Teaching in China: Tips for First-year Teachers 1

Most schools in China are nothing less than pleasant, with great staff, great hours and great kids. But, stay in China long enough and you'll hear plenty of horror stories. Many of us have experienced a bad school first-hand, or, unfortunately, are continuing to. This article aims to give newer teachers some practical advice about what to expect, what to get over, and what not to tolerate as a teacher in China.

In China the first year is the gauntlet, and, if you're not one of the lucky ones, it can be ruthless. Tossed into a place where workers have minimal rights, where blatantly lying to save face is a custom, where plagiarism is an institution, and where hours are so pointlessly long for both the Chinese staff and the students that it is hard to get them to do anything, save preparation for one of the myriad standardized tests, new teachers can get frustrated and fed up in no time. And if your one of the unlucky ones who has ended up at one of the hundreds of school in China that strive to import  "clapping monkeys" and treat them like indentured servants, it can become a nightmare from which you cannot escape.

How to Prepare

1) Fools rush in
Don't rush into a job: take it slowly, carefully, cautiously—there are more than enough jobs to go around, and, with a college degree and a TESOL (online course, cheap and very easy), you'll have more offers than you know what to do with. Pick five or ten jobs, have them send you the contracts, and compare all the details meticulously. Research, weigh your options, and sift through the cities thoroughly; I've found that usually the schools that are looking for you to jump into a rash, impulsive decision will put the pressure on fast and quick—don't succumb.  Typically, public schools offer the best positions, hands down: minimal hours, a least one paid month off, unperturbed staff. Private schools are good for those without a degree, those looking to move up in the ranks, and those who have a lot of time to kill.

2) Relax
Classes will be cancelled and they will forget to tell you—students will be pulled out of class frequently—printers and copy machines will be broken—students will forget everything you've taught them in a week—your lessons will be totally demolished by the Fates—and no one else will even seem to notice. There's nothing you can do about it. Don't be too wound up from the onset.

3) Look into your new school at one of these websites:
www.eslteachersboard.com
www.teflblacklist.blogspot.com
www.eslblacklist.com
www.eslteacherscafe.com