Teach English in China blog
Welcome to the Teach English in China blog!
Here you’ll find real stories, practical advice and opinion pieces about teaching English in China – all written by past or present teachers.
Want to to contribute to the blog? Just contact us and we'll be in touch.
So, make yourself a cup of coffee, sit back and enjoy reading. You may even decide to teach in China!
What to do in Chengdu if you’ve only got a few days
Places
September 29, 2018 by Mike Cairnduff
I recently spent four days in Chengdu. I absolutely loved it! Most people who come to this part of China visit the panda research centre. But there are plenty of other cool things to do in and around Chengdu. So here’s my list of what to...
Let’s celebrate Mid-Autumn Festival
Festivals
September 22, 2018 by Mike Cairnduff
Mid-Autumn Festival is one of China's most unique holidays. Also known as the Moon Festival or Mooncake Festival, it’s celebrated when the moon is believed to be at its fullest. A full moon is an auspicious sign in China. The round sh...
12 skills you need to be a successful university teacher in China
Opinion
September 11, 2018 by Kim Ooi
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 are the top 10 cities to visit in China?
Places
September 04, 2018 by Mike Cairnduff
What are China’s top 10 tourist cities? According to a recent study, Shanghai is one of the best. But it doesn’t come out on top! Cities on the Chinese mainland were evaluated based on five aspects: Number of visitors T...
Chinese dating dilemmas
Personal stories
August 31, 2018 by Nicholas McKay
So, you're interested in Chinese dating? You’re single, and ready to mingle, as some might say. Maybe you’re a ‘rice chaser’? Or, to put it another way, perhaps you have ‘yellow fever’? You may have he...
7 weird things you will probably do in China
Daily life
August 13, 2018 by Gayle Aggiss
While you’re living and teaching in China, you’ll have a lot of amazing experiences. You’ll adapt yourself to a culture that’s very different to your own, and see sites you always dreamed of seeing in real life. You’l...
What happens if you get sick in China?
Personal stories
August 07, 2018 by Kim Ooi
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...
Thinking about teaching in China? Here are 3 golden considerations
Planning
July 28, 2018 by Mike Cairnduff
Are you thinking about teaching in China? Before you make this big but exciting decision, it’s critical that you first do research about what options are available in China. You need to determine what you want out of your experience, and...
Do not teach in China if you have any of these 10 traits
Advice
July 22, 2018 by Kim Ooi
I've been teaching in China now for nearly five years. In that time, I've seen many teachers thrive and make a success of their careers in China. But I've also seen teachers who give our profession a bad name. That'...
Whoosh away your English classroom problems!
Teaching strategies
July 20, 2018 by Nicholas McKay
Has the title of this article gone ‘whoosh’ right over your head? Don’t worry, the same thing happened to me when I first heard the concept of a ‘Whoosh!’ exercise. Imagine you are teaching students a text, whether...
