Hi All,

I am thinking about doing the Internship in China in August. Does anybody have any hints or tips for me about the internship? Also have safe is it in China for a female?

Hiya,

I've taught it Beijing before and generally felt very safe - much safer than say wandering around London at night - the only problems any of my fellow teachers experienced was a bit of pickpocketing, so just make sure you have a zip-up bag.

The other thing you have to get used to is strangers approaching you on the street wanting to practice their English - I thought this was all very shady for a good few weeks (especially when they started asking for my number!), until I found out that they are actually genuinely wanting to practice their English and welcome you to China - sounds a bit strange, but happens!

In terms of hints and tips about the internship, you might want to chat to these girls who are current China interns to get their take on things:

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/rozel09

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/roberts121

http://www.tefl-chalkboard.com/zoeholl111/

Hope that helps!

Hey, I'm currently in China on the internship and loving living here so much I’m most likely staying for at least another semester!  My biggest tip would definitely keep and open mind and be optimistic!  China constantly throws challenges at you but equally if not more it will throw some amazing experiences your way!  I’ve written a whole bunch of stuff on my blog with pics about living in China www.onurwaytravel.com hopefully it will be of some help to you! :)

In terms of safety you definitely shouldn't feel too worried about being a solo Female in China! Out of all the countries I’ve visited all over the world this is the only one I actually feel safe about walking to the supermarket at night!  Wouldn't even do that at home in Australia!  Obviously you need to use your common sense, stay alert, try to keep to public areas, be wary of pickpockets on public transport, and as Honor said keep your bag zipped and close to your body at all times (a cross the shoulder satchel is great for this) always keep valuables out of your pockets, really just the same as anywhere else!  Really you’re unlikely to run into any trouble. 

Hope that's of some help!!!  I highly recommend China for ESL teaching, if you want a quirky cultural experience and are up for roughing it, trying some strange foods and using squat toilets then it's the right country for you!!!

Hey Guys,  Sorry it has taken me awhile to reply back to everyone's comments! Life is a little chaotic here even though i am unemployed! Trying to sort everything out! I have now applied for the China Internship and am awaiting to hear back from it! I am madly trying to get the TEFL course completed but it is taking longer than i expected!!  Thanks for all your tips you have both reassured me this is something I am definately keen to do and look forward to the challenge! I think a challenge is exactly what I am needing at the moment!! If you have any tips please feel free to let me know.  I have previously worked in marketing so teaching would be completely left field for myself!  Anyways thanks for the advise and keep me posted! Megs

Hey Guys,  Sorry it has taken me awhile to reply back to everyone's comments! Life is a little chaotic here even though i am unemployed! Trying to sort everything out! I have now applied for the China Internship and am awaiting to hear back from it! I am madly trying to get the TEFL course completed but it is taking longer than i expected!!  Thanks for all your tips you have both reassured me this is something I am definately keen to do and look forward to the challenge! I think a challenge is exactly what I am needing at the moment!! If you have any tips please feel free to let me know.  I have previously worked in marketing so teaching would be completely left field for myself!  Anyways thanks for the advise and keep me posted! Megs

Hi Megs :)

I will be in China teaching from 1st June and though I will not be on an internship, I am pretty sure I will be doing much the same as these guys! I'll keep you posted with how things work out!