Yildiz Onay

“Take a leap, go with your instincts and don’t lose hope.”

I had several job offers upon completion of my course and I took my time to research on companies details and the country in which the schools were located and finally made the decision to take a job in China.

I have now been living in Nanjing, China for 9 months and I have to say it has been one of the best decisions I have made in my life. Like every country China has its pros and cons and differs slightly depending on which part of China you are in. I can say in my experience that the pros have definitely been higher than the cons and I keep an open mind to things which are different to London and adapt to changes.

I work for a company called First Leap which has schools all over China and are very professional and welcoming. I had two weeks’ training in Beijing and then came to Nanjing which has been my home for the last 9 months. The company has been extremely supportive during my transition from London to Nanjing and continue to support me in every aspect. They are a private English language school that teaches students from 1.5 to 15-year olds. The children are amazingly smart and respectful, and I enjoy teaching them and seeing their characters develop in class.

Nanjing is beautiful with a lot of greenery and places to visit so there’s never a dull moment.  I enjoy regularly visiting the Purple Mountain as it’s a perfect place to grab a book and read sitting under a tree whilst admiring nature.

If you are thinking of going into teaching in a foreign country and are outgoing and can adapt to change then I would say don’t think about it any further, go for it. You will never know unless you give it a try with an open mind.

One piece of advice I would give is to make sure you do research on the laws and regulations of the country you will be going to. You would think that this is an obvious one, but I have met many people who had no clue on such subjects until they had arrived in China. Make sure you have the right visa for the country you are going to in the case of China you need a Z visa. To be eligible for a Z visa you need a degree and TEFL certificate among other requirements. There are a lot of people working in China without a Z visa. Some have absolutely no problems but there have been occasions where people have been arrested for working on a tourist visa. Do your research.

Even though I have a one-year contract, I am already considering staying longer as I love my job and enjoy teaching. The joy of teaching and realising you are loved by your students is the greatest reward of teaching. I hope to be the teacher that my students remember because I have left a positive impact on them when they grow up.

Take a leap, go with your instincts and don’t lose hope. Travel, Explore, Learn and Live.