Teach Abroad Blog
Teaching abroad
Teaching English Language
Let’s face it: China is expanding on a global front and fast. China is a big-time player in the world’s economy and the amount of millionaires surfacing here is shooting through the roof. Even though the Chinese are dominating the scene, the likelihood that the rest of the world will jump up and learn Chinese is not that high, however, the Chinese already started years ago sending their children to boarding schools in the US and UK to master the world’s lingua franca.
My life in Shanghai
Hello my name is Emanuel Ruiz and I currently live and work in Shanghai in China. As most teachers in America know, budget cuts and test results can take the passion out of the teaching profession. I felt overworked and unappreciated. The lack of job security loomed over me and I was expected to work over 40 hours a week with no compensation. Finding new employment was a struggle because the US job market was and has been in decline.
Choosing Your EFL Teaching Job – The WebMD Effect
So you are contemplating an EFL teaching job or even better, have been offered one! For many of us 21st century people, the next step is to research your school and where better to look than online forums. Unfortunately, there’s a lot of negativity out there! So, here’s where I want to caution you on what I call the Web MD effect: diagnosing an illness based on apparent symptoms. What could I possibly know about any of this? Well, I have been a teacher for many years including U.S. public school, and so my … gibberish … detector is pretty strong. So read on, to see the true, the false, and the meaning of it all.
Living Abroad
Medical Facilities
Medical care in China is very varied in such a vast country. In major municipalities like Shanghai, there is a wealth of medical care available. Expats should feel secure regarding medical facilities, where there are usually three types of providers: Western-style hospitals and clinics, regular clinics in local hospitals, and VIP clinics in local hospitals.
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.
