The International Schools Review Forum

PsyGuy wrote:
> @SCQTPY
>
> It doesnt state "American teachers" it states
> "Americans". China isnt going to go after some ITs to make its
> statement, its going to detain someone (American) who is, for lack of a
> better word, 'important'.

When China wanted to make a statement against Canada for arresting a top Huawei executive for possible extradition to the U.S., they arrested three Canadians, one of which was a teacher.

Personally, I think the odds of being that one teacher they arrest are very small, but as long as you're an American you could be arrested to make a statement. Your chances of being killed in traffic are a lot higher though.

They arrested a teacher who was smuggling substantial quantities of narcotics. The other two were a politician and business man who were high profile cases. The teacher was a "bonus" he was getting dinged regardless of the political circumstances and it just happened to be around the same time.


Teachers/expats in China should know by now that you can do almost whatever you want socially in China except drugs. Very little tolerance for it regardless of your nationality. It is easy to get whatever you drug of choice is but if you're caught the best case scenario is deportation.

IE_sciteacher wrote:
> They arrested a teacher who was smuggling substantial quantities of
> narcotics. The other two were a politician and business man who were high
> profile cases. The teacher was a "bonus" he was getting dinged
> regardless of the political circumstances and it just happened to be around
> the same time.

This was a female teacher, who wasn't charged with anything to do with drugs, but over a supposed problem with her work permit. She was later released. The other two were more high-profile, and were charged with espionage.

When tensions between China and Japan ran high in 2012 over the Senkaku Island, some Japanese expats in China including two Japanese teachers were arrested. Sushi restaurant and car dealerships for Japanese brands were trashed despite often being owned by Chinese citizens. It was not a good time to a Japanese expat in China although the Chinese are not fond of the Japanese even in normal times.

I'm an American working in China and I'm having no problems in China.

@Heliotrope

No they didnt. The business people were arrested on "espionage". The IT was arrested and released on a labor permit violation, not because China was making a political statement but because of a work permit violation. Proximity doesnt equate to association.

Our large Shanghai school has made recruiting teachers already in China a priority and has started to do so already. Whether this will take the form of poaching some teachers is unknown.

@mysharona

How do you see an IS being able to effectively recruit without some level of poaching? The labor pool just isnt there. What its going to devolve into is defining what is a new level of 'acceptable' poaching...

I've got a 2nd interview with a school in China tonight, but they're alerting me to the fact that the Chinese government is currently not letting dependents of visa holders in the country, so we're both kind of wondering what to do, since they're interested in me but I've got two kids and a trailing spouse. I assume the policy will change by summer, especially if a vaccine comes out, but since there's no promise of that...? What to do, what to do...so many of the jobs I'm seeing are in China...

@kellysensei

What do you mean what do you do? Its an interview, you do the interview unless you wouldnt take an offer if they made one and you have better things to do than the interview practice. When they actually make an offer then you have some decisions to make.

Jumping ahead to that point, its not that hard of a question, do you need the coin more than your family? If the answer is the coin than you either prepare yourselves for not seeing each other until the summer (assuming travel restrictions are normal) or you move your family to a neighboring country that you can see more often that has easier travel rules. If the answer is your family than you pass on the offer.
Which of those is more important is something you have to answer for yourself.