Teach English in China blog
Welcome to the Teach English in China blog!
Here you will find real stories, practical advice and opinion pieces about teaching English in China - all written by past or present teachers.
If you would like to contribute to the blog, please 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 Chinese university students really want from their oral English class
Opinion
January 31, 2018 by Kim Ooi
What do Chinese university students really want from their oral English class with a foreign teacher? First, let me ask you a question. As an oral English teacher, if you had a group of students who are used to being lectured and who have difficul...
Spending Christmas alone in China? Here are 7 ways to beat the yuletide blues
Festivals
December 23, 2017 by Mike Cairnduff
While the concept of Christmas has become mainstream in China, spending it alone can be a difficult time. You won’t be surrounded by family and friends you grew up with, and the cultural traditions of Christmas in China are different from w...
How I embraced the digital classroom in China
Teaching strategies
December 09, 2017 by Sarah Bucknall
For many of us, we can remember the sound of chalk scraping along the blackboard. The teacher, almost a dictator, would rarely venture more than an arm’s length away from their main teaching aid. In an ESL classroom in China, the environment...
Teaching English in Sichuan: Scott’s story
Interview
October 26, 2017 by Mike Cairnduff
Australian teacher Scott Mitchell has been teaching English in Sichuan province on and off for six years. I took the opportunity to interview him in his final semester. Scott, can you tell us about your experience teaching English in Sichuan? I...
How to take the stress out of teaching
Advice
October 22, 2017 by Nicholas McKay
When taught how to become a teacher, you learn many things except how not to let the job get the best of you. A few evenings ago, I was playing Mahjong with my wife. This was our seventh round, and I had won all but one of them. For those of yo...
5 most unexpected things you will encounter in China
Daily life
October 09, 2017 by David Smith
Have you ever wondered what it would be like to visit a new place? Maybe even a new country? Oftentimes, it is easy to forget that not every other place looks just like, or works just like, how things do at home. Even something as simple as McDona...
Why teaching English in China is better than working in the UK
Opinion
September 30, 2017 by Kim Ooi
As an expat in China, I suffered from a lot of culture shock initially so I’m really surprised to find myself writing this blog today. But, like many people have said, it all depends on the perspective you take. After doing some reflectio...
4 student homework habits to help kick off your teaching career
Teaching strategies
September 29, 2017 by Alex Moore
This blog consists of tips, experience and wisdom – some of it my own, some of it second-hand – that I wish I had put into action in my first year of teaching. I am a hypocrite though. I didn’t do a single one of these things in...
Eating meatballs with chopsticks: the expat’s guide to Ikea in China
Shopping
September 24, 2017 by Jonathan Arthur
When you make the move to China, one of the first things you’ll want to do is decorate your new apartment. Fortunately, there is Ikea in China! It may seem a little bit odd that I would write about Ikea in China. First of all, isn’t ev...
Travel truths: what you need to know about China
Advice
September 16, 2017 by Mike Cairnduff
I recently came across a great blog that outlined 40 travel truths you should know by age 40. Naturally, my brain turned to ‘China mode’ and as I ran through the list I considered how each of the truths applied to China. So here are...
