What's it like teaching English and living in China?

This evening I received this email:

Hi Sammy

Interesting blog about the online TEFL course. I have a question about working in China though. I have been reading different blogs and am still confused. I saw an offer via TEFL Express to teach English in China. The offer looked pretty good and the pay is as well. I have never been to China and do not speak Chinese. How difficult is it to settle there? Also, if I rent a flat what is the average price one might pay? How are the students, are they eager to learn? I love working with younger children and although I am not a teacher by profession I can teach and have experience working with younger children. I love travelling but am not too confident about China, it just seems way out of my league. I am sure once I get there I will love it. I am just a little uncertain right now about the move. It is soooo far away from where I live. Sorry about all the questions. Hope to hear from you soon. Just so you know I am pretty boring too!


Thank you Much!
Gees

I answer publicly, because I imagine Gees isn't alone in asking these questions and I hope my answer will help many people in the same situation.

Dear Gees,

Thanks for your email, I'm glad someone is actually reading through this gibberish I write.

Settling in China really depends on the situation you find yourself in when you arrive. In most cases you will be at the mercy of the private training school sponsoring your visa. Expect poor organisation and planning. Expect no or few arrangements to be made for you prior to your arrival and expect your school to consider settling you as a big hassle which is probably too much bother. If you come to teach at a university or state school things will probably be a little better with accommodation provided and people on hand to help you settle.

Coco Wang, teacher at my school Xuelite delivering a speech to university students

If however you work for a private school or company, you'll probably be given an allowance for hosing, in this case, expect to be ripped off by landlords and expect little help from your school who just want to house to ASAP rather than find a really good deal for you. If you want your school to help you, be firm with them and set them some demands when you begin house-hunting, if you are patient and clear about what you want with your school they will bend over backwards for you. I learned this the hard way and ended up paying through the nose for an oversized shoebox.

Rents in my city, Zhengzhou are pretty low, but cities will vary in price. If you want a two bedroom apartment of reasonable size here, expect to pay 1000 - 1500 RMB for an older property or 1500 - 2500 RMB for a new property depending on furnishing ect. Zhengzhou is a lower second tier city, Wuhan, a higher second tier city would be a little more while first tier cities like Shenzhen or Beijing would be considerably higher. I wouldn’t recommend living in a first tier city if you want a true Chinese experience as there are so many foreigners in these places, it's easy to get caught up in the ex-pat bubble and miss out on wht China has to offer.

The boring Zhengzhou skyline, looking south from Nongye Road

As for settling, the language can be pretty overwhelming, not something you can pick up with little effort. (One of my colleagues came to China three years ago, got married to a Chinese woman who speaks no English, lives with his parents in law, who speak no English and has a half Chinese baby, yet despite the immersion and clear need to learn, speaks only a handful of words due to sheer laziness) Lots of people will want to practice English with you, try to find real Chinese friends, there are some amazing people in China, you just need to find them.

The first few weeks will be tough, you'll get no training from your school and teaching will initially take a lot of planning and you might have few friends. This is the time to explore as much as you can and get people to talk to you. You'll make lots of new friends by sitting alone in street food restaurants, just stick out those first few weeks and you'll be fine.

I didn't sleep the first few nights I came to China, thinking I'd made the stupidest mistake of my life but after a few weeks I made friends and settled well. I almost gave up and came home only for my passport to get stuck in an office causing me to miss my flight. I'm glad I did though as in the next two years I became a university lecturer, started a business empire (fingers crossed) and got married. My advice to you is come to China and persist. Amazing things can happen here.

Henan Superstar Coco Wang at Zhengzhou Manhattan. That's right, there is a place in Zhengzhou China called Manhattan.

Students are great fun and the young ones are very eager to learn. Loads of kids love learning English and love their lessons, especially if you make them fun like I try to do. As they get older, China's energy draining education system kicks in and the kids get so bogged down in homework, their drive to learn is sapped. They are still well behaved but by middle school and high school, much of the passion is gone and only the special ones still have drive. By university, they are just beginning to rediscover the fun and creativity that high school pounded out of them and university students can sometimes be keen, but the best and brightest students are the under 12s.

If you can, work at a state school or university as private training institutions will work you like a horse. If you want to travel, you can forget it if you work for a private company unless you pull an extended sickie (as I did on three occasions). Travelling by train is simple enough but you may need help buying a ticket, get a Chinese friend to buy a ticket with you or write down instructions on a piece of paper. Hotels are pretty easy to book with the help of Baidu Translate which to self respecting receptionist will be without.

If you have an ounce of common sense you'll be fine travelling in China, it's very safe and the majority of people will be happy to help you.

Come to China, it's certainly an experience.

I hope you dont mind me publishing my reply as a blog post.

All the best,

Sammy