Job Discussion Forums

teachingld2004 · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 389

Your job will not be perfect. Do not expect it to be. Just do your best.

Your apartment may not be perfect. Make the best of it. (do not accept filth, but deal with the size)

You will not be able to find all the food you love. Learn to eat what is here.

Classes will have students of mixed levels. Deal with it.

Be happy.

Do your best, do not sweat the small stuff.

Make friends.

Do not think people keep secrets. If you say something to some one, understand that everyone will know about it.

If you had trouble with your last job, everyone at the new job does not have to know that.

7969 · Joined: 26 Mar 2003 Posts: 5782 Location: Coastal Guangdong

Probably repeating a bit of what's been said above but: be patient, flexible, adaptable, maintain a positive attitude, don't fly off the handle every time something minor goes wrong. A bit of diplomacy goes a long way here when trying to solve problems. If you can't abide by this/these mantra(s) then be prepared to be miserable.

rogerwilco · Joined: 10 Jun 2010 Posts: 1549

fred13331 · Joined: 20 Feb 2012 Posts: 108 Location: Southern China

I advise you to teach your students grammar, that is my advice.

roadwalker · Joined: 24 Aug 2005 Posts: 1750 Location: Ch

Get a good night's sleep and be well rested. Then bring a lot of energy to class, especially on the days of terrible weather or wonderful weather, or Monday morning or Friday afternoon.

Don't lose your temper in class. If you do, get over it as soon as possible.

Have a back up plan for your lessons. The same lesson that worked great for class 1 might have them snoozing in class 2.

maxand · Joined: 04 Jan 2012 Posts: 318

Great advice for english teachers in china: Laughing

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d-diB65scQU

teachingld2004 · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 389

Max...

No you tube here. So many sites blocked.

One more piece of advice...get a VPN. That will make your life a lot easier.

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

I'm noticing a lot of Chinese people here in Canada that are not following the same advice themselves...

The Great Wall of Whiner · Joined: 29 Jan 2003 Posts: 4946 Location: Blabbing

I'm noticing a lot of Chinese people here in Canada that are not following the same advice themselves...

xiguagua · Joined: 09 Oct 2011 Posts: 768

Basically go in expecting and preparing for the worst possible scenario. My first time I was taking the train into my little city and remember wondering if they would even have electricity. Yes I was pretty naive and I guess you could say a typical westerner that had no idea what he was getting himself into. But, I can say that when I got there, I was pleasantly surprised and even though it was a poor area, there was power (most of the time), hot water (most of the time) students were nice (most of the time). Sure there was a cockroach or a occasional bat flying into my apartment.....but that's part of the fun! I've had bats in my house in America too, so nothing new there.

RPMcMurphy · Joined: 22 Aug 2012 Posts: 90 Location: Australia

Some sage advice in a general sense above. If you're teaching English, and you've never taught anything before, let alone English, you'll need to be entertaining! You can try boring them beepless with grammar lessons but, unless your knowledge of the subject is pretty good, you'll both make a fool of yourself and have them sleeping: after all, this is what has passed as "English" for them since elementary school! They may want to learn the language, rather than learning about the language, so role plays, group tasks, native speaker input [including carefully selected and followed up DVDs-not just movies], in fact anything that approximates real life language will serve you best.

Miles Smiles · Joined: 07 Jun 2010 Posts: 1294 Location: Heebee Jeebee

Keep a sense of humor, and don't take yourself too seriously.

Take your job seriously.

Try to be the great teacher you never had.

Kysorb · Joined: 30 Jul 2010 Posts: 253 Location: Beijing

My advice would be to roll with chaos not try to swim against it. If you need all your ducks in a row then China just isn't for you.

Also, don't think you're special or irreplaceable. Even if your an entertaining and highly liked teacher if you act like a baby you can be replaced.

In class with children be loud, animated, happy, and fun cause if you aren't parents will complain and kids will hate you.

zactherat · Joined: 24 Aug 2011 Posts: 295

- Don't think that you are entitled to respect and admiration simply because you are a teacher. You're probably not trained as one anyway, so check your pride at the door and earn it like everyone else.

- Don't concern yourself with being socially popular with the students. You're there to extend their knowledge and fluency of the English language (and perhaps to motivate them on a more general level as independent life-long learners, if you are so inclined), but you are not there to befriend them. If they sense you are seeking their approval, you will quickly find yourself in a vulnerable position.

- Don't get caught up in disagreements with colleagues. Notice how others that are able to turn the other cheek are stable and happy employees. Professional, not emotional.

- Try to find a place where you might feel comfortable renewing your contract. If you make the right moves, teaching becomes easier, more productive AND better-paid as you go : )

- Beware the beckoning of the high horse. Don't think that you can solve all of China's problems. If you were that smart, you wouldn't be doing TEFL.

- If you are looking at teaching as a stepping stone to other avenues of employment, be specific about which path you want to take. Linguistic fluency alone is not enough of a marketable skill to warrant career progression. There are opportunities here outside of teaching, but they won't just fall into your lap if you don't plan well and appropriately.

- Bear in mind your direction in life. Teaching experience in China is generally not looked upon favorably outside the middle kingdom, especially part-time uni work (<18hours pw) in second-tier nowheresville. Try not to lose sight of your wider life goals. Many teachers here get sucked in by the easy life, only to realize that late middle-age is on the horizon, and those dreams of owning property, a nice car, comfortably supporting a family or having a 30 year professional career are just that - dreams.

teachingld2004 · Joined: 17 Feb 2012 Posts: 389

A lot of good advise here. We all should read this when we need a "lift".

People come to China for all sorts of reasons. Me? I just needed a rest. I had a bad year back in the USA. I taught in NY, spent 11 years in S. Korea, and just love teaching. I just needed a job with low hours to recharge my brain and soul.

If you are young, a new country is a great experience. If you have worked for years and want a change, more power too you.

Just for everyone, save money. it is very easy no mater what you make to save half of your salary.

Experience the culture. learn to love the food. Learn the language.

And that is a great point. If you have a little child, bring them here, they can learn Chinese pretty fast and have a great skill.

This list can go on and on. I hope it continues.