The HR department of Web International
English called me 3 times this morning. I missed all 3 calls due to my
busy schedule. When I checked my email there was also a formal letter
from them requesting an interview with me, and even asked if I could
make it this very afternoon. They were offering 15’000 Yuan a month in
addition to a free apartment. I immediately called them back, thinking
to myself, that maybe this time will be different.
When I called, a young woman answered the phone, and when she found out who I was, her enthusiasm was hard to hold back.
When can you come in?
Can you make it tomorrow?
At what exact date will your current contract finish?
I mean why wouldn’t she be enthusiastic?
I was the perfect candidate. I am a New York native, I hold a
bachelor’s degree in American Literature, a 240 hour TESOL Diploma from a
recognized institution, add in the 6 years of experience, and I was
coasting.
I agreed to the interview even though I
knew that the trek would be far. Currently I work in Nanpu and the
interview was located on Hengshan Lu. It would take me almost 3 hours by
bus. Because of this I decided to ask the question; the uncomfortable
question that I always find myself asking, even though I don’t like
asking it. The question, that at times, has employers making me feel
guilty for asking it.
Excuse me, and I’m sorry for asking this question, but is it o.k. if I’m black?
Suddenly the young lady, who had hardly
let me get a word in before, was now silent. You see, I was the perfect
candidate, on paper. Instead of her saying, no that’s not a problem she
says…
Well we would have to see a picture of you
Why is that?
We have to see how dark you are because we don’t want dark people frightening the kids
But I work with children now and it’s not a problem
Yes, but we really have to see a picture of you
I sent my picture and found that my
email was blocked. I called back and she suggested that we Skype. I got
on Skype and sent her a request. Four hours later and she never added
me. I never bothered to call back. I knew where I stood with her.
This is the typical response that black
native speakers of English get. Aside from the mistreatment in Chinese
society on a regular basis, on top of that we must face discrimination
in the job market. This is especially true for black people in Shanghai. It’s frustrating to me because English was my major.
As jobless days passed me by I realized that for blacks like me in Shanghai,
English is an oxymoron, a cruel joke played by the gods. I wait for the
deus ex machina, but it never comes, and the story starts all over
again.
When I do land jobs they always end up
being way outside of town, the type of jobs that Caucasians refuse to
take. What is more scary and frustrating is what do I tell my 3 year old blasian
daughter as my animosity grows towards Chinese society? It’s a big
problem because she’s half Chinese. I try not to think about it.
China is already a powerful and
influential player on the world stage, and as exposure to China grows,
Chinese society needs to understand that the world is watching and
recording, especially on platforms such as Youtube and Facebook.
I have another phone interview with a
school tomorrow. They don’t know I’m black. I think to myself that it
will be different this time, but I won’t hold my breath.
