Is it legal to teach English in China? Kind of, but not really.
China started a policy in 2021. The government limited private ESL companies. In the broadest terms, they insisted that any teacher needed a Chinese degree. They also curbed the number of hours students could study after school. They claimed this was to limit unqualified teachers and to protect young children’s free time.
But the law is confusing. It leaves private English teaching in a murky, grey area.
China’s (kind of) ban on English teachers
China’s policy, enacted in June 2021, was called “Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Extracurricular Training for Students” applies to businesses in the industry, which needed to move to not-for-profits and change their business models as a result. Essentially China banned tutoring on core subjects such as Chinese, English, and math on weekends and school breaks for first graders to ninth graders. The policy also prohibited hiring foreigners based outside the country.
How China’s law applies to ESL teachers
First, there is the issue of enforcement. How can the government stop you from teaching a child English if you are not officially a registered company in China? Then, there is also a lot of ambiguity in the law itself.
Chinese new regulations limit hiring foreign teachers or teaching English or core subjects to Chinese students outside of normal school hours. But there are exceptions. For example, Palfish, which is billed as primarily an entertainment company with English teaching as a side service, seems to slip by this law because they are not claiming to teach a real subject area.
So, if you are a freelancer offering tutoring services…the policy is confusing. It applies to tutoring companies but leaves private tutoring unmentioned.
But, if you are a freelancer offering tutoring services…the policy is a grey area. Stay tuned to learn more. However, major changes are happening regarding private tutoring in China, and you may be wondering whether or not there is a viable future in tutoring English to the Chinese market.
Though it is legal to tutor English in China privately, the ESL market is undergoing big changes and limiting opportunities for English teachers in some ways.
The biggest change has been VIPKid’s sudden need to pivot. Through VIPKid Global, the platform still offers English classes to the Chinese market.
- VIPKid Global is for students outside of China unaffected by Chinese regulations.
- VIPKid Global has several education programs outside of China, including a U.S. literacy online tutoring platform called BookNook, which focuses on reading strategies for Kindergarten to 8th graders in the United States.
The ban on American teachers tutoring English in China is a bit complex. The law went into effect on July 24, 2021, when China’s government issued a policy to rein in the multibillion-dollar academic tutoring industry. China’s government changed the industry by transforming it into a not-for-profit sector.
This caused major whiplash in the industry: Chinese education platforms listed on US Stock exchanges dropped by 70% at the news. But how does it affect teachers?
Well, layoffs and massive salary decrease. For example, Palfish cut its pay from 18/hour to 12/hour. Many American teachers were simply laid off.
China’s policy was called “Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Extracurricular Training for Students,” it applies to businesses in the industry, which needed to move to not-for-profits and change their business models as a result. Essentially China banned tutoring on core subjects such as Chinese, English, and math on weekends and school breaks for first graders to ninth graders. The policy also prohibited hiring foreigners based outside the country.
But, if you are a freelancer offering tutoring services…the policy is a grey area on whether it is illegal to tutor English in China. Stay tuned to learn more.
