doomed to live in a 6th tier city in the middle of nowhere forever or should I throw in the towel and start looking for work outside of China?

Hi Everyone,

I'm currently searching for English teaching work in China and I'm not having much success.

I had a video chat with a recruiter and after I was sent a contract to sign. It has the name of some business type of entity which I will not mention here.

On pressing for the name, location and exactly what and who I would be teaching I was told this is a cancellable contract. After I sign this they would recommend me to schools.

It all sounds a bit dodgy to me. I suspect they will try and find the highest paid offer available and I will only receive X amount in the contract with them. It was a reasonable amount for China despite being on the lower end of the pay scale.

I don't even fully understand as this weird provisional contract even states holiday dates and everything is it sounds almost as if they do have a school lined up.

EDIT: apparently they will write in the schools name on the contract after I receive a job. Before this they just want me to sign a contract without an actual school name. It does sound like a middle man/lady is somewhere in the middle.

The contract says I forfeit 3 months salary by breaking contract and must give 2 months notice of resignation. I believe Chinese law mandates a maximum of 30 days.

They asked me to send in a photo of my work permit before they sent me the contract. I'm not sure if this is suspicious or not.

Hi Everyone,

I'm English but I live in China. I'm currently driving a Poco X4 Pro which is just about to celebrate it's 4th Birthday.

I had previously bought top of the range phones such as the Xiaomi Mi4 and Samsung S8 but after a spate of phones breaking or getting stolen I started going low and buying cheapo phones such as the Poco M3 which broke in one year.

The main thing I miss about the higher end phones is a good camera. Some of the apps in China are very slow and laggy with my Poco and I need to use my phone to do almost everything in China such as order food at a restaurant. It lags and lags so much people think its broken.

People suggest iPhone because Chinese Android phones cannot install many banned apps so you need to install Google Play Store separately and end up with this weird situation with 2 different app stores.

I'm not looking to drop a bomb of money on a phone. Maybe a maximum of $600 but that could be higher or lower.