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Most summer schools in China last for 4-6 weeks, and a standard deal generally offers return airfares, accommodation and food in the school, and a very basic wage designed to cover any extra fundamental living costs. This makes it a cost-effective way for a recent graduate, those taking a career-break, or even those with 4 weeks of holiday from work still available to them to sample the lifestyle, and still return home after a month if the do not like it. The Next Step Personally, I returned home after the month, did my washing, and promptly jumped straight back on a plane to Beijing a week later. The summer school had enabled me to visit a primary school that need a foreign teacher for a year prior to signing a contract, check out the facilities, and make sure that all the terms of the contract appeared to be correct. I also took a walk around the surrounding district, checked the local amenities, checked the distance of the school from the city centre, and checked that the accommodation on offer was a place in which I could happily reside for a year. On arrival, the only thing that differed from the original contract actually worked in my favour, as I ended up teaching primary students as oppose to middle school. I later found out from a Chinese colleague of mine, (their information was also supported by my own observations of the way in which I was viewed within the school and local district,) that I was placed in the primary school because I was the only foreign teacher that they had met prior to hiring, and was wholly due to my physical appearance as a young, white, slim woman with blonde, (albeit dyed blonde), hair. The Chinese place great importance on physical appearance, and I was considered to be maternal-looking, (just a brief note, an English dress-size 10 is considered to be rather voluptuous in China,) and attractive, (white skin and large eyes are considered beautiful.) Teaching The first day I walked into a classroom in my new school, I was faced with forty, six year old boys and girls, many of whom had never seen a foreigner before. They were completely awestruck, and to my surprise, fascination, and sometimes annoyance, this interest did not seem to abate much throughout the year. As the week progressed, I realise that each of my twenty classes a week involved different students, and this would mean me that I taught six hundred Chinese students under the age of eleven every week. This may seem like a daunting prospect, but I actually found it to be beneficial for myself as an inexperienced, first-time teacher as it provided variety and exposed me to a huge amount of different students, situations, and teaching opportunities. Finances And Practicalities As each class
lasted only forty minutes, my timetable in the second semester meant that
I only worked mornings, finishing my classes at lunchtime. Although most
full-time contracts stipulate that you are not allowed to do extra part-time
work, this is flexible depending on your relationship with your employer.
Many schools will turn a blind-eye to this, even offering you overtime
within other departments of the school or partner schools much of the time.
I worked extra hours in my own school as well at other schools, and with
extra work, a net monthly wage of 10,000 RMB, (approximately $670 at the
time of writing,) is certainly achievable. Depending on your plans to travel
and your lifestyle, it is certainly possible to save at least half of this
whilst still maintaining a high standard of living, as schools should provide
you with at least a return airfare and free accommodation, (inclusive of
utility bills,) for a year’s contract, (a one-way airfare is standard for
a six month contract.) My school also provided me with three meals a day
in the school canteen should I wish to take advantage of this, and this
meant that I has no compulsory expenses at all..
Possibilities The demand
for foreign teachers in China is huge at the moment, a trend that will
certainly continue at least until the Olympic games in 2008, and subsequently
the possibilities and choices for potential TEFL teachers is huge. All
of the experiences that I have described in this article are either personal,
or have happened to friends and colleagues of mine that I met whilst living
in Beijing, and so I can vouch for the feasibility of all of these ideas.
However, one thing I would recommend to anyone contemplating TEFL teaching
in China, or anywhere else, is to do your research, and always be prepared
to try something new if you realise that the experience is not working
out for you. Incidentally, out of the six foreigners at my original summer
school, (two Americans, one Australian, two English and one Irish,) I have
been dating the Australian for the past two years, and my fellow Englishman
married a Chinese teacher from the summer school in January 2004, which
just goes to prove that you can never predict the experiences that you
may have whilst teaching abroad!
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