Distant horizons seek more language teachers

Wang Zheng studied at Beijing Normal University, but he never imagined during his campus years that he would get a chance to teach Chinese in Macerata, a city in central Italy.

In 2012, Wang, 24, was selected as a volunteer by his university and Hanban, a public institution affiliated with the Ministry of Education, to provide Chinese language and cultural teaching services worldwide.

“Teaching Chinese in Italy broadened my horizons. I am interested in Italian culture, food and soccer, and I have learned more about Italy through this opportunity,” Wang said.

Wang taught Chinese at the Confucius Institute of Macerata University and some middle schools in Italy for one year.

“My students ranged in age from 10 to 70, and they all shared a great passion to learn Chinese. I even taught them calligraphy.”

Wang didn’t major in Chinese, so he underwent a onemonth training course on teaching Chinese and culture and learning basic Italian.

“I made a lot of friends in Italy, and some of them studied Chinese in China.”

The demand for Chinese teachers overseas has soared. “Italy’s major trade partner is China, and many Italians are learning Chinese to boost their employment prospects.”

More than 3,000 universities, in about 100 countries, have established Chinese language courses.

It is estimated that in 2015 there will be more than 100 million people worldwide studying Chinese. On a ratio of one Chinese teacher for every 20 students, that means

People who love Chinese culture and education, and are willing to live with, and meet, foreigners, are suitable for this occupation.” ZHU XUEFENG PRESIDENT OF A CHINESE LANGUAGE TEACHER TRAINING AND LABOR EXPORT COMPANY

about 5 million Chinese teachers will be needed.

Demand for teachers far exceeds supply, which is good news for Wang.

Hanban launched the Volunteer Chinese Teacher Program in 2004. By the end of 2012, it had sent more than 18,000 volunteers to 101 countries in Asia, Europe, the Americas, Africa and Oceania.

The volunteers are primarily recruited and selected from graduates with a bachelor’s degree or above, as well as postgraduate students and professional teachers.

After taking a series of training courses by Hanban, qualified volunteers will be dispatched to teach overseas. The term of service is normally one year.

“However, output is not enough,” said Zhu Xuefeng, president of Jingshihuanyu, a Chinese language teacher training and labor export company in Beijing.

“An important factor to attract people lies in the high salary and promising career path. For instance, the salary for a Chinese teacher in the US ranges from $ 50,000 to $100,000 per year, including public and private schools. The salary for a Chinese teacher in Europe could reach 70,000 euros ($95,700) each year. Chinese teachers in South Korea could earn about 10,000 yuan ($1,647) to 25,000 yuan each month. In China, a full-time Chinese teacher earns about 10,000 yuan,” Zhu said.

“The demand for Chinese teachers is increasing by 20 to 30 percent each year,” Zhu indicated.

“People who love Chinese culture and education, and are willing to live with and meet foreigners, are suitable for this occupation,” Zhu said.

Ding Fangyun, a professor from Beijing Normal University, also an expert of Chinese language teaching, said a certificate for registered international Chinese teachers issued by the International Profession Certification Association is recognized by many countries.

A qualified Chinese teacher should have received systematic training, especially for these who didn’t major in Chinese, Ding said.

“They need to learn about contemporary Chinese, Chinese culture, teaching theory and methods. A certificate will improve their job prospects.’’

The greatest demand comes from South Korea, then the US, Japan and Russia, Ding added.

Wang Hui works at an international school in Hong Kong and teaches Mandarin. “I got a master’s degree in Chinese at the Polytechnic University of Hong Kong, and then I got a registered certificate recognized by the local education authority,” she said.

She earns more than 15,000 yuan each month.

“More and more foreigners want to learn Chinese and know more about China and Chinese culture,” said Wang Haili, who taught Chinese in Spain.