A common misconception may be that these teachers are less than optimal in their English teaching careers - which is far removed from reality as being an english teacher doesn’t necessarily mean you're any better or worse at your job when compared directly with other expat jobs held by fellow foreign nationals, it really depends on the perspective of each respective native national.
In addition to these factors: there are several points that highlight some areas where English teachers aren't always taken as seriously - one such area being their profession which has been a topic for heated discussion in recent times; when contrasted against jobs like IT or Business consulting, even Teaching is not perceived the same way it once was and this might have contributed to part of our ‘LBH’ perception.
One point worth mentioning however could be how english teachers are seen by locals - often described as 'Western' (to an extent) in comparison with their own Chinese English teacher colleagues; on account they may very well face the same difficulties during initial steps into China's employment scene, nonetheless if one were to ask for a native perspective there’s likely less value attributed from them towards english teachers and this could also be seen as another possible source where these LBH perceptions originated.
Another critical factor is how English Teachers are portrayed by their peers - in the same way we tend not just judge what someone does based on certain commonalities but actually a whole gamut of factors including some that aren’t necessarily related, so too with english teachers: if you were to hold such preconceived opinions then there’s definitely more than meets the eye.
Moreover it appears English Teachers have had their share from being painted under bad and undeserved light by virtue fair or unfair treatment depending on perspective - this has been compounded over several generations of foreign national influences now in China; these are a few possible explanations why one might hear ‘Losers Back Home’ about english teachers so much, especially if an expat colleague were asked to weigh the pros and cons.
It seems we’re often quick at using labels like “expats” or "immigrant" which carries heavy weight but with such loaded words comes great power in forming a certain image - however English Teacher doesn’t necessarily mean you're any better than other foreign colleagues who aren taught english classes since this also depends on many factors and is never fixed.
In the grand scheme of things it’s probably just all about perspective, seeing where one stands when compared against their peers will give them an understanding which they might have not previously entertained - what English Teachers (and or any expats) do can be said to share a common ground in these types discussions as this is exactly how 'Losers Back Home' started off on the wrong foot from day 1.
In conclusion, there's no need for such labels like LBH and ‘Western’ anymore - since we all face our unique set of challenges regardless – what really matters here though isn’t necessarily about being a teacher or working but more so how each person takes their own circumstances into account when they have to go through the motions every day; as people, now is probably high time for us expats in China to start taking some deep breaths and finally put 'Losers Back Home’ tag behind our backs.
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