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Escape from America Magazine was recently contacted by subscriber Eva Lynne.  Eva Lynne is currently an English language instructor at the Gateway Language Village located in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, on the South China Coast.  Eva wanted readers to be aware of an ongoing job vacancy for Interns at Gateway.  The editor of Escape from America Magazine thought it would be helpful to readers if more was known about the job opening, its location, amenities, and other particulars readers might like to know about.  The editor contacted Grayson Bass, Director of Social Programs for Gateway.  The following is the result of the interview conducted during the week of August 6th, 2002. Editor Eva Lynne is a frequent contributor to Escape from America Magazine.  Her latest article appears in this issue and is entitled, “Cultural Attitudes Towards Learning ~ The People's Republic of China.” Eva notified us of a continuing job vacancy announcement at the Gateway Language Village.  What is the Gateway Language Village? GB First let me say thanks for contacting us.  Gateway is a fine school, and the readers of Escape from America Magazine will be interested in this paid volunteer Intern position.   The mission of GLV is to be a gateway to the world for Chinese and also a gateway into China for the world.  We will celebrate our fourth year as a school this December and we have just moved from our first building into a larger school nearby.  Our new building has over twenty classrooms, a dance hall, a kitchen and cafeteria, a large teachers office with computers, internet access and a teaching resource library, as well as a student center and a main hall for gatherings. A unique aspect of GLV is the class size.  We limit our class size to 12 participants so that we can address individual learning styles and needs.  Most of our students are between 18 and 35 and are professionals in business, government officials and university students.  Some come to prepare to study abroad and some come to improve their English for a promotion or a change of job.  We have students who come from all parts of China, Asia and the rest of the World.  We provide dormitory style housing, however, at GLV we also have a unique programpromotion or a change of job.  We have students who come from all parts of China, Asia and the rest of the World.  We provide dormitory style housing, however, at GLV we also have a unique program where students have the option to have a home-stay with one of our teachers/interns/volunteers.   Over half of our teachers have been

Teacher, Student, Intern Gateway Language Village is searching for Interns for their total immersion language programs. GLV is offering three month and six month contracts to anyone with a strong desire to see and mingle with the authentic cultures of China. It's a chance for mature High School graduates, college students, world travelers, and people looking for an interesting adventure and educational experience to travel and work. . Additional Resources Classified Ads Section - Expatriate Search Tools - Submit an Article - World Travel Links - Maps Of The World - Moving & Living Overseas - GLV website - GLV Deputy Director - GLV Director of Social Programs - ..

Editor
Would you tell our readers about the job, its responsibilities, its duties, what a day of teaching is like in terms of hours of teaching.
 

GB We are seeking Interns who are interested in gaining experience and training in our total immersion language programs.  Contracts are for 3 months or 6 months and include all working papers.  An extension at the end of a contract that includes an annual bonus may be available to interns who show an outstanding ability.  Our interns don’t teach in the traditional sense of the word.  While they don’t have a structured class, our interns do help our students and the community by participating in discussion groups, known as English Corners, cultural exchanges, and helping our Beginner and Elementary level students in nightly review and study sessions.  Most intern hours are five nights a week, between one and half and four hours, bi-monthly Saturday excursions or day activities and occasionally on Sunday, welcoming new students.  Interns may also have the opportunity to teach a one-hour workshops and/or a two-hour elective during the weekdays.

classroom size is limited to twelve students

Editor
How many students would be in an Intern’s classroom and is discipline a problem?

GB
Because our interns don’t have a class they have the opportunity to work with students ranging from one-to-one interactions to large groups to give out students opportunities to interact in a variety of English environments.  Because our students are professionals and adults paying to learn here, we don’t have discipline problems that a pre-school or high school would have.
 

Editor If there is Intern/teacher support, what kinds of support are offered? GB Strong Intern/teacher support is available from our international management team, including in-service training.   We have week-long in-services twice a year; once after the Chinese New Year (around February) and again after the Summer session (in August).  We also have bi-monthly training for our teaching staff.  Our in-services consist of team building, improving teaching methods, improving work environments and working towards building a better school and program.  Editor What are some perks for teaching at Gateway?  For example, are their Mandarin language courses, is there medical insurance included in the contract, a housing allowance?

Teachers and Interns at GLV

GB
We offer free Mandarin lessons, free internet, and weekend outings to places of historic or natural interest in the area and monthly all-school dinners.  Full time staff has two weeks of annual holiday, three weeks of paid vacation, and a year-end bonus.  All of our interns benefit from our international teaching team currently from six different continents and managers with international business experience and years of teaching experience in China.

Editor
Is there any weekend teaching?

GB
There is no formal teaching on the weekends.  The only duties are welcoming new students once every two weeks and Saturday on alternate weekends. 

Editor
What are the qualifications requirement?

GB
The greatest qualification is a strong desire to see and mingle with the authentic cultures of China.  The ability for an Intern to use clearly spoken English is essential for Gateway’s total immersion language programs and all English environment.  In addition, personal confidence, good communication skills, and some additional skills/interests such as business, arts, and music would also be useful. TEFL China course, the only TEFL course available in China, is available for a fee at Gateway Language Village. 

Editor
What is the living allowance in RMB and in USD?

GB
The living allowance is 2,000 RMB per month.  The RMB is on parity with the USD so there is no danger of having your money “evaporate” while you are here.  The rate is pretty much fixed at 8.27.  That makes the allowance a little more than 240 dollars a month.  It is possible to change RMB to dollars at the bank if you have a working visa (which GLV provides).  You can also change your money in Hong Kong or Macau.  There is a street market for USD, but going through the banks provide the best rate.  When coming to China, remember to save your bank receipts when you change money.  This way you can show the bank and change the money you brought in back to dollars (or whatever currency you use).  There is a black market for currency exchange but you could end up with counterfeit bills.
 

Editor Where do Interns live and what are the accommodations like? GB Teachers enjoy shared accommodation with students in modern furnished apartments.  All of our apartments have a private room for our interns, a kitchen, TV, western style bathrooms and are a 5 minutes walk from the school.  Even though the apartments have kitchens, the school provides 3 meals a day Monday-Friday in our cafeteria and some meals on weekends, as well as an allowance on days when food isn’t provided (as long as it is a working day).  The school and the apartments are located in an area with lots of restaurants and coffee shops.  Some of our apartments have views of Phoenix Mountain, on the street side, and of BanZhan mountain, which

typical livingroom accomodations

is directly behind the apartments.  I mentioned that our teachers live with our students, and would like to talk a bit more about that if I could.  Because our program is Total Immersion English, some of our students choose to live with some of our staff.  For people who are interested in experiencing day-to-day life and the chance to really interact with the people of China this can be a really rewarding experience.  I still talk with students that I lived with my first month here and on holidays will go and visit them.  Because we have students from every province in China our interns, teachers and volunteers usually have inside information on local travel spots when they travel around on holiday. 

Editor
Are things expensive in China?  For example, how much would someone pay for a pair of tennis shoes, for a laptop, for a movie ticket, for 12 eggs?

GB
Zhuhai is not an expensive city at all.  Most Intern Programs in China advise bringing 100 dollars a month to live on, but because we provide an allowance of more than twice that; living on a budget here doesn’t mean denying yourself a good time.  You could go out to dinner or out with friends on an almost nightly basis and still be able to save almost ¾ of your allowance (and use that 100 dollars for travel).  Like anywhere, the more you frequent the more touristy spots and nightclubs the faster money seems to disappear.   Because the school pays for almost all utilities and meals it is fairly easy to save most of your money.  Shoes for soccer/football cost around 5-10 USD, a laptop can be purchased here but it is usually better to go to Hong Kong or Macau to buy one.  They can cost between 800-1500 USD.  It’s interesting that you mention movie tickets.  There are actually very few movie theaters here and the ones that you find usually show the movies dubbed in Chinese.  Again, you can go to Hong Kong and pay about the price of a matinee in the US to see movies there.  However, because DVD players are so cheap here (between 75 and 100 dollars) most people buy a player and with the TV that the school provides watch the new releases on DVD at home.  All movies that come out in the States are available either the day of release or the week before they are released there.  They usually run between 90 cents and a dollar and are available almost everywhere. 
 

Editor What is there to do on holidays, where can Interns go for rest and relaxation?  Are their nightclubs nearby where Interns can go dancing to western music?  Can Interns get away from it all and go somewhere for some rejuvenating meditation? GB This is an excellent position for those who wish to work a few months and then travel.  Zhuhai is located in the South of China on the border with Macau and about an hour and half boat ride west of Hong Kong.  The city is one of the Top Ten Places to live in the world, as rated by the U.N.  Almost 20 years ago it was designated as a Special Economic Zone, or S.E.Z., in order to help open China up to the world.  It is on the water and is surrounded by over 140 islands in the South China Sea.  Most of the islands are an hour’s boat ride away.  The third largest city in China, Guangzhou (also known as Canton), is less than two hours away (Australia, Canada and the USA have consulates there).  Because of its location

Teacher, Intern and Student outing to Three Falls

you are only an hour to an hour and half from all of China by rail or air and from Hong Kong the rest of the world.  It is also a great place to start from when traveling to Vietnam, Thailand, Bali, Australia, etc.  Zhuhai has about half a million people and is also home to campuses of some of the most prestigious universities in China.  Any night activities that you would expect to find in a college town you can find here.  While Zhuhai is a relatively new city there are still plenty of historical and cultural attractions nearby.  In the immediate area there are historical sites and museums from the Opium Wars and temples and pagodas from the Ming and Qing Dynasties. 

Editor
If you’re a single Intern, is it easy to find companions for nights out, weekends, and on holidays?

GB
China is in the midst of change politically, economically and culturally.  As it opens up there are more people going out and making friends with foreigners.  Most people here have an equal number of foreign and Chinese friends and interact with both groups almost seamlessly.  Part of the training that we provide to our Interns is a cultural orientation.  This helps our staff in the myriad opportunities to meet people of all ages outside of school for social activities. 

Editor
Does Gateway pay for air transportation to China and return airfare after the contract ends?  Is there an extra luggage allowance?

GB
We don’t provide any airfare but can give travel advice.  However, after the completion of some of our longer contracts a bonus is paid.  We are happy in anyway possible to help people find transportation to Hong Kong and in some cases can meet people there or when they arrive in Zhuhai. 

Editor
Does Gateway have a website? What should an interested reader do next to find out more about teaching at Gateway?

GB
If anyone is interested in contributing to the growth and development of our total immersion language programs and village, and has strong desire to see and mingle with the authentic cultures of China, please send your resume together with a brief statement on why you would think you are suitable for this post to Gordon Kerr, Deputy Director, interns@glvchina.com (see Addional Resources above for a direct link). I will happy to answer any comments on this article, questions about life in China, or GLV.  They can be sent to Grayson Bass, grayson@glvchina.com (see Addional Resources above for a direct link).
 

Editor Is there anything else you’d like our readers to know. GB The values and philosophy of GLV may be expressed through one word: "SERVICE." Our management serves staff. Our staff serve students. Our students serve humanity.  We try to make use of each employee or intern’s talents to help our students learn.  Everyone on staff here is dedicated to improving the school and improving China.  Anyone that is not interested in learning about China, working in a multicultural environment, and helping people will not enjoy their time here.  On a personal note, this has been the most rewarding job that I have ever had.  Everyday I feel that I am making a difference and that I am supported by professional and like-minded people.  I came to GLV because I thought that I could make a difference and I’ve stayed here because I know that I am doing exactly that.  This job isn’t for everyone but it is a perfect fit for a lot of people.  We are looking for villagers, Dreamers and Visionaries welcome.

Gateway Language Village

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