United States
US
Tautvile Daugelaite
Teach Enrich Empower
Starting in China!
I have been in Beijing for just a month! It has already taught me not to worry and just let things go.
I am Lithuanian and 23 years old. I have been living in London for the last two years, Denmark before that and Indonesia before that. That’s why moving to another country was not an adventure for me but rather essential thing to do. It’s like a breath of fresh air! I am an Open University student and have been working too, so I took my time finishing my TEFL assignments. In fact, I was already in China when I sent my last assignment!
I started my TEFL course at the end of last winter and found it very inspiring to meet such a colourful crowd of people! The two days went by in a flash and I started working on my online assignments straight away.
The hardest thing when teaching in my opinion is the preparation. It all happens fast: you get a job and you have to travel very quickly sometimes. China is a huge and busy market for English teachers, but they often don’t plan ahead. So, if you are needed, you are needed NOW. This is great if you are looking to get started right away!
“I started my TEFL course and found it very inspiring to meet such a colourful crowd!”
If you don’t have any teaching experience (like me), there is nothing that can prepare you for the ups and downs. I am currently working in a big American afternoon school for kids of all ages. It has 13 centres in Beijing alone. Our weekends are incredibly busy but weekdays are easier, we normally have 2-4 teaching hours per day. Chinese kids are usually very well behaved, curious and full of joy. Of course, if you have a class of 3 year olds, there may be some tears but you will always have your co-workers to laugh about it after class.
I am just dipping my toes in and am only just beginning to understand what China is about. I strongly believe it is a good idea to start your teaching career in China. It is a nice mixture of wild East and the life we know in the West. With so many foreigners living in Beijing (although, it is rare to meet them in the streets), you can have a nice haircut in a fancy salon with English speaking staff or have some craft beer on rustic benches in hutong. You can also just grab a roasted sweet potato from a street vendor or push people around when getting out of the subway. If you land a position in a good school, they provide everything, from books and lesson plans to markers and paper. So you are taken good care of and just take in as many experiences as you can.
Put a little bit of time in researching your employer and finding the best option- China will take care of the rest!
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