By Corey Pyke. Corey lives in Xiamen, and has been a teacher in China since 2019.
So, you’re thinking of moving to China but aren’t too sure of what to expect when it comes to work. Having made the move nearly 6 years ago, here are some of the main things that I have noticed.
The Language
This may seem like an obvious point to make, but the language can be a huge change to get used to. As someone who had 0 experience speaking Mandarin before moving, I realised that learning the basics can really go a long way. In big cities such as Beijing and Shanghai, you will be able to find locals who speak English, but in the smaller cities, not so much. Within the schools, of course the English department will have a good level of English, with many teachers having studied abroad, but outside of the department language skills may be limited. Having lessons or self – studying can be extremely helpful, and Chinese people are always excited to hear foreigners speak the language, however basic it may be!
The Working Environment
If you are someone who needs a lot of notice about meetings or deadlines, be prepared! A lot of schools in China take a very “last-minute” approach to giving out information, and some information that you may see as important might not be given out unless specifically asked for. It does take some getting used to, and you will need to be flexible, but on the whole, it won’t affect your experience. If it is something that bothers you, or if you have other issues within your school, there will always be someone to talk to, whether that be a a fellow foreign teacher, a manager or HR.
Holidays
Everyone’s favourite time, the holidays! Working in China as a teacher means that there are a lot of holidays, with the longest being around 4 – 6 weeks. There are a few differences with the west though. The first major difference is “make-up days”. This essentially means that for most national holidays, you will need to “make-up” some of the days that you have missed – usually by working the weekend before or the weekend after. The next major difference is that Christmas is not a national holiday. You may see decorations around your city, or take part in activities at school, but for most schools you will only get Christmas day and maybe Boxing day off. That being said, there is plenty of time throughout the year to explore China and the rest of Asia.
If you’d like to talk to us a out teaching in China you can get started by applying today.
