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For many people the lure of this employment and/or lifestyle choice (depending how you look at it) brings you one of the most affordable ways to travel and see the world. With the abundance of job positions out there to prospective candidates, it is fairly certain that when asked “Where would you like to go?” is met with a slight pause and an unclear answer. It’s quite mind boggling how open the world becomes to you. Even without a degree there are a plethora of countries out there that would want to use your services for a fee.

When posed this question to myself at the start of my TEFL course – for the reason of targeting us with specific help and job offers – it did make me a little unstuck when expected to write a list of countries I would like to go to. Having previously travelled in Europe only I didn’t know where to start, as follows I wrote a list of about twenty countries. For the majority I can only imagine this as a rather vague question. The more adventurous might be looking at the less appealing countries I suppose – and I’m sure the most popular countries are within the hotter climates of South-West Europe, but I really had no idea where to start.

I applied to approximately fifty or so job vacancies during the first five weeks of my course ending and I had primarily targeted Asia, not that this reduced the number of possibilities. Vietnam, Malaysia, Thailand, Japan, South Korea, China, Indonesia, Cambodia, Philippines, Singapore… the list seemed endless and this is just the tip of the iceberg, because then you get to almost pick and choose exactly what city you would like to work in if you so wish. For me personally, it didn’t matter as much, but I know for some, the might have key targets.

In the end I settled for Fuzhou, China. A city I have never heard of before but one that has ultimately become my home for the last year. It only dawned on me two weeks ago and the approaching of the Labour Day celebrations in China that I realized that I would have been here exactly one annum. It has been a magnificent decision to come here. If I had been told eighteen months previously that I would have a years experience of teaching under my belt, as well as travelling all over China to some of the best historical sites in the world, saved more money than I would have in the same period in England AND also travelled to neighbouring countries, I’d of cried “Phony” at the top of my voice.

As it came to the end of my contract here I decided to extend for an extra six months and see if I could sharpen up my Mandarin, save some extra money and see some more countries, as well as increase my level of experience. The longer I stay here, the more I learn. It’s been a great decision so far and I’m looking forward to the next few years and other unexpected opportunities.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs in the city of  Fuzhou or with Wall Street English, English First and other major language schools have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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Realise your dreams of living and teaching English worldwide with INTESOL.

Going on a trip to China is more than exciting, and you’re probably the envy of quite a number of your friends right now. While you’re there, whether for a week or a year, it would behoove you to immerse yourself into the culture as deeply as possible. Here are four fool-proof ways to do so.

Visit Religious/Spiritual Centers

In any country, a major part of the culture is the religion and spirituality of the people, because they’re tied to both so many traditions and stories of old and everyday life. The best way to get in touch with this side is to visit houses of worship. While you’re there, make sure you are aware and respectful of all the rules governing these sacred spaces – you may only be allowed to visit a few select parts, but see what you can.

Eat, Eat, Eat

Another huge part of any culture is the food. Sure, you can get Chinese food in the West, but it’s a little bit different in China. You don’t need to have expensive meals to enjoy the cuisine of the country either. Make it a personal goal to try all different types of food while you are there – for every budget. You can enjoy breakfast in a garden, buy some lunch from a street vendor and then go out to dinner at your hotel. It might also be fun to see what some chain restaurants from here are like there.

Go On Tours

You might not like to have that “touristy” feel when you are vacation, but going on at least a couple of guided tours can really enhance your experience. This is because through going on these tours, you’re getting to hear information from a guide, a person who actually lives, works and plays in China. As a result, you’re getting that insider perspective that books aren’t really able to offer to you. These tours might be of museums, historical sites, cultural landmarks or other places you wouldn’t even dream of. Of course, after the tour, you can always go back to some of your favorite spots to learn more and take some extra pictures.

That’s the Life

It’s always fun to learn a bit about what the lives of the people who live there today are like. Talk to a couple of individuals or to other people who are staying at your hotel to get a sense of what they do on a day-to-day basis. Never keep to yourself and your travelmates. Look for local bars, shops, boutiques and places where local people like to hang out – avoid the touristy establishments on all the main drags. Doing so really gives you that look at how people in China live. Don’t forget to check out the nightlife either!

Jeremiah Jimenez writes about his adventures traveling and his background in mental health. His recent work is about the best online counseling degrees.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs at English First and other teaching jobs have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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New Course Maps

My school, EF Shijiazhuang, has been implementing a new course layout over the past couple months. On the 18th lesson, a parent to teacher meeting is arranged in order to discuss the students’ progress and goals. These meetings are quite beneficial for both the teachers and the parents because there is direct communication and the expectations for both parties are discussed. While the teacher meets with the parents, a local staff member conducts a review lesson with the students.

Getting Ready

There is quite a bit of work to be done when planning for a PTM. There is an entire premade lesson plan that the teacher and local staff must coordinate in executing. First, I had to create a Jeopardy Review Game to practice the previous half of the book. Then, I copied and printed a variety of different review worksheets and discussion activities for the students. This aspect of the PTM was just the first part of the process.

The hard work began next. I had to fill out a progress update form for each and every student, which numerically categorizes their abilities in reading, writing, speaking, listening, behavior, participation, and homework. After filling out the form, I had to write about the students’ strengths, weaknesses, and ways to improve in and out of the classroom. This form is quite important because it gives the teacher a starting off point when talking with the parents. Fortunately, I only have six students in this class so the progress update did not take nearly as long as it could have.

The 18th lesson

I was quite nervous the day of the PTM. This is the time to actually hear raw feedback about my performance and growth as a teacher from the parents’ perspective. The first ten minutes of the class, I talked to the students and told them I would be gone for the first hour. I left the classroom and went to meet one of the local staff so that she could translate for me. I felt that it would be somewhat awkward to be talking to parents through another person but there was no other way this could work.

I met with six different parents for the next hour and a half and it was not nearly as bad as I thought it would be. I actually got a lot of positive feedback that truly uplifted my spirits and reminded me that what I was doing was important. There was one parent that was not very happy about my way of running the class. She is the parent of the only boy in the class and she had the most negative feedback. The main focus of her disagreement was my policy on homework. She stressed that I am not as forceful or strict on homework as I should be. She was somewhat correct in her argument, however, in my mind, these middle school aged kids have so much homework and stress coming from their Chinese schools that I do not deem it necessary to drop the hammer on them in their private studies of English. I agreed to give them more homework because ultimately, the parents are the ones paying. Besides her, I only received very positive feedback. The common consensus from the rest was that their girls really looked up to me and think my class is entertaining.

This one father told me that although he had never met me, he knew all about me. He said that his daughter, Lucy, always comes home from class and tells him and his wife about me and the stories I tell in class. He said that I truly sparked her craving for English and made it relevant to her everyday life. To her, English was not merely a class to get a good grade in but rather a tool to sharpen that can be used in the rest of her life. I really felt captivated by what he was telling me. Though I am still learning how to be an effective English teacher, I am still getting through to the kids and helping them realize the importance of learning English. I am much more satisfied having heard this, than something related to how their grammar is much better because of me. I think that gaining interest is more important than new vocabulary words or grammar points. With interest, comes determination.

Benefits of Feedback

Parent to teacher meetings are very beneficial for both parties. I had the benefit of hearing what the parents wanted to change, and they got to hear my analysis of their kids’ performance in class. I think that these meetings are necessary for the growth of an English speaker and a great way to keep everybody on the same page.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs at English First and other teaching jobs have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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What I thought

When I first arrived here in Shijiazhuang the only goal I had was to survive. I needed to learn how to plan lessons efficiently and effectively within the given time parameters. I needed to learn how to stand in front of an audience most of the day and not be so scared or worried about it. These are just a few of the challenges I had to overcome while first teaching abroad. When I finally mastered these aspects and others, life ran more smoothly. It was not until a few months ago during a workshop that I realized a major aspect of teaching I had previously overlooked, coordinating with the local teacher.

The importance of the local teacher

When I first got here I was informed that all of my younger classes would have a co-teacher, a local Chinese teacher that had exceptional English. I had not really considered what this meant and became more of a friend and coworker to these teachers rather than “co-teachers”. On occasion, we would talk about a student that was doing remarkably well or students that gave us a hard time. We would often talk about the parents that observed our classes and what kind of feedback they gave us. Very rarely would we actually talk about the class itself.

A few months ago, we had a workshop about working with our local teachers rather than working next to them. During our discussion, I realized many things that I had not really thought about before and started to incorporate them into my planning. I started to talk to the various local teachers more frequently about more specific topics. I began to see why some of my classes did not go the way I wanted them to go. The teachers were not working together to achieve the same aims and goals and asked different things from their students. They were not sure of the classroom policies, the aims and the expectations.

I finally started to talk with them about what they did in their class and compared and contrasted our policies and styles. When we started to standardize our classes, I started to see changes in the students’ behaviors and their capabilities. We agreed upon management issues such as only letting one student use the bathroom at a time and having to raise your hand ask for water before drinking. As our routines started to align, the students started to behave better. Their English also improved as we started to use the same aims.

Communication is the key

I heard of a specific situation in which a foreign and local teacher were not communicating with each other before class. At the beginning of every class, all of the teachers do a little hello song to welcome the students and get them ready for class. It is important because it sets up a weekly routine and it allows the students to feel comfortable and safe. One of the teachers started to allow the students to act as the teacher during the hello and goodbye song because it got the students more involved. Well, when the local teacher had her class, she did not really do this and preferred to run the class strictly teacher-to-student. The students tried to act as the teacher in the other class and it was not acceptable, thus creating a confusing environment. It seems like nothing but it really explains why the students get confused as to what the expectations are. Having two different personalities teaching them a week is hard enough without having different classroom rules and expectations.

I think it is very important to work together with the local teachers. If you do not work with them to achieve the same goals, the students will not know what is expected. It is not really fair to the students if we do not set the standard and try to work together. Co-teach does not just mean two teachers, it means working together to create one great class.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs at English First and other teaching jobs have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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In my fledgling TEFL career I have encountered many different classes and juggled a few too many grammar forms to the point that it even becomes confusing to me. So, as a native speaker who might have to take a step back and think about the mechanics behind the sentences I am using, it must be particularly daunting for a twelve year old student who is trusting your every move to deliver sound language advice.

That is why keeping your student’s interest becomes almost the key area of lesson planning, especially for the more senior classes. Having lower age groups to teach to can be a chore if they are adamant they don’t wish to behave that day and trying to reason with an angry six year old can be like drawing blood from a stone. This being said, nine times out of ten, if you just play a quick game of ‘duck, duck, goose’, a game based around zombies or anything related to throwing a ball around they are very, very happy and you have their attention.

A Different Approach for Seniors

Seniors on the other hand are probably better at FIFA than you are, own the latest i-device and have less interest in throwing a sticky ball against a wall as hard as they can. To keep them interested you need to stimulate their interest in the obscure or bizarre. More often than not they are keen to act in class, however minor it might seem, and require little encouragement to tell their classmates what to do if that is what the scenario requires them to do.

For example, a simple lesson about food and drink, whilst in the text book looks rather mundane, if you transfer that in to your class and make it into a role playing game based on yelling at a waiter or waitress, who so happens to be your friend, then everyone is rather keen to tell him or her what they want. On this basis, it is purely about making fun of your school friends.

Reading Exercises

A simple reading exercise you can more often than not supplement the text with your own articles. It is important to listen to your students and remember what they find enjoyable. Classes that are made up entirely of boys who don’t like sports are unlikely to react well to an article on the latest NBA drafts. It is always important to tailor subjects towards your students. Some teachers even keep a diary for their classes on the kind of hobbies that they enjoy.

All of this will help build for better classes in the future and it encourages the students to want to learn if they know they are not only being taken in to consideration when learning but also being able to relate the language they are picking up towards an area of their life they could use it in.
Once you have their attention and they trust that you will be making efforts to include their interests, then coming to school won’t seem like so much of a chore and they will enjoy, come back smiling and hopefully learn.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs in the city of  Fuzhou or with Wall Street English, English First and other major language schools have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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I am fortunate that being a teacher in China allows me spare time, whilst earning money, to also explore the country. We work weekends, so have the start of the week off, which isn’t as bad as it may sound.

The weekends are usually extremely busy, with children off from school, parent’s home, and everyone rushing around trying to cram as much as they can into their weekends. This isn’t the case come Monday, so it is easier to be able to get to places, without the huge crowds.

Where would you go?

The question people should ask is ‘where wouldn’t you go?’. I haven’t travelled this far to stay in my small little sphere of work and home, and the occasional bar or restaurant. There is so much to see and so much to do in China, but always so little time. There is Beijing, Shanghai, Xian, Chengdu, Hong Kong, Lijiang, and so many other major attractions and places to go, but there are also the other smaller, unknown places to see and explore, that are right on your doorstep.
In Fuzhou there is so much to see and do, and it is so well connected to other towns and cities, that you don’t just have to explore Fuzhou on your two days off. Disregarding what the Lonely Planet has to say about Fuzhou, you have so many Temples, Gardens, Mountains, Museums, Zoo’s and parks to explore, that there doesn’t seem like there is enough time to fit it all in. However, you can see some of the places in a morning before work, so I normally use my weekends for bigger adventures.
Xiamen is a few hours train ride away, and so cheap to get to. There is a lot to do in Xiamen, and it is a huge tourist spot. There are several cities around Fuzhou that can be explored, as well as beaches to see. This is after all a harbour town, and near the coast. It would almost be rude not to go and explore some of the beaches.

Transport

Getting around on the trains and buses isn’t that hard either. The trains name the place that they go to in pinyin as well as Chinese characters, so it is easy to see which train you should get. Failing that, there are several internet sites that will provide you with a train timetable for the city in English, and translate it to Chinese for you. So make a copy of the Chinese name, the time it departs, and the date, take it to the booth, and they will understand.

You do need a copy of your passport to travel, as we do not have an ID card. However a copy does suffice, so you don’t even have to panic that you will be unable to leave China should you lose your passport whilst on a train.
Now when I think of a train, I conjure up the image of the trains from home. Slow, smelly, with seats in the retro blue and red, that literally came out of the 80’s. However, this isn’t the case here. The seats are comfortable, with a lot of space. The carriage is cleaned continually, by cleaned I do mean a broom moved up and down the aisles, but that is more than back home, and it is mercifully air conditioned. England could learn a thing or two about rail transport from China. Not only is it clean and comfortable, it is cheap, quick, and has announcements in English too. Even the easily lost like me can manage. The only problem I have had is me being late, getting confused in the station and missing my train, because unlike England, the trains here are extremely punctual!

The trains aren’t the only method of getting around either. In China there is the overnight and long distance buses. Now, this concept is a novel one to me. I don’t think we have overnight anything in England. But using this mode of travel you don’t waste any time. You are travelling whilst you are sleeping. So you go to bed in one place, and wake up in another!
I travelled to Hong Kong via the overnight bus. This is one experience I shall never forget. I had with me my weekend back pack, which was pretty average. I waited in line with my roommate who was going at the same time as me. We went to get onto the bus, and were stopped. We had to take off our shoes. This is pretty standard in Chinese homes, so why not on an overnight bus. Stepping onto the bus I was instantly reminded of Harry Potter and the knight Bus. It was amazing. Even the driving was reminiscent of the movie!

Places around Fuzhou

Using the train network I have been able to explore different surrounding towns, such as Xiamen and Putian (Meizhou Island), Pingtan, Quanzhou, Chongwu and several others.
I have also explored Yongding since arriving in China. You don’t always want to go to the tourist attractions, where the real China is submerged beneath a layer of trinkets, and tourist souvenirs. Here China’s history surrounds and engulfs you. You see different tribe houses, the round houses, Hakka Houses and the Tolou houses. How they are built, and also how they are lived in, as they are still inhabited today by different tribes. You are able to go round, and get a sense of what life would be like. How different it is from how we live, the different values, the social roles, the needs.

Perks of the job

I can definitely say that living in a different country, and teaching English definitely has several job perks, but for me, being able to travel and explore the country that I am now living and working in, is definitely one of the biggest perks, one which can’t be beaten at home!

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs in the city of  Fuzhou or with Wall Street English, English First and other major language schools have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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Time to travel

In a previous article I wrote about the great location of Fuzhou in accordance to some rather interesting places to visit. I said I would be visiting Xiamen eventually and luckily last weekend, my friends and I took the trip westwards to this idylic coastal city.

Being only between an hour and a half away it makes for an excellent excuse to get out of Fuzhou for the weekend at little expense and also on a complete whim. As our teaching week is Wednesday to Sunday, it allows anyone who wants to travel in the local vicinity of Fujian province the ability to go at the drop of a hat Sunday night and have two days of lesser densely populated streets and restaurants.

Let’s go

We took off at about 7pm, entering Xiamen train station just after the 9 o’clock hour mark. We were on a highly modern fast train and the comfort levels were definitely higher than that compared to back home. The journey itself only cost a paltry 80 RMB one way – that’s £8 to anyone back in the UK. If you can imagine a two hour train journey covering the distance we did so for that little back in England you would probably be back in the 1990′s. It is another testament to Chinese engineering that they can schedule these faster, more comfortable trains for less money.

Arriving in Xiamen

Xiamen itself is similar in stature to Fuzhou, with slightly less people populating the city at five million. Considered rather a small city by Chinese standards it would still dwarf nearly all European cities by comparison. There is some rather interesting history behind Xiamen and although we were only there for one night and a day we tried to see a little of it, with a view to going back later in the year. As is the advantage of having high speed travel, you can get most places more than once and not feel like you have to rush as if it is going to be the only time you have the chance to visit.

Me and Jamie headed to the university first to take a look around and you can see why there is such an international presence in Xiamen. The university is a brilliantly diverse landscape of old scenery and modern art where you can imagine having consummate ease finding a place to study in all its surroundings. A short period spent here relaxing meant for two hungry stomachs and afterwards we went for some authentic Korean food just over the road. Now, don’t get me wrong, the food was excellent and I throroughly enjoyed it, but what we ordered could easily have been Chinese for all I know. The specific differences between Chinese and Korean I couldn’t tell you but it was great to try nonetheless.

From here we met our friends Mike and his friend Mosquito (her Chinese name is said to resemble the character for mosquito, hence her English name became ‘Mosquito’) and we took the short ferry to GuLangYu Island. GuLangYu Island has some great history etched in to its past and you can tell from the moment you walk off the boat that it once had some ownership debates between old colonists and the Chinese. Without descending too much in to historical detail, it was once occupied by Britain after the Opium Wars in 1841 and then nearly one hundred years later during World War Two it was occupied by Japan.

Both colonists powers have left their mark but today it stands as a symbol of Chinese perserverance and dedication to ones motherland. On the coast facing Xiamen there is a great big statue of the man famed for saving thousands of Chinese from drugs – Zheng Chongchen.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs in the city of  Fuzhou or with Wall Street English, English First and other major language schools have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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Holiday Prep Work

The Chinese New Year crept up on us this year in Shijiazhuang. I was fortunate enough to be able to take my paid holiday at the same time as the national holiday which culminated to a whopping 18 day travel. I decided to travel with one of my friends Amber, since she had the same days off as me. We decided that though it is truly a unique experience to be in China during the New Year, we could not waste this long holiday staying local. We wanted to go international and use every day that we had to travel around Asia. Before coming to China, I had a mental list of all the places I wanted to travel to and Vietnam and Thailand were among them. We worked on an itinerary for months before so that we would have everything in order when the time came. We figured out visas, hostels, flights, buses, trains, tours, and of course, food. February came around and it was time to set sail.

Hanoi

The first stop of our travels was Hanoi, Vietnam. It was such a change of pace being in Vietnam and experiencing their way of life. Though China and Vietnam are geographically bordering countries, the cultures are very different. It was very interesting to see how the local Vietnamese lived and to try their cuisines. We visited many attractions such as the Hoa Lo Prison, Women’s Museum, Ho Chi Minhs residence, and famous restaurants. My favorite part of Hanoi was traveling to Ha Long Bay. Ha Long is about four hours East of Hanoi on the Gulf of Tonkin. It is a magnificent bay composed of over 2,000 islands. We visited Ha Long Bay with our hostel and decided to stay overnight on the tour boat. We went kayaking, hiking, swimming, and wandered through a cave. It was so nice to take a break from the fast paced life of teaching English abroad and relax on a boat that took us through the maze of islands.

Bangkok

After a great time in Hanoi, we flew to Bangkok, Thailand for the next leg. Bangkok was so different from Hanoi and other cities in China. We visited some famous Buddha temples while visiting Bangkok such as Wat Pho. Wat Pho is famous for its massive Reclining Buddha and all of the other temples surrounding it. It was great to see and learn so much about Buddhism on this trip. My favorite part of Bangkok was elephant riding and bamboo rafting on a tour we took with our hostel. There are not too many places in the world where opportunities like this exist so we made sure to give it a try. We also traveled to Hua Hin Beach, which is around three hours outside of the main city. The beach was so inviting and beautiful and we relaxed for days in the sun. While in Hua Hin, I experienced a live Muay Thai Match in one of the local gyms. I could not believe that I was sitting in a Thai Boxing Gym, drinking a local Chang Beer, and watching Thai men fight for pride. If I were to create a list of unforgettable experiences in my life, those three hours in that gym would be on it.

Ho Chi Minh City

The last days of our 18 day venture were spent in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. The whole vibe of this part of the trip was different from before because we knew that we had to return to our jobs soon. We did not spend every day doing touristy things but rather on mental health and relaxation. After ten months I am fully aware of how mentally taxing teaching can be. It is great to be doing something so important and meaningful but it is also crucial to reflect and take a break once in a while. Ho Chi Minh City was a perfect last stop before returning to work. We drank coffee and read books in cafes. We drank local beer and ate food at restaurants while watching the cars and people go by. We even ended up visiting a gym and relaxed by the pool for a few days. We did go on one tour of the Cu Chi Tunnels and it was probably my favorite. We walked through tunnels created by the Vietnamese during the war and got to fire some weapons on a gun range. It was quite an exciting time in Ho Chi Minh.

Best Chinese New Year Ever

After 18 great days of traveling in South East Asia, it was time to head home. This trip was supposed to be the biggest during my time here and it did not disappoint. I kept realizing all of the great and exciting experiences I was having and how lucky I was to be out there doing it all. I saw a different part of the world and saw how people live and interact. All in all, it was the best Chinese New Year I have ever celebrated!

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs at English First and other teaching jobs have a look through our website and submit an application today.

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The Starting Line

From the very first day I arrived at my new job at EF Shijiazhuang I had been hearing of the much dreaded summer course. At first, I heard teachers casually talking about how we had a month to prepare and get ready for the transition but as the time progressed, the casual talking turned more into a frantic conversation. I was extremely worried about what the future had in store for me. As it was, I was barely getting through the current teaching schedule that was bestowed upon me from the previous teacher. Every week was a new experience and I gradually got a little better at dealing with the stress. It seems as if when I finally learned how to plan my weeks effectively, summer course had arrived. The weekend before summer course officially started, my boss handed me my new teaching schedule. It had eight extra hours of teaching, which doesn’t seem so bad but I also had to take the time to plan these lessons. At the time, I was averaging two hours to plan each lesson. Two hours per lesson would not be ideal when I would be in front of a class for 26 hours a week. I noticed my boss had put a picture of a guy lifting weights and it said “get pumped for summer course”. This is completely the approach one must have if they are to survive the seven week camp.

Realization

Fortunately, my boss had encouraged us to start planning for our summer classes’ weeks before it actually started. The first two weeks of the new classes had been taken care of before it even started. It was quite different heading into the office well before 12 pm on our “easy” days. There was a new air of stress and dread in the office that week. My planning for lessons was fairly normal since I had prepared the eight extra hours beforehand. The first week came and went and it wasn’t nearly as terrible as we all anticipated. Now that I figured out what the workload actually felt like, it wasn’t so scary. The worst part was expecting and speculating how life would be but not actually life itself.

Lessons Learned

I would say that I really started learning quite a bit around week three. At this point in time, my lesson plans ran dry and I had to plan all 26 hours each week. The lesson plans that took two hours were now a thing of the past. I was cranking out lessons in 45 minutes or less. I completely cut my planning time by over half. I was surprised because most of the lessons were still very good. It is not as if I was planning really dry lessons, I was actually planning the same lesson I would plan if I took an extra hour staring at the book or the computer. It would be completely untrue if I said that every lesson was perfect and that the entire seven weeks was a great learning experience for myself and my kids. There were a few lessons that were really dull, a few lessons that were repeated, and a few lessons that had nothing to do with the lesson. I don’t necessarily think this was a bad thing. We were all thrown into the whirlwind and we tried our best. It would be too optimistic and naive to think that these stagnant times wouldn’t arise sometime during the seven weeks.

We’ll All Float On

The last few weeks of summer course seemed to fly by. After the halfway mark, things just sped up and before I knew it, there was only two weeks left. I kept telling myself, “only two more weeks and then life will go back to normal.” Not only would life return to normal, but it would be easier. My planning had become so efficient that I could plan an entire week in one day if I really needed to. Before summer there was no way I would be able to accomplish such a feat. The last week of classes, I had to do an open door for all of the parents of the kids in my courses. The parents were allowed to come watch the last 30 minutes of my class to see the kids practicing and producing the English they learned. I was slightly nervous but my kids ended up doing a great job and proved their capabilities when it counted. At last, the end had arrived.

Reflection

Looking back and reflecting on all of it now, it wasn’t nearly as bad as I thought it would be. To be honest, it was stressful but it forced me to grow as a teacher. I learned so much about my abilities inside and outside of the classroom. I feel as if the next nine months of my year will be so much easier after having been through the summer. Now I can take the extra time and work on becoming a more creative, more engaging English teacher.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs at English First and other teaching jobs have a look through our website and submit an application today.

Realise your dreams of living and teaching English worldwide with INTESOL.

The post Summer Course appeared first on Gold Star TEFL Recruitment.

Realise your dreams of living and teaching English worldwide with INTESOL.

Easily Accessible

Last weekend, I traveled to Beijing with my roommate, Tariq. He had never been to the magnificent city and wanted me to accompany him since I had been there twice. It is quite a luxury to be able to easily access one of the biggest cities in the world. With a simple visit to the train ticket office, friendly help from local Chinese staff, and my passport, I was able to make my way to Beijing. Our last day of work was on Sunday and we left Monday morning at 6:30am. We did not want to waste any time or effort going to Beijing.

The Forbidden City

The train ride was smooth and we arrived with ease. We caught Bus 21 to the main metro line and within a few minutes, we were standing at the entrance of the Forbidden City. We walked through the parks that inhabit the entrance to the City and took some pictures of the traditional architecture. We got to the gate and decided against entering due to the longer lines and the pricey tickets. I will be in China for at least six more months and the City will be there waiting for me another time. After seeing the outside of the Forbidden City, we walked over to Tian’anmen Square. The Square is quite large and has lots of open space. It was very interesting to visit such a monumental part of Chinese culture and history.

Mosque

After seeing some of the touristy areas of the city, we headed to see another famous Beijing landmark. We had researched some different things to do in the city and came across the Ox Street Mosque. This mosque is the largest and oldest mosque in Beijing! It was really fascinating walking around inside the mosque and learning about the very ancient Islamic tradition.

Delectable Treats

After walking around and sightseeing for the better part of the day, we stumbled upon a great looking hostel in the Qianmen area behind Tian’anmen. Qianmen is made up of many hutongs, or alleyways, that are heavily populated with shops, stores, restaurants, tea shops, and hostels. It is quite an exciting place to be! After booking the night at a hostel, we headed to the main strip that makes up inner Beijing. Wangfujing Street is known for its bustling stores, restaurants, and culture.
Our main intention was to go visit the Wangfujing Snack Street, which became famous for its delectable treats. We were not disappointed with the “snacks” we saw walking up and down the market. We saw everything from silk worms to tarantulas to centipedes on a stick. I decided to be adventurous and indulge in the snacks. I bought a stick of three deep-fried scorpions for around 10 Yuan. They actually tasted really good! I mean, you can’t really go wrong with deep frying.

The second thing I had was not so great. I decided to go for the gold and try out some snake on a stick. Imagine eating calamari without the tasty fried batter around it and about 100 times chewier and you get snake. It took about ten full jaw clenches for a minuscule bite to go down. Needless to say, I ate half of the snake and then threw the other half away. I am just proud that I could even get that much down!

Un-restored Wall

The next day we signed up for a special tour of The Great Wall. Our hostel arranged a bus to take a group of us to an area that has not been restored. It took about two hours before we finally arrived at the secret section of Badaling! Let me tell you, it was truly a secret area; there were maybe ten other tourists on the wall besides our group. It was so great to be able to climb the wall and see the areas that were destroyed on my own without thousands of tourists. We had about two hours on the wall to climb at our leisure, and then we had a traditional Chinese lunch. The whole Great Wall adventure took around ten hours and we were exhausted by the time we got back. We did not have much time and had to immediately head to the train station to catch our 8pm train.

International City

Beijing is a great international city to travel and explore, but it is even better because I live only two hours away. It is very convenient to visit and a lot can be seen in just a mere two days. I am happy to say that I am starting to learn how Beijing works and will definitely travel back there in the future.

Read more articles on living and teaching English in China here.

Gold Star TEFL Recruitment has been assisting teachers secure the very best teaching jobs in China since 2009 and has close connections with China’s leading schools. For details on teaching jobs at English First and other teaching jobs have a look through our website and submit an application today.

Realise your dreams of living and teaching English worldwide with INTESOL.

The post Exploring Beijing appeared first on Gold Star TEFL Recruitment.