{"id":52098,"date":"2021-09-16T13:44:14","date_gmt":"2021-09-16T13:44:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tefl.ie\/?p=52098"},"modified":"2026-03-07T07:31:58","modified_gmt":"2026-03-07T07:31:58","slug":"china-new-regulations-online-tefl-teachers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tefl.ie\/gb\/china-new-regulations-online-tefl-teachers\/","title":{"rendered":"What Does China\u2019s New Regulations mean for Online TEFL teachers?"},"content":{"rendered":"

New Regulations for Online TEFL Teachers in China<\/b><\/h1>\n


\nOn July 26th, the Chinese government announced a series of China’s new regulations that threw the future of foreign ESL teachers up in the air. Although it initially sent shock-waves throughout the online ESL teaching industry and left ESL teachers wondering about the security of their careers and livelihood, we are here to tell you what is really going on and to show you that there are many opportunities out there for you.<\/span><\/p>\n

What are the reasons for these new regulations?<\/b><\/h3>\n

Many people have been left wondering why would the Chinese government implement such regulations on the online ESL industry? Well there are many reasons why China has chosen to ban for profit-tutoring in core education subjects such as English, here are the three main reasons: <\/span><\/p>\n

1. <\/b>To protect children and teenager\u2019s mental health<\/b><\/p>\n

One of the main and most important reasons for the implementation of these new guidelines is to protect and safeguard children and teenagers\u2019 mental health. Due to the high population within China, a hyper-competitive culture surrounding education has flourished. According to the Global Times, more than 75% of Chinese urban children from grades 1-12 are attending private tutoring courses.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Many parents sign their children up for as many courses as possible in an attempt to stop their children from falling behind their classmates. This is because parents fear if their children do not attend these extra classes, they will not be able to attend a prestigious university later in life or compete in the highly competitive jobs industry. This pressure felt by parents and in particular, their children, to be the best, has put an undeniable strain on the mental well-being of Chinese youngsters. This is why the Chinese Ministry of Education has taken these steps to ease the burden of excessive homework and private learning, and really can we blame them?\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

At the end of the day, children deserve to be children and to enjoy their childhood. Having fun should be their main priority, not worrying about how academically strong they are.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

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2. To ease the financial burden from private education on parents<\/b><\/p>\n

Not only is the government\u2019s attempt to strike a school-life balance aimed at children, but also their parents. By banning private tutoring, the Chinese government hopes to ensure all school children have equal access to education and not just the wealthier families, who can afford to pay thousands for their children to avail of the best tutors out there. Parents are being put under a huge financial burden to ensure their children remain competitive in the education system and later, the job market. It is estimated that on average that families are spending upwards of $40,000 on their child\u2019s education between the ages of 5 to 18.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

By removing this financial pressure on families, the government also hopes that raising a family will become cheaper. China is currently facing a declining birth rate. The government hopes that by banning private tutoring, people will have more money to raise their families and will be more inclined to have larger ones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

You probably never would have guessed that this crackdown on the private tutoring industry would have anything to do with China\u2019s ageing population but it does.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As teachers we can\u2019t complain about regulations that strive to make education more accessible and equal to everyone, as well as easing a financial burden that parents can\u2019t afford it, can we?<\/span><\/p>\n

3. To improve the standard of English teaching<\/b><\/p>\n

Lastly, the Chinese government\u2019s new regulations aim to improve teaching standards. As it stands, there are many places in China where unqualified, non-native English speakers are teaching English. Many of them struggle to speak English, yet they or their employer are accepting large fees from parents in the hope their children will become fluent English speakers.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Unfortunately, in the eyes of the Chinese government, nowhere is this problem more evident than in the online English industry. Many people in the education industry believe that it is now far too easy to become an online English teacher if you are under or unqualified to teach.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

As well as this, there is often a massive discrepancy between the wage the online English teachers are receiving i.e. between 12-16 dollars per lesson compared to the 80-100 dollars the company is charging per lesson. This is why the government has banned the hiring of English teachers from outside of China. They hope to standardise this saturated teaching industry, so they can provide students with better qualified English teachers and make sure they are being taught to the highest standard.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

What are these new policies?\u00a0<\/b><\/h3>\n