Blog

How To Plan Lessons When You’re New To Teaching ESL in China

This week, our guest blogger Zoe reflects on her top lesson planning tips for teachers new to ESL teaching... When you enter your first classroom in China, the reality of what you have to contend with on a daily basis can come as quite a shock. I teach in a public primary school, meaning that [...]

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Guest post: A Very Happy Chinese New Year from Fuzhou!

This week Francesca in Fuzhou reflects upon her first Chinese New Year experiences... Joining my Student's Family for Chinese New Year   Before breaking up for the Spring festival holiday (typically taking place late January/ February and a time when all teachers have a break from work), my school ran an extra activity, offering students [...]

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Guest Post: Winter Course Teaching, a Hotpot Date, and the Staff Party!

Here’s the latest instalment from Francesca in Fuzhou, who this week reflects upon her winter course, staff party, and some delicious hotpot! Winter Course teaching, and some seriously hard work…   In ESL schools around China, there is a common practise of running extra courses for a short period of time, several times throughout the year. […]

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The Brilliance of Chinese Co-Workers & Teaching Assistants

This week's post was kindly written by Christy Clayton, currently teaching in Beijing for Aihua English. Thank goodness for Chinese co-workers. If it weren’t for them I’m pretty sure the majority of foreign teachers would have spontaneously combusted out of frustration, confusion, or any other reason! In an Aihua school, foreign teachers are dropped into [...]

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What to Pack when Teaching in China

It’s a big and frequently asked question – what do I need to pack to teach in China? For those teachers heading out to China for the first time, it can seem a bit daunting to pack your life in to 20kg! Here I consider some of the essential items to pack, things to avoid [...]

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How does Opportunity China choose its Partner Schools?

Here at Opportunity China we’ve recently returned from not one, but two extended due diligence ‘tours’ to meet with long-standing partner schools and prospective new partner schools. These visits are always a real highlight for the OC Management Team. This week’s blog post considers how Opportunity China choose new partner schools and monitors existing ones. What [...]

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Why Teach or Intern in Shenzhen?

  Shenzhen has rapidly gone through one of the most dramatic transformations in urban history. In just 30 years this once-rural fishing village has evolved into a buzzing metropolis with a cityscape to rival Hong Kong and famed being the Silicon Valley of China. It now has a population of over 12 million, and is […]

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5 Ways to Save Money while Teaching in China

Photo by Athena Lao It’s well known that teaching abroad can be financially advantageous. This week’s blog post comes from Emily, a travel writer, and considers how you can adjust to a lifestyle in China and save money, while teaching in one of the world’s most exciting and rapidly developing nations.   Limit Your Expenses […]

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Health and Safety when Teaching in China- Part 2

This week’s blog considers what teachers can do, and precautions to take, to stay safe and healthy once you have arrived in China. For information on Medical Checks before and after going to China, check out our guide here. First up, familiarise yourself with local services   On arrival, take the time to check out [...]

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The Day in a life of a TEFL Teacher

This week our guest blog post is written by Adam, who has spent time teaching in Shanghai Adults School EF China. Possibly like you, I had the ambition to travel and see the world, but the main problem was how to achieve this dream without the necessary finance! Well the good news for me, and […]

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