Undercover investigation: Become a native English teacher in China, no questions asked

The market for foreign teachers on the mainland today is akin to a gold rush: opportunities abound, regulations are few and there is scope for big profits for anyone wishing to make a quick buck.

That could soon change. This week, the municipal government in Beijing moved to tighten requirements for foreigners working in the city, but it remains to be seen whether new regulations that start next month requiring expats to have five years' teaching experience or equivalent qualifications will prove effective.

The mainland is a huge market for English language teaching. According to the Ministry of Education, about 360 million students learned English in some capacity last year.

There are some 50,000 schools or institutes, ranging from night schools to private schools teaching the language, and the market is estimated to be worth about 30 billion yuan (HK$38 billion) a year, according to a China News Service report.

The insatiable demand for English language tuition had made finding a job for most native speakers, particularly those with white skin, little more than a formality.

Online expat forums are full of job advertisements from schools and language institutes to teach students of all ages, while international websites dedicated to English-language teachers, such as Dave's ESL Café, feature listings for hundreds of positions across the country. For the most part, applying for jobs is straightforward; often just submitting a résumé is enough. None of the schools approached by the Post required background checks, references or proof of qualifications.