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What You Will Do
Teaching
You will teach English in an elementary school (grade1 to 9) or high
school (grade 10 to 12) in a major city in China. Which grade you
will teach depends on the opening, your qualification and
preference. Most schools have two semesters, Fall and Spring, each
about four months long. The Fall semester typically starts around September 1 and ends
around January 5, and the Spring semester starts around March 1 and ends
around July 5.
Depending on the school,
you will teach 4 to 6 hours a day, 5 days a week. The class will
have 20 to 40 students.
Your contract will start with one or two semesters. Many
teachers extended their contract and have been teaching in China for several years.
(Some schools may also offer three-months summer programs.)
Part-Time
Jobs
In the evenings and on weekends you may want to add to your income and
experience by doing part-time jobs as a private
English tutor, magazine editor, ad page writer, etc. With China's
booming economy, often, such part-time
jobs are abundant in large cities where businesses earnestly explore
international markets and need all the help they can get in English. It is not unlikely that you will
make more money from the part-time jobs than from the regular teaching job
at school.
Respect and Hospitality
By tradition, Chinese
have high esteem for teachers. No matter if you are a
primary or high school teacher and no matter which grade you are a teacher
of. If you are sociable, you can
expect the students to
respond to you warmly. Probably the students and their parents will treat you
like a "celebrity". Be prepared that you may be invited to
family celebrations and dinner parties
by the students and their parents.
Travel
On weekends and holidays you can travel to
historical or scenery sites not far from the city. In winter
and summer vacations you can travel across the country or to remote
regions. (After Fall and before Spring semester, you will have two
months, January and February, to travel. After Spring and before
Fall semester, you will also have two months, July and August, to travel.)
Learn
Chinese
Obviously, it will be a good opportunity for you to learn Chinese. Most likely,
your students and colleagues will be very willing to help you.
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