| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
Highlander.Mark
Joined: 29 Jun 2013
Posts: 55
|
 Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 1:59 am Post subject: 6 months in China - My perspective |
 |
|
Well now I am at the 6 month mark of my stay in China I want to share my experience with you to give you an idea of what its been like. It was my intention to share at the 1 month mark but time has run away with me ! It will probably be more useful for prospective teachers but if anyone else wants to add feel free 
So before I came to China I was 50:50 about if I should or shouldnt make the jump, I had a decent job in UK and had the offer of a promotion so I could of been comfortable but I wanted to while I am young (24) get out and explore the world for an extended period. I had travelled to South East Asia and never taught a day in my life so was nervous about making the jump. Would I like teaching ? Would I be good at teaching ? Would I like China ? What if it all goes wrong ?
However I can say its been the best thing I have ever done. I am working at a Language School and work 1-9 including weekends. I know many people suggest avoiding these places to work but I have many more positive than negative things to say about it. I get two days off together during the week which is fine, its not like the weekend would mean I could do anything different over here and the hours suit me fine. I can sleep in and do anything I need to do before work. The workload compare to what I had in UK is half. I teach for 5 hours per day now I have done all the classes my prep time is next to nothing. If a class cancels we are free to leave early or take extended dinner break.
The Chinese tutors at my school are the most friendly people I have met, they helped me with everything when I moved in to my apartment from shopping online to setting up bank accounts to showing me round the city. Now many of them are friends and we spend time together every week when I have time off and they teach me Chinese. The downsides of the School - English Corners 1 per day (will say no more...) and when I arrived I got two days training and a total of 4 hours of demo classes to get use to things. This was not nearly enough but if thats what the school is happy to provide and thats the standard of teaching they want thats their business not mine. That said the experience I got teaching classes meant it was a quick learning curve and soon got the hang of it, but looking back I cringe when I think about those first couple weeks of classes...
I should also add the school is firstly an adult school but at weekend the kids come along, the adults are also great inviting me for dinners, KTV and hanging out, I feel very privileged by their generosity
The city is Taizhou well actually Jaiojiang its really a boring city 1 hour south of Ningbo not much to do here but there is a group of 30 expats here and a few bars to choose from which without I would go crazy without. Certainly need the company otherwise time in this city would consist of doing things with Chinese by day then reading / watching films by night. However the cost of living is very low here. I am living well not denying myself things I want, but not blowing all my money and I can save 5000-6000 rmb per month.
Next year I shall try Thailand, yes the money is not so great but my teaching journey is about the experience not the money ! |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
Javelin of Radiance
Joined: 01 Jul 2009
Posts: 1187
Location: The West
|
| Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 4:07 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Glad to hear it's working out for you. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The_Kong
Joined: 15 Apr 2014
Posts: 349
|
| Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 4:52 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Positivity?!?!?!?
This will not be tolerated in the ESL Cafe!
Get 'em boys!  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
maxand
Joined: 04 Jan 2012
Posts: 318
|
| Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 5:02 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| The_Kong wrote: |
Positivity?!?!?!?
This will not be tolerated in the ESL Cafe!
Get 'em boys! |
poor guy is still in the honeymoon phase....  |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
dragonfireflies
Joined: 04 May 2014
Posts: 2
Location: United States
|
| Posted: Fri May 16, 2014 8:32 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| What was the name of your school? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
jaybet3
Joined: 15 Dec 2010
Posts: 140
Location: Indonesia
|
| Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 1:57 am Post subject: Housing, Airfare |
|
|
Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change.
I'm also thinking of China. Also a small city like where you are.
Did your job offer come with paid housing or not?
Did they pay for your visa and airfare.
Hope you can share this info. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Bud Powell
Joined: 11 Jul 2013
Posts: 1736
|
| Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 3:43 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Taizhou in Jiangsu Province or the other Taizhou? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Highlander.Mark
Joined: 29 Jun 2013
Posts: 55
|
| Posted: Sat May 17, 2014 11:17 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Bud Powell wrote: |
| Taizhou in Jiangsu Province or the other Taizhou? |
Taizhou in Zhejiang province 1 hour south of Ningbo on the train
| jaybet3 wrote: |
Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change.
I'm also thinking of China. Also a small city like where you are.
Did your job offer come with paid housing or not?
Did they pay for your visa and airfare.
Hope you can share this info. |
Yes it seemed there was a lack of positive reporting of experiences so thought would try give the positive view...
Yes paid housing no shared apartment either - Yes all the visa full airfare reimbursed, if you want some more info just send me a message
| dragonfireflies wrote: |
| What was the name of your school? |
Its World International English |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The_Big_White_Elephant
Joined: 12 Mar 2014
Posts: 56
|
| Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 1:38 am Post subject: Re: Housing, Airfare |
|
|
| jaybet3 wrote: |
| Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change. |
No kidding. Why is everybody here so negative all the time? It's really discouraging sometimes for somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating. Seems like all people do is complain about things and dwell on the negative aspects.
Luckily I've heard enough positive things about ESL teaching in China (mostly from other websites), so I won't let all the negativity on this site get to me.
Thanks for sharing your positive experience OP! It would be great if we could get more posts like yours. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Toast
Joined: 08 Jun 2013
Posts: 428
|
| Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 2:37 am Post subject: Re: Housing, Airfare |
|
|
| The_Big_White_Elephant wrote: |
| jaybet3 wrote: |
| Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change. |
No kidding. Why is everybody here so negative all the time? It's really discouraging sometimes for somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating. Seems like all people do is complain about things and dwell on the negative aspects.
Luckily I've heard enough positive things about ESL teaching in China (mostly from other websites), so I won't let all the negativity on this site get to me.
Thanks for sharing your positive experience OP! It would be great if we could get more posts like yours. |
I disagree. I think most of the regulars on here are pretty upbeat about the place. I personally love it here. Friendly people, fascinating country - vast contrast to my previous experiences in The Land of the Morning Turd. Having been said it's not very helpful for "somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating" to only hear things from people solely looking through rose-colored glasses. There's a definite need for the unaware to know about the downsides - pollution, traffic, lazy assed FAOs, potentially deceitful schools, creeping visa difficulties etc. or they won't last very long at all. The previous two teachers at my school assumed they were coming to a place akin to Singapore or Japan and that by teaching university students they were dealing with the educational cream of the crop (which can be true, but not at my place that's for sure). They left disillusioned after one semester, but I have no doubt had they done more reading / research, come with more awareness and realistic expectations they likely would have adapted a lot better. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
The_Big_White_Elephant
Joined: 12 Mar 2014
Posts: 56
|
| Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 3:27 am Post subject: Re: Housing, Airfare |
|
|
| Toast wrote: |
| The_Big_White_Elephant wrote: |
| jaybet3 wrote: |
| Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change. |
No kidding. Why is everybody here so negative all the time? It's really discouraging sometimes for somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating. Seems like all people do is complain about things and dwell on the negative aspects.
Luckily I've heard enough positive things about ESL teaching in China (mostly from other websites), so I won't let all the negativity on this site get to me.
Thanks for sharing your positive experience OP! It would be great if we could get more posts like yours. |
I disagree. I think most of the regulars on here are pretty upbeat about the place. I personally love it here. Friendly people, fascinating country - vast contrast to my previous experiences in The Land of the Morning Turd. Having been said it's not very helpful for "somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating" to only hear things from people solely looking through rose-colored glasses. There's a definite need for the unaware to know about the downsides - pollution, traffic, lazy assed FAOs, potentially deceitful schools, creeping visa difficulties etc. or they won't last very long at all. The previous two teachers at my school assumed they were coming to a place akin to Singapore or Japan and that by teaching university students they were dealing with the educational cream of the crop (which can be true, but not at my place that's for sure). They left disillusioned after one semester, but I have no doubt had they done more reading / research, come with more awareness and realistic expectations they likely would have adapted a lot better. |
I agree that people need to be aware of the cons as well as the pros, but I just feel like there is very little discussion about the pros. It seems like whenever a newbie comes and posts a question here, he is always bombarded with negative attitudes and opinions.
Having spent a year studying abroad in China and absolutely loving every second of it, I am fully aware of things like traffic and pollution, and they simply don't bother me. I enjoy the high-energy and vibrant feel of the cities. I love the crazy cab drivers who swerve in front of oncoming traffic. It makes everyday feel exciting. As opposed to US cities where I'll go out for a walk and I'll see maybe one or two other people out.
I also enjoy the attention I received as a foreigner, something which most people here seem to dislike. I actually enjoy the feeling of people gawking at me, as strange as that may sound, and love it when young guys yell "HELLOOO!" I also love when I'm spotted by little children who then run and tell their parents about the "waiguo ren" who's walking by. Say what you will, but I enjoy feeling "special" when I'm in China. It's a nice contrast to the US, where I feel ignored and have trouble making friends.
I have experienced varying levels of scams in China (although I have never taught English there), but based on my experience, they are generally minor inconveniences and can generally be avoided by using common sense. For me, this aspect of China simply makes it more interesting, lively, and exciting, and I don't even view it as a negative. I remember a specific instance where an army of cab drivers were all trying to charge me over 100 rmb for a cab ride that should have cost 20. I simply kept refusing all of them, and finally found a guy willing to use his meter. Some people might hate situations like these, but I find them fun and amusing. Although I know employment scams are more serious than this, but according to teachers I knew there, they were generally easy to avoid and not as big of a deal as many people make them out to be.
I guess I went on a bit of a rant, but I just wanted to emphasize my positive perspective on things that most people seem to dislike. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
thechangling
Joined: 11 Apr 2013
Posts: 276
|
| Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 3:38 am Post subject: Re: Housing, Airfare |
|
|
| Toast wrote: |
| The_Big_White_Elephant wrote: |
| jaybet3 wrote: |
| Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change. |
No kidding. Why is everybody here so negative all the time? It's really discouraging sometimes for somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating. Seems like all people do is complain about things and dwell on the negative aspects.
Luckily I've heard enough positive things about ESL teaching in China (mostly from other websites), so I won't let all the negativity on this site get to me.
Thanks for sharing your positive experience OP! It would be great if we could get more posts like yours. |
I disagree. I think most of the regulars on here are pretty upbeat about the place. I personally love it here. Friendly people, fascinating country - vast contrast to my previous experiences in The Land of the Morning Turd. Having been said it's not very helpful for "somebody who plans on teaching ESL in China after graduating" to only hear things from people solely looking through rose-colored glasses. There's a definite need for the unaware to know about the downsides - pollution, traffic, lazy assed FAOs, potentially deceitful schools, creeping visa difficulties etc. or they won't last very long at all. The previous two teachers at my school assumed they were coming to a place akin to Singapore or Japan and that by teaching university students they were dealing with the educational cream of the crop (which can be true, but not at my place that's for sure). They left disillusioned after one semester, but I have no doubt had they done more reading / research, come with more awareness and realistic expectations they likely would have adapted a lot better. |
I agree with Toast that being forewarned about the perils of China is ammunition for negotiating a more realistic experience here rather than it being negative per se.
A lot of the good stuff written here has become 'gold' standard because of the synthesis and contestability of a plethora of similar and differing experiences that have confronted each of us and has helped us form opinions based on those experiences in the middle kingdom. And that, from time to time will manifest itself in a degree of negativity and hopelessness which is reflective of some of the struggles one must come to terms with here. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Highlander.Mark
Joined: 29 Jun 2013
Posts: 55
|
| Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 3:54 am Post subject: Re: Housing, Airfare |
|
|
| The_Big_White_Elephant wrote: |
| jaybet3 wrote: |
| Great post. Nice to hear something good for a change. |
Thanks for sharing your positive experience OP! It would be great if we could get more posts like yours. |
Dont hold your breath !! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
RWA1981
Joined: 27 Mar 2014
Posts: 143
|
| Posted: Mon May 19, 2014 9:40 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| If I was single and living/working in Taizhou on clean oceanfront real estate, I'd probably be a happy camper too! What's not to like about Taizhou? |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
NoBillyNO
Joined: 11 Jun 2012
Posts: 1762
|
| Posted: Tue May 20, 2014 1:14 am Post subject: |
|
|
| Quote: |
| I agree that people need to be aware of the cons as well as the pros, but I just feel like there is very little discussion about the pros. It seems like whenever a newbie comes and posts a question here, he is always bombarded with negative attitudes and opinions. |
Negatives are universal .. positives are personal.... |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
FAQ
Search
Memberlist
Usergroups
Register
Profile
Log in to check your private messages
Log in
