It’s no secret: it’s hard to find teachers in China right now. I don’t know a single administrator who isn’t searching for qualified teachers. But qualified is the important word in that sentence. Recently, I saw a post in an educators’ WeChat group blatantly offering “authenticated” transcripts and diplomas to help foreigners get work visas. I was flabbergasted. 
Don’t get me wrong. Many of the best teachers I know do not have a degree in education. They often were professionals in another field prior to finding a love of teaching. But they DO have a degree from a reputable university and work hard to get additional certifications like a TEFL or a degree from an online master’s program. They also have extensive hands-on classroom experience. Good administrators also know how to spot potential and nurture it by making someone an assistant or aftercare teacher under the direct supervision of a more experienced staff member. But to see such blatant abuse of the system was disturbing. My curiosity got the best of me, and I ended up falling down a bit of a rabbit hole.
I started by adding the contact on WeChat. She lists herself as an Australian and among her personal WeChat moments are blatant ads for her visa services. Pictures of official documents like transcripts and diplomas are proudly displayed along with introduction videos some of her “clients” have obviously submitted claiming they have their degree.
I decided to message her and get more information. Below is our conversation.
Basically, for the equivalent of roughly USD 3,000, I could get a “degree” stating I was an education major or, just as frightening, a trained social worker. But RMB 20,000 is a lot of money, so I pushed back a little and asked how I knew I would receive the paperwork and that it would be effective at getting a visa.
She responded by posting a flurry of photos of the fake documents from her moments and two screenshots of interactions she has had with other “clients.”
Followed by the unquestionable, ironclad guarantee…
I know it’s easy to sit on my high horse as a person who was privileged enough to have a family that supported my ambitions and helped me pay for a college education. I fully recognize that this is not an option for many around the world. Other avenues to help bright, motivated people get an education and have a fulfilling career need to be made available. But that is another issue for another blog. To actively sell fake degrees is not only dangerous for our education system and the children in it, it is also taking advantage of desperate people who are trying to seek employment and better their own lives. Everyone loses in this situation…except the person on the other end of that Alipay account.
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