The China Teaching Experience

Jack Hughes

Committing to live in China is a scary prospect when coming from the warm and safe embrace that university offers. Teaching can make this prospect even more scary, it did for me. I came to apply to teach in China when the question of “what on earth am I going to do next year??!” abruptly entered my head. Cue Andrew. Andrew presented his company at my uni and somehow made me think teaching in China was what I always wanted to do. The way he speaks about China, so passionately, won me over. The task of starting the application process was extremely easy and fast.

The whole application process is a long one and difficult at times and needs full commitment from yourself, Andrew is 100% committed to you from day 1. “If it were easy, everyone would do it” as they say. However, it is not just you, it is you and Andrew. Throughout the whole process you are never alone. I started thinking this guy must never sleep and must the fastest typist in the world: Question sent at 1:04 – Reply received at 1:05 putting every doubt, question and worry to bed.

Believe me on this one, it can get difficult and can sometimes make you feel like you will never get to China. Often you will feel powerless and feel like a bystander thinking nothing is progressing. Do not fret though, when it feels like you are getting no-where and you have been forgotten, you have not. Andrew is doing so much work with the China side of things for you that your application is always moving forward. He is doing all he can to get you there. Trust him.

As you have probably noticed reading this, i mention Andrew a lot. The China Teaching Experience is Andrew and Andrew is The China Teaching Experience. This is pretty unique when applying for a programme like this. I am sure everyone has been in a situation where you have signed up for something, need a question answered and end up emailing a generic company email. That is the great thing about The China Teaching Experience, it is a personal affair. You communicate with the same person meaning he knows exactly what needs to be done for your unique situation.

I, without a doubt, recommend signing with The China Teaching Experience. It is a great company and has a great guy running it. See you all in China!

Elizabeth Sealey studied BA Drama and Theatre Practice at the University of Hull before spending ten months abroad teaching English as part of The China Teaching Experience.

Why did you choose The China Teaching Experience?

The idea of finding a graduate job was pretty daunting, and quite difficult. I also wanted the chance to explore and travel before accepting adult life. It offered something different, a chance to live in a new country, and embrace a new culture, while gaining valuable work experience.

Where did you live? What was it like?

I lived in Foshan, a big city in the southern Guangdong province. It’s about a two-hour train ride from Hong Kong. There’s lots of open space and it’s very well connected, which was great for travelling around China, as well as the rest of Asia.

To give you an idea of living costs, four of us would go out for dinner and drinks for less than £20. Luckily for me, a lot of the Foshan locals spoke some basic English, which certainly helped at the start.

What were the biggest challenges?

It was probably learning to accept that China is a world away from anything I’d ever known. It’s almost impossible to describe it to somebody who hasn’t been. The Chinese eat, communicate, negotiate, and even sleep differently. It really is like going to a different planet.

What have you gained from the experience?

Teaching in China was an experience that I would never have expected to affect me in so many ways. I’ve made friends for life, and have memories that I’ll never forget.