Those of you in the English-teaching racket (industry?) may be interested in the two posts (here and here) written this week by Atlantic blogger James Fallows on the policy of pushing out ESL teachers who are over 60 in China. Depending on who you hear it from, the new policy is either limited to a few universities or being pushed by Chinese immigration. Inconsistent policies, confusion, education policies not concerned with education… anything sounding familiar?

Many things in China are true where they are true – and untrue, or true in different ways, in other parts of the country under other circumstances with other local officials interpreting and applying the rules. I’ve received a large number of reports from across China, some recounting situations like the Bishops’, others saying that there’s no change and no problem.

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“Just a word regarding Mr. Bishop’s situation. I am just hearing from two of my expat friends who have been teaching in Chengdu for 3 and 4 years each, that a new visa regulation is being enforced, which will force all but a very select group of people to leave the country for at least one year after having been there for 5 years more or less continuously.  What’s that all about? Great teachers who like their jobs and would be happy to stay are forced to leave the country for a year? I don’t want to know how many of them will find a job some place else in that year off and never come back.”

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What seems to be an age-related crackdown might actually be aimed at people who have been in China for a long time – a related but different objective.