Teach Abroad Blog
Teaching abroad
How to Become an ESL Teacher
With an approximate population of over 1.3 billion people and growing, there is an increasing demand for ESL teachers in China. If you’re looking to teach in China, you may be asking yourself many questions. What qualifications are needed? How much experience must I have? What is it like working in China? And ultimately, how do I become an ESL teacher?
The Importance of Obtaining Reference Letter Before Leaving Your Employer
To teach in China, you must abide by three basic requirements. The first is a bachelor’s degree, the second is being aged 25 to 55, and the third is two years’ of post-bachelor’s work experience. For this third requirement, the Chinese government accepts a reference letter as proof. This reference letter is often used to assess your job application.
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
Technology in China
While teaching abroad in China there are several technologies that can be utilized to smooth the transition and in turn make life easier. Most likely in the country you lived in before China you would have access to social media sites such as Facebook, or video hosting sites such as YouTube. However, these are unfortunately blocked in China. Fret not because you can easily sign up for VPN services which cost around 10 USD per month, some choices are Astrill, HMA, Liberty or if you are looking for something that is free I would recommend Freegate.
My trip to Beijing – Part 1.
It goes without saying that Beijing is a must see for anyone visiting, living or teaching in China. Not just because of the names, but because these places really live up to the hype! This trip was very special for me because it wasn’t just Sophia and I going, but also my father, mother and brother from the U.S. were here!
After they arrived we gave them 2 days to get over the jet lag, then we were headed to the new high speed train from Shanghai to Beijing. After the recent tragedy involving one of these high speed trains, some people were questioning their safety. We decided to go for it and I’m really glad we did. Travelling by train definitely has its advantages. First of all you don’t have to arrive 2 hours before the train and wait in long security lines. Once on the train, every seat (even economy) has as much leg room as first class on a plane.
Huangshan Mountain – a must see!
Since our last trip to Hangzhou, Sophia and I had been itching to get out of town and see more of China. On the recommendation of a co-worker, we looked into Huangshan Mountain, also known as Yellow Mountain. It is a little bit confusing without a guide book and we were having trouble finding much information online. We weren’t even sure if we should take a train or a bus. Turns out the bus is definitely faster, about 5 hours getting there and 6 coming back (in traffic). We originally planned to go during the Labor Day holiday weekend, but that turned into our first lesson. If you want to travel during the holidays, buy your tickets in advance! The South railway bus terminal was a madhouse! They literally had soldiers in fatigues keeping people from jumping the lines! We waited over an hour and by the time we got to the ticket window our bus was long gone…we decided to purchase tickets for that following Tuesday to take advantage of Sophia’s days off work.
