Is it illegal to tutor English in China? China’s new policy is confusing. It leaves private tutoring in the dark.
Chinese new regulations limit hiring foreign teachers or teaching English or core subjects to Chinese students outside of normal school hours. But, if you are a freelancer offering tutoring services…the policy is confusing. It applies to tutoring companies but leaves private tutoring unmentioned.
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.
But, if you are a freelancer offering tutoring services…the policy is a grey area. Stay tuned to learn more.. However, there are major changes 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 living outside of China that are not affected by Chinese regulations.
- VIPKid Global has several education programs outside of China, including a U.S. literacy online tutoring platform called BookNook which is focused 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, of course, caused major whiplash in the industry: Chinese education platforms that were listed on US Stock exchanges dropped by 70% at the news. But how does it affect teachers?
Well, layoffs and massive salary decrease. Palfish cut its pay from 18/hour to 12/hour, for example. Many American teachers were simply laid off.
Chinas policy was called “Opinions on Further Reducing the Burden of Homework and Extracurricular Training for Students” and 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.
