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‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai

Adam Poole, Daniel Nehring Orcid Logo

Sociological Research Online, Volume: 30, Issue: 3, Pages: 594 - 610

Swansea University Author: Daniel Nehring Orcid Logo

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DOI (Published version): 10.1177/13607804241277430

Abstract

In this article, we consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected migration experiences and decisions among transnationally mobile Western international school teachers in China. International school teachers are among the most numerous groups of Western ‘expats’ in the country, arriving from the...

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Published in: Sociological Research Online
ISSN: 1360-7804 1360-7804
Published: SAGE Publications 2025
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URI: https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67466
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spelling 2026-01-22T15:37:01.8029000 v2 67466 2024-08-27 ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai ae8d2c719dc7935fbf07d354a2b30dee 0000-0002-5346-6301 Daniel Nehring Daniel Nehring true false 2024-08-27 SOSS In this article, we consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected migration experiences and decisions among transnationally mobile Western international school teachers in China. International school teachers are among the most numerous groups of Western ‘expats’ in the country, arriving from the beginning of China’s ‘Reform period’. Drawing on exploratory interviews with international school teachers, we examine experiences of precarious privilege against the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdowns. We analyse our participants’ decisions about onward migration or permanence in China. In spite of evidence showing erosion of privilege during the pandemic, international school teachers remain largely insulated from its impact due to the privileged nature of their employment. Of greater significance was the impact of the Shanghai lockdown on the participants’ mobility and emotions, which proved the catalyst for two of the three participants to return to the UK. Journal Article Sociological Research Online 30 3 594 610 SAGE Publications 1360-7804 1360-7804 China, education, migration, narrative research, qualitative research, transnationalism 1 9 2025 2025-09-01 10.1177/13607804241277430 COLLEGE NANME Social Sciences School COLLEGE CODE SOSS Swansea University SU Library paid the OA fee (TA Institutional Deal) Swansea University 2026-01-22T15:37:01.8029000 2024-08-27T11:29:07.6033348 Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy Adam Poole 1 Daniel Nehring 0000-0002-5346-6301 2 67466__32681__e401a015db3c4dffbe4af392a2c12ace.pdf Poole and Nehring - We’ve Done Our Bit.pdf 2024-10-23T14:27:30.0416566 Output 188792 application/pdf Version of Record true © The Author(s) 2024. This article is distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License. true eng https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
title ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
spellingShingle ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
Daniel Nehring
title_short ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
title_full ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
title_fullStr ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
title_full_unstemmed ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
title_sort ‘We’ve Done Our Bit’: Post-COVID Experiences of Precarious Privilege Among Western International School Teachers in Shanghai
author_id_str_mv ae8d2c719dc7935fbf07d354a2b30dee
author_id_fullname_str_mv ae8d2c719dc7935fbf07d354a2b30dee_***_Daniel Nehring
author Daniel Nehring
author2 Adam Poole
Daniel Nehring
format Journal article
container_title Sociological Research Online
container_volume 30
container_issue 3
container_start_page 594
publishDate 2025
institution Swansea University
issn 1360-7804
1360-7804
doi_str_mv 10.1177/13607804241277430
publisher SAGE Publications
college_str Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
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hierarchy_top_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
hierarchy_parent_id facultyofhumanitiesandsocialsciences
hierarchy_parent_title Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences
department_str School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy{{{_:::_}}}Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences{{{_:::_}}}School of Social Sciences - Criminology, Sociology and Social Policy
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description In this article, we consider how the COVID-19 pandemic has affected migration experiences and decisions among transnationally mobile Western international school teachers in China. International school teachers are among the most numerous groups of Western ‘expats’ in the country, arriving from the beginning of China’s ‘Reform period’. Drawing on exploratory interviews with international school teachers, we examine experiences of precarious privilege against the backdrop of COVID-19 lockdowns. We analyse our participants’ decisions about onward migration or permanence in China. In spite of evidence showing erosion of privilege during the pandemic, international school teachers remain largely insulated from its impact due to the privileged nature of their employment. Of greater significance was the impact of the Shanghai lockdown on the participants’ mobility and emotions, which proved the catalyst for two of the three participants to return to the UK.
published_date 2025-09-01T05:23:37Z
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