Overseas Chinese teachers wanted

Source: CCTV.com

07-24-2006 11:21

The ongoing Beijing International Education Expo has brought good news for job hunters. A thousand positions teaching the Chinese language overseas promising good pay are on offer.

There are currently 30 million people learning Chinese, and more than 2,500 universities around the world offering Chinese courses. However, full and part time Chinese teachers only total about 2000 compared to the 1 million needed. The expo seeks to bridge that gap.

A retired teacher said: "We are very interested in it. We are retired English teachers in Middle School and would like to get into the teaching in spare time."

A student from Tianjin Foreign Language University said: "The pay doesn't matter. We put more weight on gaining experience."

The candidates must be proficient in English, have at least 3 years' experience teaching Chinese to foreigners, and pass relevant tests by the Ministry of Education. Volunteers need only a university diploma.

Experts said that volunteers are in great demand in developing countries, where there is a shortage of Chinese teachers but the pay is lower.

Editor:Wang Ping