Blogs by Kim Ooi
Behavior management in Chinese universities – should you use the carrot or the stick?
Students
April 28, 2019
Picture this scene: you’re standing in front of your university English class in China trying to explain something. Meanwhile, Adam has his head on his desk, sleeping, Sugar is playing with her mobile phone and Fiona is doing homework from a...
Eating out in Zhenjiang
Food
April 13, 2019
I’ve taught English in many cities in China. None have had such a wide range of eating out options that I’m currently enjoying in Zhenjiang. My campus at Jiangsu University is surrounded by an impressive range of restaurants and hawker...
Why are so many English teachers in China single?
Opinion
February 06, 2019
I’ve been teaching in China for nearly six years and in that time I’ve met a great many fellow expat teachers from all over the world. Some are old, some are young and they come from different countries too. But one thing that most...
Teaching oral English to university students in China
Teaching strategies
December 13, 2018
Ah, the lure of the TEFL industry. See the world, they said, experience a new culture, broaden your horizons! The EFL job ads literally scream at you, “Come and teach in our country!” So, after a robust interview process, you get ac...
The benefits of teaching in China that no one tells you about
Personal stories
December 11, 2018
You might already know about some of the main benefits of teaching in China, like airfare reimbursement and free accommodation at some schools. But let me fill you in on some of the benefits of teaching in China that I really wasn’t expecti...
The 7 secret methods of a highly successful teacher in China
Teaching strategies
October 30, 2018
Any teacher who’s passionate about their profession wants the best for their students. If there were some secret methods or techniques that we could use to engage our students, we’d be keen to know what those were. Right? Although I...
Online teaching vs classroom teaching – which one is better?
Opinion
October 20, 2018
For my entire teaching career so far, I have been a classroom-based teacher. However, recently I’ve started tutoring a student online and thought it would be a good idea to compare the two. So which one is better, online teaching or clas...
12 skills you need to be a successful university teacher in China
Opinion
September 12, 2018
Usually, when you enquire about a job, you are sent two documents – a person specification and a job description. The first gives you an idea of the type of person the organisation is looking for and is basically a list of attributes that th...
What happens if you get sick in China?
Personal stories
August 08, 2018
I’m normally a very healthy person and hardly ever need to see a doctor. I didn’t think that I’d ever be able to write this article. However, I’ve recently had a couple of interesting encounters with medical professionals i...
Don’t teach in China if you...
Advice
July 23, 2018
I have been teaching in China now for nearly five years. In that time, I have met a great many fellow teachers from all over the world. I have seen teachers thrive and make a success of their teaching careers in China but I have also seen teacher...
