Teach Abroad Blog
Teaching abroad
International School Employment: What to Expect
International schools are prestigious; they pay the best, have the best facilities and only hire the best teachers, like we said: the best.
Ever wondered what goes on behind the scenes? What’s an international school all about? What makes them stand out from the rest?
Teaching in China
You may have just received an offer to teach at a great school in Beijing and in your excitement, you accept the offer without hesitation. Sometimes with our excitement, we become blind to the risks and precautions we need to take. What may look great on paper may not be in real life. Teaching in China has long been a popular choice of adventure for those who wish to experience a different culture as well as those who are looking to further their careers., however, it’s important to know what to expect and the reality of the situation. Here are a few things that you should take into account:
When to apply to schools
You may be wondering when the best time to apply for a teaching position is. This all depends on what type of school you are looking to teach for and what age group you want to teach. Here we have given you the details of the different types of schools to help you understand the best time to apply for your perfect school!
Living Abroad
Teaching and Travelling
Teaching abroad is a great option for those who want to see different parts of the world, while still having a career and a steady paycheck. Full time teaching work in China on average will pay between CNY9,000 – 20,000/month. Given the cost of living in China, this is enough to cover day to day living expenses, including accommodation, eating out etc., as well as allowing you to save money each month to spend travelling. You can use this money to go on several short breaks around the country throughout your time in China, or else save your money and go on a longer trip around China and other parts of Asia during summer vacation.
3 Great Mountains to Visit this October Holiday
China’s five most renowned mountains, or Wu Yue 五岳, have been summited for several millennia, and should be on the to-do list of every china-enthusiast. Because of time-constraints (the October holiday is only seven days long), we will only discuss three today. For pointers on how to combine travelling with a teaching carreer, click here!
Letters and Numbers in Chinese Internet Slang
The use of Letters and Numbers in Chinese Internet Slang
Most internet users know what the expressions U2 (you too) or ttyl (talk to you later) mean. Online, or in text messages many of us use acronyms to save time, but this phenomenon isn’t just limited to the English language. Over the past few years, the use of letters and numbers has become increasingly popular among Chinese netizens. Not just for the sake of brevity, but also to avoid widespread censorship. Disclaimer: As is true of most internet language, many of these expressions can be offensive.
- 88 拜拜 (bai bai)
Typed at the end of a conversation, 88 simply means goodbye. The Chinese word for 8 八 (ba) sounds like the character拜(bai), the transliteration of the English “bye”
- 3Q 三Q (san Q)
This simply is an informal transliteration of thank (三san, as the “th” is hard for Chinese to pronounce) you (Q)。
- PS Photoshop
This English expression is also popular on the Chinese internet. Netizens sometimes use “PS” to comment on (profile) pictures of girls, implying that Photoshop was used to make the actually ugly girl look beautiful.
- 250 二百五 er bai wu & 2 二 (er)
In Chinese (internet/popular) culture these words have more-or-less the same meaning, and are used to describe an imbecile. It can be playfully used between two friends when either one does something silly, but when used between strangers it is an insult.
- 38 三十八 (san shi ba)/三八 (san ba)
Someone who is 38 tends to gossip. 他很三十八- he is very gossipy. The word can be both a noun and adjective.
- 555…
Any number of fives (五wu) sounds like 呜 （wu）an onomatopoeia for crying. E.g. I failed my midterm 5555555 🙁
- BT 变态(bian tai)
BT is an expression that recently became very popular. Often translated as psycho, the meaning is usually not that intense. It can both be used to describe a person who is abnormal or even perverted, as well as to describe a crazy action (adj). The meaning varies greatly as singing in public (silly) as well as groping a girl on the subway (perverted) can be described as BT.
- SB/2B 傻屄 (sha bi)
Chinese kids may tell you SB simply means some body after having called you an SB, but the real meaning is actually very offensive. SB literally means stupid (傻) cunt (屄). Because 2 resembles S in shape, SB is sometimes written as 2B. Also, the character屄 is rarely used, and instead another word with the same pronunciation is written (e.g.逼).
- NB = 牛屄 (niu bi)
When someone does something really cool or amazing (厉害 li hai), online commenters sometimes type NB, which simply means “awesome” or “badass”. Occasionally it is used to describe the opposite: a person pretending to be cool. A poser, tool or 装逼(zhuang bi). As is true of many (Chinese) words, the meaning usually depends on the context. Any character with the “bi” sound can be substituted for (屄). E.g. 牛逼/牛比
- TMD 他妈的 (ta ma de)
TMD simply means damn it, and is used when bad news is received.
