Barriers to the Hiring of English Teachers in English Training Schools in Hefei City, China

Abstract

English teaching and learning has become an integral part of the Chinese educational system. Due to the opening up policy of the Chinese government to the rest of the world, the need to reform in line with the changing demands of the time became necessary. This therefore led to the influx of potential foreign English teachers in to the country due to the demand for foreign English teachers. The study therefore explores the factors influencing the hiring decisions of potential foreign English teachers in Hefei. Questionnaire was used to elicit information from respondents with the help of SPSS as the analysing tool. Using logistic regression model it made it possible to better understand the impact of the factors that influence hiring decisions. Results indicated that gender and experience were statistically significant. Colour and educational level were not statistically significant but important in the hiring decisions. Nationality of a potential foreign English teacher was not significant and also not important in the hiring decisions. The study concludes that professional recruiters should be put in place during the hiring process. It therefore suggests that competence should be a key factor in the hiring decisions of potential foreign English teachers in order to better learner’s outcomes and to meet the objective of the state.