Forums » Smalltalk » AMA: TEFL Teacher Living in China

I've been teaching English in China for over five years now. Ask me anything!

How did you manage to get work like that? Was it through some agency or a programme?

Thanks for asking~

I actually applied through a normal job search website, like Indeed or Monster--I can't remember which. 😅 Then my employer helped me find a third party agency to handle the visa process.

Did you find the move/transition difficult? What was the most surprising change you had to adjust to? Do you speak Mandarin or Cantonese yourself, or are your students already fluent enough in English that you don't have to?

Thanks for asking!

I adjusted quickly and happily. I've grown to find I'm very adaptable so settling into a new culture was easier for me than it seems to be for other people.

The most surprising change was toilets. Lots of people have heard about squat toilets in Asia, but in China specifically you throw the TP away in the trash can instead of flushing it. 😅 Maybe that's TMI but that's a habit that's hard to break when I'm traveling outside of China now lol.

I speak very simple Mandarin and can get by in my daily life. However, we are forbidden from using Chinese in the classrooms! From day one, students have an English-only environment in our school. As teachers, we use a lot of visual support to ensure they're learning, and it all works out somehow lol.

Oooh, so it's like a full immersion program! That is interesting.

What do you miss the most about China when you visit other countries?

Exactly, parents love it!

Besides the obvious answer--my dear friends!--I always miss the food. I even prefer the Chinese take on other country's food. For example, I was in Japan on a holiday and enjoyed the ramen. But I just prefer the way it's prepared here in China 😅