Being A Teacher in Chinese Schools

What is it like to be a teacher in China? Your experience is what you make it. Your experience may be different depending on what age you decide to teach. You have many options, from teaching kindergarten to teaching adults. Let’s take a look.

If you choose kindergarten, you will have energetic children who are curious but have yet todevelop their English. This can be rewarding if you like children. It also helps to have a nice singing voice. As a kindergarten teacher, you will teach the children simple words and sing songs with them. Some of the kids may be distracted, but at least a few of them will be very engaged and surprise you with how much they know. Do keep in mind that they are small children and only understand the simplest of English words and phrases. At this level it is probably best to use a mixture of English and Chinese to help the children get the most out of each lesson. You may have a teaching assistant with you who is bilingual. If not, do your best to help the children understand with body language and simple commands.

If you choose primary school, you will teach children who are young but have a more developed vocabulary. Again, keep in mind that their English is not advanced and keep your sentences and presentations simple. You will typically incorporate a variety of games into each lesson to keep them engaged. Do not be surprised if children jump on you or try to be physical with you. They are just playing, and if you are not prepared for that type of behavior, you might try teaching slightly older children.

If you choose middle school, the children should have a reasonable command of simple English and perhaps some of them will begin to speak and understand more complex language. At this age the children are much more reserved than they were several years prior, and they will mind your personal space. Your lessons will still incorporate games, but you can try getting them to talk. Do understand that some of the students are painfully shy and you cannot get a word out of them. These students can be frustrating because you know that there is something beneath the surface, but they just won’t let it out. Overall, the students tend to be engaged in the lessons and eager to learn.

If you choose high school, the children behave even more maturely. You should expect most of them to have reasonable English skills, and you can even speak more naturally when giving your lessons.

It’s always a good idea to speak slowly and perhaps occasionally repeat yourself to give the students a chance to know your meaning.

If you choose college, your students will vary greatly in ability, from students who can barely speak any English (few) to those who understand some of what you are saying (most) to the select few who seem to know English and some aspects of Western culture as well as anyone in China. In the case where you have all of these students in your class at the same time, it becomes a challenge to choose the appropriate level for your lessons. At this level, you do away with most games; however, you can create some competitions within your class by splitting the students into teams and having them play for points. You may be excited to know that your content can be more advanced and have more interesting information.

It can be a good idea to incorporate various trivia and other factual information about your presentation topics in order to make your lessons more interesting for the students and for yourself. Having a topic that you have some interest in can also make your presentations more passionate than they would be with a more generic topic.

Ultimately it is up to you how you teach the students, so have fun.

Would like to learn more about teaching jobs in China?

Check this out: http://www.wiechina.com/