Job Discussion Forums

[Miguelito]

A number of schools repeatedly seem to come up in these posts, but I was just curious does anyone know which of the schools in China, especially Beijing, are best known for teaching kids? I don't have much experience, but it seems that there would be a major difference between teaching kids versus teaching college-aged and adults.

[MyTurnNow]

[Roger]

Miguelito,
schools are, of course, intended for kids, per definitonem so to speak, but we are here mostly discussing training centres, and to a lesser extent, universities and colleges.
CHina is one of the few countries that wastes its resources on importing expats to do oral English with students of all levels; most people with an interest in teaching their way around the world are fit for this kind of job, but not for serious work with younger people that have to be motivated and be taught how to learn in the first place.
If you care for children, and you are intellectually and emotionally equppped to handle them, there are some opportunities: The best would be in a kindergarten!
If you are well-qualified, you might goa private K 12, such as Yew Chung International Education. This is a school founded by a HK-CHinese CHristian couple, with schools in the USA, Hong Kong, Peking, Shanghai and probably elsewhere.

I have now worked for one and the same kindergarten for almost two years, and visited a number of other kindergartens over these months, and I feel this is where I can do a more useful job than with older students! Yes, you have to lower your intellectual expectations, but you will notice growth in the English language almost on a daily basis!

[MyTurnNow]

"intellectually and emotionally equppped to handle" kids???
Awww, Rogerrrrrr.....

I am intellectually equipped to handle adults at any level in a wide range of subjects; I think I've got the lobes for kids. I suppose I am NOT emotionally equipped to handle a hive of 20 or more squawling spoiled violent uninterested evil little middle-schoolers, and I am rather proud of that.

I completely agree, however, that if you must teach kids then the kindies and other pre-schoolers are the ones to get.

MT

[Peter]

The drawbacks of teaching primary levell children are:

Very large classes
No streaming or grouping possible
Inflexible seating in very noisy "hard" rooms;concrete floor and steel desks
Poor discipline from teachers
Subject teachers even in primary schools
40 minutes periods, then a storm of noise

After all that you can teach
The conditions prevalent in primaries make it difficult to do a decent job
Most of the times you could land up teaching grade one since on that level there are no semester exams yet; so you are the face; icing on the cake

[Roger]

Ah, amigo MyTurnNow! I think I want to apologise to you for my wry remark! I did not have you in mind when I was writing about "intellectually and emotionally equipped..." though. Anyway, my sincere apology!
What I did want to say is that teaching preschoolers succeeds a lot better sometimes. It does so if you can take a holistic approach, taking into account a child's world view, his (her) "knowledge", interests and so on. It is sometimes important to ignore parents' advice and suggestions, especially in China! You only need to tickle their curiosity, cause them to "touch the world with their minds" as Maria Montessori wrote - and your classes become fantastic experiences even for yourself!
I agree, MyTurnNow, teaching middle-schoolers is a real pain! But why does China want to hire native English speakers for such classes? Clearly this is a misguided policy!
Read Peter's comment - the most concise on this topic!

[MyTurnNow]

Hey Roger,
didn't really take it personally but just wasn't sure that those were the criteria I'd use for sizing up kids' teachers.

I've seen you comment a few times about foreign teachers being completely wasted in many classes for kids. I agree 110%- they are rarely really necessary, and most people who come here for a teaching stint are horrifically unqualified for kids' classes anyway. I really think some coursework in Early Education would be a great thing; I don't think it's a knack many of us are born with. I sure wasn't.

All the best,
MT

[ESL Guru]

[Roger]

Sorry, ESL Guru,
but the kids I AM CURRENTLY TRAINING will not be intellectually deficient as is the norm in CHina! They will LOVE English (I love ENglish too!), and it is a heart-to-heart matter for me to teach them a sound basis of their ESL so they will have a mind already set for English!
I am still learning a lot in this field although I have now been at it for well over two years! I began telling them short stories in average English prose WITHOUT any translation! Gosh are they smart, interested - the kind of students YOU WILL LOVE AT YOUR UNIVERSITY!

[Seth]

I would agree with Roger, preschool kids learn the best and the atmosphere is much better. I've taught some kindergarteners who could speak English surprizingly well for a 5 year old. Then when they get into regular primary school they're destroyed by the (private) education system. They turn into the overworked, apathetic, burnt out middle schoolers we all know and love. For a term I taught both the kindergarten and grade 1, and there was a world of difference between the two grades although only a year separate.