@Dazzer
Why did i discredit myself becasue I made a staement that I can proof and backup by academic research...I doubt it. proof the opposite and we talk. Spelling mistakes included. I'm all ears.....

Since we moved away from the topic why don;t we open an academic thread?
Only fair to the OP since I was a big part to mess up his thread.

Dudeson suggested: "...now I have to quit my job, divorce my wife, shoot my dog, or vice versa..."

OK to do it all except shoot dog!!!!!

I found a degree is necessary (mine is in Art but works for English fine as it should) to land Z-Visa jobs in China. Also now many schools, especially public ones, want a ESL certificate and letters. I got my ESL paper the real world and put in 500 hours for a company in Beijing. Really cool as the paper is from Canada and all.

I also found, a while back, some schools only wanting MA degrees! Ming Da (the Nationalities Universities) had such an ad a couple years ago and I sent my resume material anyway, as I did to to another job offering from Normal. Both wanted masters degrees but only wanted to pay 3500 RMB of course. Both places called me and wanted me and I would up doing some part time work for one of them, but my sense from some of the talks was that this is all about the image of the schools and what they can post on their websites as far as advertising and promotion (ah hell, propaganda) goes.

Also seems the cut off age for working with Z-Visas is getting more and more towards 60. I am married to a wonderful Chinese lady and we finally have an apartment in Kunming and I am to the place where I am seriously thinking about going to Spousal -L Visa route (still have the info lummerlaoshi sent me, thanks) and then just teaching "underground" at some places, as I have done on the weekends.

I get the feelings colleges really want the big show now, the PPTs and big words and lectures, whether or not anybody can understand you. No lie when I say my groups now at the school I teach out can't even understand words like "food" or "parents" when I say them, but the school has a MA and an actual Phd (who is about to take hostages at any minute I feel) and they have the same level students. Same ol' stuff with retests safe guarding a student getting an actual F and those damned English Corners.

I really feel I can do something to help and got training and did this work for a year in Seattle before coming here, but now it all seems, over and over, just smoke and mirrors and it is really ALL about the money and phoney marks. My PT experience with a couple of the "prestigious" public schools showed me they are are the same as the private schools, like the one I work at. Here teachers (Chinese, not waijiao) have to actually rewrite student graduating papers to get them up to standards. Not help or tutor the students, but physically rewrite them. They don't, they get fired and don't paid and they will find some body who will.

Well, I am adjusted to all that. The point I get from some of this thread is a growing sense that the days when you could get a decent gig in China teaching English phrases to hard working college students -like, put the cell phone away... AGAIN!, no sleeping in class... no even even ONE person did the homework I assigned- are coming to some type of end. What is not coming to an end is the 3500 RMB ceiling of pay for most public schools, regardless of whether you have a BA or Phd. Of course a Phd should earn more than a BA and the 3500 thing is a joke now. But no one is laughing and it continues. I may veer off topic too much myself now, but the degree deal is a must. Look at at it that way. There may be some private school somewhere but not sure. This may not be from the schools themselves, just like the 60 year cut off (though there are exceptions of course).

Look the bottom line is this, you can get a degree online mailed to you. As I understand with transcripts and college letters even. As long as you are not acting like you are a Phd or doctor you have to remember you're in China and many of the people running these schools have phony degrees. I think we in the west have much much guilt abut all of this type of thing. I now I would. But then my wife tells me how many of her bosses set around and openly discuss in her office to get around all of those "hassles", since getting the big money and power is the main deal. They gloat that they make people who have earned their degrees honestly have to run errands for them because of who they know and the title they have. Don't like the gloating? Quit. Why have any guilt when those are the people hiring you?

Good luck

Dan

@ Dazzer, JJ and Janice and all the other guys shouting murder
I opened a forum about teachingand the lack of posts just shows me that there is a lot of empty words and opposition.

If you really have something so say or justify why or how I discredited myself why don't you actually say something meaninglful for once.

@Dan
Yep I know how that feels. I tought BeiDa, a while back and was dealing with similar issues....that's what I meant about this industry being crazy.
I moves my self out of it and as happy as one can be....My advise stay below the testing age. Thats where the educatioanl freedom is. :D

@ Dudeson's
It was you who opened the box. If you re-read your earlier posts you should be able to see why you have recieved the reception you have been getting.