Over the course of this summer the online ESL-tutoring industry serving China has been hit with the equivalent of a category 4 hurricane. The Chinese Ministry of Education in June indicated that they would ban online and offline tutoring for children on weekends and holidays, and then in July banned all for-profit tutoring of any subject taught in the school curriculum. This has led to many established agencies to cut back on teachers and staff, and in some cases to shut down completely.
Besides the hit to the companies providing these tutoring services, the reaction from ESL teachers on social media has ranged from concern to panic as many see their primary and supplemental incomes threatened or disappear. Similarly, many parents in China may be experiencing the same anxiety.
The Education Ministry allows providers to complete their contracts with parents, but not to renew them. A mother in China communicated to me today that “there are tens of thousands of parents like me who have a lot of classes [to complete]. These old users will be in at least a year or 2 years of time to finish the class. … but no more foreign teachers. Only foreigners living in China.”
“[My daughter] can’t afford to lose such good teachers. A lot of children want this kind of class for their future.”
Table of Contents
So what are the regulations?
Nobody seems to be entirely and confidently certain. What we do know is that:
- Online and offline after-school tutoring is prohibited during weekends, public holidays and school vacations
- Students should be able to finish taking classes from foreign teachers that they have already paid for.
“The regulations have not been published, and the Company has not received official notification of the regulations,” said New Oriental Education & Technology Group Inc. (July 23, 2012)
However, new developments in September
On Wednesday, September 8, it was reported that China has banned private tutors from giving classes online. Will this come into effect immediately? Uncertain, but quite possibly. This new development has been in response to parents and tutors trying to circumvent the new rules and open up a “grey market”. The Ministry will not permit institutions to “conduct online after-school tutoring via instant messaging, video conference or livestreaming platforms “.
What does it all mean for online ESL teachers?
Again, there is a high degree of uncertainty right now. Teachers who had fully booked schedules and a large roster of regular students (and whose employers had not already shut down) were expecting that they could continue teaching until their student’s contracts ended and dried up. With the new September developments, this hope may be quashed.
Will tutoring providers be able to rebrand their courses or find enough adult students to continue operations? Who knows.
Will teachers be able to circumvent restrictions and find a way to continue with their students? Who knows.
Will parents be able to open up a “grey” or “black market” for ESL tutoring and risk the displeasure of their government? Again, who knows.
I wish I could offer some optimism, but China is possibly the world leader in knowing what their citizens are up to and in not turning a blind eye to circumventions.
References
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-says-private-tutors-will-not-be-able-offer-classes-online-2021-09-08/
https://www.reuters.com/world/china/china-bars-for-profit-tutoring-core-school-subjects-document-2021-07-23/
https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-08-07/china-education-firms-to-end-most-classes-with-foreign-teachers
https://www.globaltimes.cn/page/202108/1230903.shtml
Leave a Reply