China has signed an agreement that will pave the way for thousands of Filipinos to teach English in China.

Philippines Labour Secretary Bello III told Gulf News this weekend that Beijing’s restriction on foreign workers from the Philippines will be lifted, allowing the employment of 30,000 more Filipinos in mainland China, including 100,000 English teachers.

A memorandum of understanding, which was originally tabled to be signed in November 2017, sets out that Filipinos who teach English in China will be paid at least 1,500 USD (around 9,419 RMB) a month.

The agreement also lays down rules in other areas such as work hours, benefits, terms of employment and labour protection laws to prevent abuse.

As well as English teachers, China is also seeking Filipinos to work as domestic helpers, caregivers, nurses, musicians and cooks.

“There is a big demand for English teachers in China. Chinese nationals want their children to speak English,” said Bello.

“They lack sufficient numbers of teachers who can speak English. Families want English-speaking maids who could tutor children with their studies. China also has a growing ageing population,” he added.

Recruitment agencies securing such jobs for Filipinos have been urged to include information on Chinese cultural norms in their training and to thoroughly vet the employers they deal with.

As of 2016, there were 12,254 Filipinos officially working in China, although it is thought up to 200,000 also work here illegally.

It is not clear if the agreement will legitimise these 200,000 illegal foreign workers.

It’s also not clear if Filipinos currently working in Hong Kong will be able to seek employment in mainland China.

There are approximately 140,000 Filipinos working in Hong Kong, some of whom are trained as teachers but working as domestic helpers.

Labour unions think such expat workers would transfer to China given the choice and pursue better paid careers in their chosen field.

This could result in a significant shortfall in English-speaking domestic workers in Hong Kong.

The Philippines has long been seeking to sigh bilateral agreements with all the countries that employs its workforce, especially those that have not signed the labour conventions of the International Labour Organisation, which spells out rights for foreign workers.

So far, the Philippines has only forged 13 agreements with the 180 countries that employ its people.

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Keywords: teach English in China