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jaytee
Joined: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 16
Location: China
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 Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 11:02 am Post subject: |
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Well, I have been to both China and Thailand. I am currently in a small city in China. I love many things about China, but personally I am looking foward to the end of my contract so that I can get back over to Thailand.
I work in a small city and it is very boring. The food here is poop, you have a choice of about 3 vegetables, unless the weather is bad, then it is only 2!! Having said that, the people in smaller cities are definately a lot more friendly than the people in larger cities.
There are pro's and con's to both countries, but, you are obviously interested in China, so just give it a go! Every person has different tastes, so you will never never know if you never never go!
If you do decide to travel to China (and don't mind the cold) I recommend Beijing, plenty of western influence, yet it still holds the 'traditional China' feel. Also there is plenty to do there if, and when, you get bored.
Although I personally prefer Thailand, I strongly recommend that you give China a try!  |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 1:18 pm Post subject: |
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| There are pro's and con's to both countries, but, you are obviously interested in China....... |
Frankly,I haven't set my mind to it yet.Having taught already in Thailand ,I thought I'd like to have a new experience and also hoped the Chinese might be better students.... |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:00 pm Post subject: |
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[quote="Michal"]
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| and also hoped the Chinese might be better students.... |
I haven't laughed that hard for a while.
One of the problems with Chinese Universities is that English is not only compulsory for many students but their grades do not count toward their GPA. The result is that you'll probably have a couple female students in each class that try hard and the rest of the class you'll be wondering if they have a pulse. You might be happy if the boys don't show up because they are nothing but disruptive.
The language schools, on the other hand, are primarily kids from wealthier families with parents that are pressuring their children to be overachievers. Imagine how well you'd do at a foreign language class if you did it after school (which takes them 12 hours per day with study) and didn't get enough sleep. You better be the 'dancing monkey' and keep them entertained or they'll fall asleep. 
Those are generalizations, of course, but I think it's an accurate summary of many first-hand accounts that I've read from teachers in China. The few exceptions are students that are studying to pass the entrance exams to attend overseas universities and college-level English majors.
You'll find a handful of students that are rewarding to work with regardless of where you go, but you should carefully weigh your other reasons for being there--food, culture, language, etc. There will certainly be days when the intrinsic job rewards are not going to be there...that's TESL, I guess. |
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Michal
Joined: 11 Feb 2005
Posts: 24
Location: China
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| Posted: Mon Apr 18, 2005 3:47 pm Post subject: |
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Well,I can't recall where I got this idea from....or was it Taiwan??
And BTW by "new experience" I meant different culture,food etc (except for the language which I'm afraid would be too difficult for me to pick up...).
I guess, I should consider all options again. |
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jaytee
Joined: 28 Sep 2004
Posts: 16
Location: China
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 12:11 pm Post subject: |
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[quote]and also hoped the Chinese might be better students....[/quote]
Haha, that's a good one! Mlonker was right on the money with his (or her?) generalisation of Chinese students. Having said that, they can be a lot of fun - unless it is 'exam time', in which case you are just an inconvenience to their valuable study time. |
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mlomker
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 378
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| Posted: Tue Apr 19, 2005 6:11 pm Post subject: |
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| Well,I can't recall where I got this idea from....or was it Taiwan?? |
I'd love to go to Taiwan. The problem is that the only jobs that are commonly available to FTs are teaching children in kindergarten. Of course, that's fantastic if that's what you want to do. The quality of life there is wonderful...I have many friends that came to the States from Taiwan. My general impression is that the island is too well developed at this point--the most opportunities are in the mainland and Korea. |
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