Teach Abroad Blog
Teaching abroad
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
Western China—Buddhas and Ponies and Pandas; Oh My!
Western China—Buddhas and Ponies and Pandas; Oh My!
Most teaching positions in China are concentrated in the southern and eastern parts of the country, as these are the most developed areas as of right now. However, there is a growing demand for teachers in the western provinces as they develop their economies and look to increase their English speaking capabilities. My first teaching job in China was in city of Yulin in Shaanxi province, a few hours north of the metropolitan capital city of Xi’an. This area along the Yellow River watershed is widely considered to be one of the cradles of Chinese civilization, and historical and cultural sights abound in the area. Teaching ESL in China gave me the opportunity to visit some of these locations and it can give you the same opportunity! Here are a couple of the highlights from my travels in Western China (all the pictures are mine by the way, but they could be yours!):
The 3 phases of living abroad
This week Sophia and I are celebrating our six month anniversary of living in Shanghai, China. Although we’ve out been of the U.S. for over a year, this is the first place that we’ve settled down and really started to experience these 3 phases. I’m sure this is not an exhaustive list of phases I will go through but I believe that they may be the most important.
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.
