United States
US
Vicky Hutchins
Teach Enrich Empower
My Teaching Experience in China
Ni hao - My name is Vicky Hutchins. I am 24 years of age and from Nottingham, England…currently living in Wuhan, China.
Before enrolling on the TEFL course, I had graduated from Sheffield Hallam University and had been working in a laboratory for two years, during which time I longed to explore the world and experience something new and exciting! I had read that there are a lot of companies in a lot of different countries that require native English speakers to teach English as a foreign language. As soon as I discovered such information, my boyfriend and I decided to enrol on the 120-hour course with The TEFL Academy.
We choose to get our qualification with The TEFL Academy as we had read that they were a very supportive company throughout the whole period of the courses they offer, which is very true! From day one of enrolment we received helpful information and we were given contact details for any queries. We had a few queries and they were always dealt with by prompt and friendly staff. After completing the online aspect of our course, we attended a full weekend where we got face-to-face advice from an experienced teacher and were able to put into practice what we had learnt in a classroom environment. The feedback we got was very helpful and constructive! Once we received our TEFL certificate my boyfriend and I applied for a job teaching English in China and were accepted pretty much immediately! We wouldn’t have secured such jobs without the help and support from The TEFL Academy.
We have now been living in Wuhan for three months and we are having an absolute blast! The saying here is “Wuhan, different every day”. It is plastered everywhere and it couldn’t be more true! Every day is new, different and exciting… crazy things happen all the time which is the complete opposite of life back in England and time is going so fast.
“The saying here is “Wuhan, different every day””
The company I work for are amazing. They are extremely supportive and help you with every single aspect of moving to China – they even picked me up from the airport. My colleagues have been very welcoming and are all amazing, open-minded, like-minded and lovely people. Work doesn’t necessarily feel like work. We teach students aged 3-18, we work a few hours in the evenings on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday, and we have a full day Saturday and Sunday. The days go so fast because the students are a pleasure to teach… some students will hug you and tell you they love you, they are so cute!
My contract is for a year, so I have 9 months left, but so far…I don’t want it to end! My whole life has changed and it’s amazing! You can buy a meal for the equivalent of 40p so I haven’t cooked or had to go food shopping for three months! My colleagues are amazing friends to me, and “work” is too enjoyable to be classed as work! If you are considering doing a TEFL course but aren’t sure, my advice is DO IT, DO IT, DO IT! It will completely change your life in the best way possible!
At first I was concerned about the language barriers, but you pick things up surprisingly fast! The most important thing I have learnt to say so far is “I don’t want it spicy”. Crazy things will happen most days, but it’s amazing to see and experience, so embrace it and make incredible memories.There is a massive world out there with spectacular things to see – go see it all and make your life an exciting adventure!
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