I didn't know much about China when I first arrived at my teaching post in Yangzhou, February 2004. Other than the political and economic history of this country I'd studied at university, I deliberately avoided learning too much about China's culture and society today. I did this because I wanted to avoid making prior assumptions or creating false impressions. I chose to keep China 'unpredictable', but I use this word in a very positive way. As it turned out, this was the right approach to make as I was in for a variety of experiences. The longer I stayed here, the more China became fascinating and bewildering, or shocking and surprising. My first post was at Yangzhou Meiling Middle School where I was lucky to be given almost free reign over how I should develop the speaking and listening skills of my students. My intention was to contribute something positive to the school's English teaching programme, but I was at first unsure how I should proceed. The word 'contribute' is something very important to my own personal philosophy and it is a word that features strongly in my vocabulary. I'm always thinking how, and in what way, should everyday events and practices evolve to meet changing times and circumstances. I was working in the right environment for this to be an interesting challenge. I began first by recalling years of foreign language learning as a student myself at various universities and private schools. From the student's point of view, I was able to recall the many linguistic exercises and activities that made lessons successful or not, so I proceeded to translate these activities into a form more appropriate to learning English. Together with additional research, the results were mixed at first, but with a lot of fine-tuning and experimentation, I like to think my ideas evolved to eventually contribute something positive to the teaching objectives of the school. It was always nice to have a positive feedback from fellow English teachers, students, and parents. I have to say I was helped in all of this by one of the first pleasantly unpredictable things I discovered about working in China . This was the English language ability of students enrolled at a state school whose level of skill impressed me no end. Never before had I met such a large group of foreign students whose ability and almost flawless pronunciation enabled me to converse with them on a variety of subjects, including environmental pollution, the impact of SARS, and the influence of modern China in the world today. It was even more astounding to be able to talk to one obviously well-informed student about China 's foreign policy for the twenty-first century before it suddenly dawned on me five minutes later this student is only 15 years-old! Even students whose linguistic ability was not so advanced would overcome their initial shyness and attempt to answer my 'trick questions', or with a bit of self-motivation, attempt a piece of creative writing. There was never a day when I was not impressed by my students' energetic and animated approach to their work. It was a delight to walk around school and see students actively practising their English conversation in little groups away from class. It was also fun to watch them incorporating the colourful idioms I taught them into their own conversations with each other. Even the students who were not members of my regular classes always stopped me for a chat and I even started seeing graffiti written on desks in English, although I don't condone this, of course! How could this be so? Maybe it is a case of being in a positive environment that has an equally positive effect on students and staff alike. Perhaps it is this that encouraged us all to be more than what we are or what we're capable of achieving. This was certainly true of Meiling Middle School and a few other state schools I visited. Or perhaps it's a simple case of creating a good rapport between teacher and student as well as with parents whose active involvement with the school was encouraged. Only later did it occur to me this good rapport begins with a fraternity of mutual support between teachers and students and results in each side having something positive to contribute to both the teaching and learning process. One could easily draw parallels here with China 's ancient Confucian ethic that reinforces this kind of mutual support between teacher and student, and if that still exists today, then it has obviously evolved into something more meaningful to today's contemporary society and culture. The talent of the teacher whose responsibility it is to create this positive environment is also an important consideration and this is where state schools like Meiling benefit from many instructors who can bring their training from foreign universities and professional qualifications to the job. This is obviously very valuable to any school. As my contract came to an end I could not think of anything else I had yet to achieve. Before I left Yangzhou , I fell under the spell of recruiters from a private 'fee-paying' school headquartered in Beijing , but with a new branch of their company in Yangzhou . I was impressed during a tour of the campus with its range of well-equipped facilities and excited at the prospect of becoming a foreign teacher at this school. Thinking this is the next logical step to make in teaching, I decided to return to Yangzhou after a short summer holiday. Within two days of arriving, I sensed all was not as it seemed. By the end of the first week those seeds had grown into giant carnivorous plants eating away at the back of my mind when it became apparent this school was unable to deliver many of its promises. There was something very artificial about the school as if everything was being theatrically staged-managed. In what I can only describe as a sinister form of pantomime, actors read their well-rehearsed lines on cue and in accordance with a script that lured in other foreign teachers like me to be the cast in a new production. It was too late to turn down the part because the company made sure we all signed a more 'school-specific' contract prior to opening night with penalties for early resignation that locked us into the cameo role of 'foreign teacher'. Now I know I had made a big mistake. Virtually nothing was mentioned regarding how the company wanted to define our role and purpose in this production. Questions as to what part the foreign teachers were to play in this charade were side-stepped. Those who pushed the matter further were written-out of the script some months later, their character killed-off with strange explanations to a curious audience as to how they met their eventual demise. What little was actually mentioned of our role as a foreign teacher in this theatrical production began and ended with a binder full of songs and rhymes we were all expected to teach in every class. The real teaching jobs were the responsibility of the English-speaking Chinese teachers who were obviously higher up on the cast list. My doubts about the validity of this company continued with the absence of an English teaching programme. I was led to believe a clear and competent programme was in place when I made a point of asking about this at my initial 'audition', but none was to be found. It is impossible to know what to aim for when targets do not exist. Only later did I learn that foreign teachers were employed to be the 'foreign face', or 'voice', of the company for the purpose of marketing an image to investors and parents. In other words, foreign teachers are typecast into roles to give the whole production something of an 'authentic look' or feel. So in our minor roles at the back of the stage we played-out our parts each day singing songs and watching DVDs, if not desperately ad-libbing to fill-out forty-five minutes worth of every class session. Unlike the state school, this left nothing to contribute to the school or to the learning experience of our students. The submission of feigned lesson plans each week that, theoretically at least, is intended to outline our teaching outcomes became as irrelevant as the job description. Then again, I got the impression this school did not pay too much attention to lesson planning anyway as recruitment practices do not specify the need for teaching qualifications or suitable experience. This is something that state schools are beginning to change with demands that foreign teachers must have appropriate qualification and experience. In spite of these difficulties, it did not prevent me from trying to make the best of a bad situation. I began by trying to bring some definition to my role, first by attempts to jolly-up my classes with more meaningful activities one would normally associate with actual teaching. I introduced role-plays, creative writing, listening comprehension, and reading/speaking activities or competitions. I was motivated to do this after hearing an oft-cited phrase around campus, that we should all search for 'an environment conducive to the learning of English'. However, far from being a productive contribution to this process, my efforts met with retribution and a stern warning never to engage in such activities again. So to keep the peace, I returned to my cameo role further down on the cast list singing songs and watching DVDs. This must be what the school meant by the phrase 'a search for an environment conducive to the learning of English'. Needless to say, with no sense of pride in a job deprived of drive and motivation, let alone any loyalty to the company, I was job-hunting within a month of returning to Yangzhou . Through my contacts, I managed to secure a new post at the end of September 2004 and handed-in my resignation half-way through the first term. In the meantime, I agreed to go through the motions of my role for the remainder of my time there. A determination to search for my own 'environment conducive to the learning of English' meanwhile inevitably led me off-campus. I soon acquired and engaged in more rewarding and worthwhile opportunities to teach and gained a sense of purpose and direction again. This is, after all, why I came to China in the first place. I started by volunteering my weekends to teach a student outside of the corporate school whom I recommended in early 2004 to compete in the NHK English Speaking Competition. She gained joint-first prize at the regional finals and I was very proud of her. The honour of being invited to be a guest teacher at a school designed specifically for one of China 's ethnic minority groups was also an interesting experience. Again, I was astounded at how schools outside of the corporate sector that do not benefit from high funding are quite capable of producing students more linguistically gifted. I also maintained contacts with Meiling Middle School and cherished every chance to visit my former students again. But this is what its all about. Enjoying a freedom of movement to contribute so much to the learning process of students that allows us to define our purpose and evolve as teachers. All this provides a valuable experience for both the student and the teacher, something the authoritarian nature of the corporate school would have otherwise disallowed. The biggest problem was having to fit all this around the demanding work schedule for foreign teachers at the corporate school. In addition to regular teaching hours, all foreign teachers had to forfeit what little free time available to evening and some weekend classes, team-teaching with colleagues, a teacher-centred English club, a weekly staff meeting, and any other bright idea dreamed-up by the school. This were called 'extra-curricular activities' and participation was mandatory. Foreign teachers were also ordered to cover for absent colleagues without additional pay, bonuses, or other benefits, but all this kept us on-demand for the entire week with little or no free-time to do anything. I failed to understand what 'extra-curricular activities' were meant to achieve. Again, no explanation was ever given. I was more confused than my students when it came to activities designed to strengthen the school's strong connections with America , especially when they were given a greater presence on the academic calendar than events that would otherwise be more meaningful to Chinese students. I ignored advice that I should study more about American cultural or historical traditions so as to make these events go more smoothly. I interpreted these activities as a process of 'Americanisation', as if being Chinese is something 'undesirable' to their futures, if not a more imaginative way to take away part of the students' cultural identity. Needless to say, America remained as alien to me as it was to my students and this is hardly surprising for a country I've never been to, never studied in-depth, or have any interest in. Other than my self-introduction lesson I always give to new classes, I also refrained from teaching anything about the culture or social traditions of my own country unless asked. I found it more productive and fun for the students to teach me about Chinese culture and social traditions; something they always did with great enthusiasm. Even before I was due to leave the corporate school, more over-ambitious extra-curricular activities, schemes, or projects were being dreamed-up that, in one hilarious final staff meeting, were predictably cancelled due to resource or budgetary constraints. It was actually quite comical to see that elusive 'search for an environment conducive to the learning of English' come to a sudden and inevitable death. On reflection, one of the most distinguishing features between a state and corporate school was in the type of student enrolled at each. Although I had my fair share of talented students at the corporate school, I was soon aware they were in a minority compared to students of their own age at the state school. This is not to suggest I thought any less of them as I enjoyed teaching all my students, regardless of their abilities and I devoted my attention to all in equal measure. I am not discriminating here, but I have since discovered that corporate schools function as the perfect 'safety net' for more than half of their students who are state school examination failures. This is the same for students with poor academic records or those with a history of behavioural problems. This is not a negative point, but one of the merits of corporate 'fee-paying' education. Corporate schools are, therefore, in a prime position to provide an alternative route though the education system for students who would otherwise find it extremely difficult to proceed through the channels of state education. Thus, it is a common misconception that corporate schools, like my former employer, exist only provide an elitist education to the children of wealthy families. In so doing, they are relieving the pressure off state schools to enrol more students. Once enrolled into a corporate school, students never need to worry about failing any examination thereafter. To do so would upset the parents who could threaten to withdraw their child, and their fees, and one should never bite the hand that feeds. Speaking from experience, my former employer 'required' all students to pass their oral English exam, even those who did not know their own names when asked. Even though its impossible to proceed with testing thereafter, I knew the results would be 'doctored' anyway. High rates of examination success, regardless of whether results are falsified or not, are touted as marketing strategies by corporate schools to bolster reputation. Thus, it is not in the best interests of the school to fail any student. There are benefits for foreign teachers employed by corporate schools too. Firstly, there are no entry requirements, other than having the ability to speak English as a first or second language. Even those without appropriate experience or TEFL/TESOL qualification can easily find work and low foreign teacher retention rates means work is available throughout the year. I was surprised to read in a newspaper interview with the leader of the corporate school I worked for that foreign teachers are not employed to be actual teachers. So in this way, corporate schools like this are a great 'jumping-off point' for graduates from western countries looking for a paid adventure in the world without too much commitment. And what a great place to start. It doesn't get any more exciting than China . I took it as a good omen when my new employer, Yangzhou Polytechnic College , moved me into a new apartment in my old neighbourhood. There was something comforting about living near Meiling Middle School again, so I didn't have to take any more long bus rides to visit my former colleagues and students again or when assisting with preparations for examinations. The whole theatrical experience of performing at a corporate school soon faded into distant memory, as if it never happened. But it taught me one important lesson. If the school that employs you creates conditions that do not allow you to work at your full potential when you have so much to contribute, or fails to provide students and teachers with teaching objectives and goals, then leave quickly. There is a wealth of opportunities available in this wonderful country for any motivated English teacher. All it takes is a few words in the right ears for job offers to come flooding in. With the welcome return of a job description, I regained my sense of purpose and direction and resumed teaching duties again. After months of monotonous production-line performances at the corporate school, I was eager to broaden my own personal objectives and get more involved with the College. I was lucky to be given the chance to get involved in a more student-focussed English club, cross-cultural seminars, advising colleagues on ways to help improve class sessions, designing and administering examinations, and even assisting with the teaching of a language other than English. Being one of only two foreign teachers in Yangzhou invited to a dinner hosted by representatives of the sister-city programme was also good fun. Not every teacher gets the chance to do this in China , but it depends on the school where one is employed. In conclusion, I don't like the way thousands of entrepreneurs are merchandising 'new philosophies' for English language learning. In so doing, their schools have a corporate culture all of their own that has transformed English into China 's new service industry. But they will grow in number as long as investors are guaranteed profitable returns and budgetary targets are met by student admissions and high enrolment fees. This means English is a product whose success in a growth industry depends on marketing strategies and forces, supported by company image and inflated reputation, rather than any moral or guiding principle in the traditional sense of the word. In a Chinese context, I'm not sure how this will develop, but if I take my former employer as an example, they will have to be 'more product' and 'less packaging' if they are to provide a level of quality control and customer satisfaction. By far the biggest impact on the culture of corporate school education will occur when parents, anxious about their child's future in a job market that is fast becoming more competitive, start to demand that the corporate schools employ only qualified and experienced foreign teachers. I know parents who are already making these demands as China becomes flooded with more and more TEFL/TESOL qualified English teachers. This will eventually force corporate schools to change their recruiting practices and employ foreign teachers to actually engage in something more akin to actual teaching. In any case, this will force a major re-think as to how a foreign teacher at a corporate school is to be defined and utilised more productively than just singing songs, playing games, or drawing pictures. Chinese companies will also start demanding more skills from graduates who will flood the job market in the future. Students from state schools will have a competitive advantage in terms of skill level, but students from corporate schools will continue to struggle when it comes to utilising their English language skills in a working environment. I can only assume Chinese companies will expect more from their new English speaking employees than being able to sing a few English songs... unless they wish to impress their company's foreign customers by negotiating business transactions with a few verses of The Wheels on the Bus Go Round and Round . To finish off, I was lucky to have been in China during an exciting time of change and transition for the whole country. Keeping things purposely unpredictable was certainly the right approach to take as everything happening around me fired my imagination and enthusiasm more than any other Asian country I've lived and worked in before. I envy my students who will all be part of this extraordinary process long into the future. I hope they all continue to employ their English skills productively and if I've contributed something positive to this, however insignificant, then I must certainly consider the whole experience a success. I'm currently based in the UK where, after becoming TEFL/TESOL qualified, I still enjoy teaching Chinese students as well as many from Europe at a British Council accredited school.
I would like to thank various people for helping me with my research for this article.
------ SIMON THORPE
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