Denise Knows Best! Get Your Questions about the Teach in China Internship Answered!

is the f visa going to be changed into a z visa?or another type of visa?

What is the housing like? Does it have all the amenities that you'd need?

I am thinking of doing an internship after I complete a certIV in TESOL. Would like to know how much help/advise/resources and time you get to plan and organise lesson plans?

Hi Denise :)

I'm trying to compile a list of items that I need to bring with me to China! I've heard that the water in China isn't safe to drink and the shower water isn't safe either. Is this true? I'm bringing water purification tablets with me but I was wondering if there was anything else I should bring over to help with the water situation? Is there anything else you advice me to bring that I probably won't be able to find over there? I've already made a list of medecines and general products like toothpaste, shower gel etc... that I'll need. Do you think it's necessary to bring a mosquito net or a travel laundry kit and a travel iron and other items along those lines? I may sound like I'm bringing everything but the kitchen sink but I don't know what to bring and I want to be careful that I don't overpack either. 

Any advice would be appreciated!

Thanks :)

Hi Guy

To answer your question re TEFLing in Thailand.  I am not an expert in this area but my understanding is that a degree is now a legal requirement for TEFL teaching in Thailand. Having said this there are institutions that advertise online for ‘no degree needed TEFL teachers’. I would advise caution if approaching these. You may find that your employment is not legal. Therefore the school or college in question may not pay you the going rate for a foreign language teacher.  Other conditions of working at that school may also not be up to scratch, eg., the accommodation, flight reimbursements, hours of working etc.  They may also not support you if you are discovered to be an illegal worker.  I know there have been a few of our China interns who were hoping to move onto Thailand but have been prohibited due to the lack of a degree.

In addition to this, there are some provinces in China who are apparently tightening up their requirements for contracting with foreign language teachers. I know of one college who will only accept you on production of your actual degree certificate – this is to stop the widening market for ‘fake’ degrees here.  Having said all this, many of our current interns have already been offered permanent contracts in China.  So, don’t despair, there is good work out here.  And China is not that far from Thailand that you couldn’t take a holiday sometime!

Good luck Guy.

Denise

Hi Denise, thanks for your reply! Yeah i realise that my options will be limited without a degree. One thing im a bit gutted about is that you need a degree to work in thailand as thats one country i really wanted to go back to and teach there. Is it at all possible (legally) to work there without a degree but with good references, experience etc from the internship and from previous schools??

thanks again! :)

Hi Guy.  In answer to your question – don’t worry. I was never asked for my school certificates when I applied for the China internship. If you don’t have them I would suggest the very least you should do is provide a really good CV, highlighting all the experience that would make you a good candidate for the internship.  The main issue will be your TEFL certificate. Make sure you complete it.  If you are intending to stay in Asia and teach after the internship you may find your options are limited if you do not have a degree, although there are some schools who will employ you based on experience alone. These tend to pay a lesser salary though.

Hope this answers your question Guy.  Don’t worry.  Sometimes you just can’t beat experience.

Hello Pierre!

In answer to your question – there are many more opportunities in China for teaching children of kindergarten age.   I think the reason for this is simple.  It is recognised that the earlier children begin to learn a language, the more proficient they will become.  I am currently teaching middle school children, some of whom did not learn English in primary school. The difference in the language skills between these and other students is very noticeable. 

Having said this, there are opportunities for teaching older students in China.  As well as middle and senior schools, there are also many universities who employ foreign language teachers to teach specific English language skills such as business English.  Some of these universities can be contacted directly.  If you are having difficulties, can I suggest that you think about where in China you would like to go, use the internet to find schools or universities located there, and approach them yourself.

Good luck

Denise

Hello there Denise! Im looking at doing the internship next year and just have a quick question for you...do you need to prove that you were in secondary school education until 18 years of age??

im 34 and have no proof of my (fairly poor) school education (due to moving house about 18 million times!) and i dont think i can get proof now as its too long ago :?

please shed some light onto this subject please! :) thanks :)

Thank you, Your information is very helpful. Another question. Why does it seem like most job offerings are for kindergarten children? Do those opportunities pay more? I am used to working with adolescents and adults, yet their seem to be significantly fewer options. I dont mind perse, just curious.

One last post for Pierre! One of the reasons that the China internship works so well is because it gives you the support you need whilst you are finding your feet.  Having been in China for a few months now, I can see all too clearly how difficult it would have been to have done this by myself.  If you take into consideration the struggles you may have with language, food, culture, official offices like the police, hospitals, getting to know complete strangers etc, this process allows you to take things at a slower pace.  Once you have done this its not such a big jump to going it on your own.

Hope this helps.

Denise

Hi again Pierre! If you have signed up for the China internship with TTC and i-to-I, you will find that the school where you are placed is obliged to offer Mandarin lessons under the terms of your contract.

Regarding your Masters degree, I would think that continuing your education will depend very much on what subject you are studying. I know of people who have combined English language teaching here in China with studying, but their Masters subject has been Chinese history, literature or culture, etc. If you are planning to do a Masters in this kind of subject then I see no reason why you couldn’t do it in China. If however, your degree subject is completely unrelated to being in China, then you might struggle.

Hi Pierre Williams - Basically, there are four tones. These also help you identify which words are being used. For example, the word ‘ma’ can have four or five different meanings depending on which tone is used. It can get very confusing.  Mandarin is usually what is taught to foreigners as it is most widely used. However, there are also different dialects within Mandarin depending upon which part of the China you are sent to.  This will mean you have difficulty making yourself understood regardless of your language ability. (cont.d)

Hi Pierre Williams

In answer to your question I think that as with any language, the more work you put into it, the more you’ll benefit.  I think that how advanced you are will depend on a couple of things; a) how much you are willing to immerse yourself into the Chinese culture and b) how many Mandarin lessons you take each week.  You are right. There are 1000’s of characters in Mandarin but that is not your only difficulty. The main problem that many of us have is with the different tones in Mandarin. (cont.d)

Thanks...Well that's the (only) problem...I don't hold a passport from UK, USA, AU, IE, NZ or CA. I guess I'll just continue my online search (for another month) for job agents in China, who hire all nationalities.
Wish me luck and pls forward any helpful links that you may have.
Cheers

Hello Arun!

I can help you with your question. You would need to hold a passport from one of the following countries: UK, USA, AU, IE, NZ or CA in order to apply for the internship, would this be an issue for you at all?

Here's the link to the full page of criteria if that helps:

http://www.onlinetefl.com/teaching-internships/china/

Have a great day and let us know if we can help. Which countries have you looked for jobs in so far?

Katie

Hey Denise. I am planning to teach English in China and am curently researching openings. I was hoping to submerge myself in the culture and actually come out knowing the language well past advanced after a year's contract? Do you think that is possible? I have learned Spanish and it wasnt too hard, considering it was the same alphabet. As I understand Chinese is 1000's of characters and i have no knowledge of such currently. How would you describe the difficulty of learning the language. Also, there are many dialects in China. I was hoping to focus on Mandarine, but I was wondering the genuine abilitity to do so thinking that a person with no training nor official school may be confused being in such a melting pot of languages? Do schools offer language classes to foreign teachers? I assume "Rosetta Stone" wouldn't be enough to speak to people in the streets. Also are there opportunities as a college graduate to continue to teach English through a program as well as continue education for a Masters?

Thank you

This is great advice and very detailed indeed. Awesome post Denise. Now, all I wanna know is whether the China Internship (2012) is open for non-natives or only natives qualify? My job hunt online has been unsuccessful, till date.

Thanks Denise for all your helpful advice.  I can't wait!

Good luck with it all.

Shelley :-)

Just a little extra to answer Shelley's questions...

General living expenses in China are really cheap so the money you get will go far.  By way of example, I went out to the market today and bought a load of great veggies and some pork (enough to make a meal for 5), and paid a whopping 30RMB. That's about £3 in UK money!  Last week I bought a great pair of straight leg jeans for 80RMB (£8).  I paid 25RMB for a 3 hour coach ride. That's £2.50 to travel the distance between Newcastle and Manchester!  Need I say more?  Oh yes. Five of us went out, had two big bowls of noodles and 5 big bottles of beer and it cost us 24RMB. You do the maths.

Thanks for all your good wishes.  I'm so excited for you all and I'm sure you will love it as much as I do.


Denise