Job Discussion Forums

djny10003 · Joined: 11 Jul 2004 Posts: 20 Location: NY NY USA

I am just about to get a Masters in TESOL and am thinking about doing a year in China. I have a wife and daughter, who will be 9 in Sept 2005. Wifey is ambivalent, but the little one is ready to leave tomorrow. Does anyone have kids with them at their jobs, and how is China specifically? I'm thinking of Shanghai or Xiamen.

Taiping04 · Joined: 27 May 2004 Posts: 188 Location: East of Aden

The options for your daughter, education wise, are an international school at roughly $1000 US a month, home school, or a local school if you can get this arranged: it's not really simple. The 3rd. option would be incredibly stressful without Chinese language skills. There are lots of foreign kids in Shanghai, but their families are of the wealthy expat. type.
Our son started pre-school at 2 yrs., and picked up the language very quickly. Your daughter will take longer, but not as long as you. Personal experience plus 2nd. language acquisition study tells me this!

Roger · Joined: 19 Jan 2003 Posts: 9138

Methinks I read the exact same query a short while ago.,..

Anyway, it is more important for your daughter to go along with your decision to move to China than your wife - a child has special needs that adults are not always able to assess properly.
Nevertheless, I would urge you to think very hard about your child's scholastic future. China doesn't offer her much in this respect... If your wife can home-teach her, then it might be a viable idea.

But financially, it will be a bit stressful. All the three of you will have to make sacrifices.

naturegirl321 · Joined: 04 May 2003 Posts: 9041 Location: home sweet home

YOu could homeschool them

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

What about your wife? Does she have a degree and want to teach English. She could teach at a kindergarten and take bubs along too. Not sure about fees, etc. but schools often work things like this out for their teachers. It would help with the financial/mental burdens. Your girl might cope better if she spends the days with mum, as well as giving her a good opportunity to meet other children and learn mandarin.
Just a thought.
Ki.

Ki · Joined: 23 Jul 2004 Posts: 475

Sorry. Primary school. Not kindergarten. Wrong age group.

blainiac · Joined: 16 Aug 2004 Posts: 1

I am looking for information to assess the possibility of teaching abroad with a family. I was previously offered an opportunity with GEOS in Japan, but declined for personal reasons. I now have 2 school age children and a toddler. I have a business diploma, a BA, as well as a teaching certificate (not quite done the BEd) and some teaching experience. My wife has marketable skills and certifications in network administration and rehabilitation services and is willing to obtain a TEFL certification.