Teach English in Banjiudian Zhen - Tai'an Shi

Living and working in a foreign country can be incredibly different in many ways compared to living and working in a country you was born and raised in, but what actually makes it so different? Firstly, the language. Many young & old teachers travel far and wide to seek out a new adventure in their career and often being the case travel across the world without first learning the countries complicated dialect or language compared to their own. Now you may be thinking “how does an English teacher teach a class of students who can not understand them? “ Well in fact the students are not taking an English lesson to hear you speak and talk in their own native language. They are taking the lesson to learn from a native English speaking teacher to learn the proper pronunciation, punctuation and the whole English language. From my own experience teaching abroad I’ve had to overcome these problems on a day to day basis myself. When I am teaching I never use the students native language as this can distract them from the main goal which is English, also without replying or helping in their native language it can help motive my students to learn English, so that they can understand me better, have a connection and hold more conversation. The biggest problem about not knowing the native language isn’t teaching lessons. It is the between me, fellow Chinese teachers, and sometimes management because many management staff have a basic understand of English. Secondly, the culture. It’s obviously well known that teaching abroad also comes with the challenge of culture differences. This can come in many forms such as classroom management, food and special festivals / holidays. After teaching in China for over more than 2 years now you do have to take into consideration how different classrooms are managed compared to back in my home country. This can cause problems which often come down to a language difference and miscommunication. For example Chinese teachers could change lesson plans to fit their own schedules without consulting me the lead English teacher which could affect the running time and effectiveness of my own lessons. This can be frustrating, but as a professional English teacher you must always act accordingly. To overcome these challenges of culture differences it is best to learn some basic native language for the country you wish to teach or are already teaching in. Gradually after time the culture shock fades away. Time is very helpful when dealing with food and special festivals / holidays because this is a general knowledge that can be learned over time by working and living in the country you are teaching in, although you could easily research about a countries culture before you wish to move over and become a teacher there. Lastly, Isolation. If you are thinking about teaching abroad you must definitely accept the fact that you will be leaving most of your social life, family and friends behind which can often lead to being isolated. Now for me I did not take into consideration the fact that I would leave everything behind me and travel to a foreign country with little support from friends or family. The only type of support you could get is either a video call, messaging or money, but this honestly isn’t enough to stop you from feeling alone. I won’t lie, the first month can seem like a breeze with all this adventure and great new things to see and learn. Eventually time takes its toll and the adventure, excitement and anticipation dies down. You’re now more comfortable and settled down In your new home. Those small things about your old home whether it’ll be visiting your mum for a cup of tea or taking a walk with one of your closest friends becomes something of a desperate craving need. After 4-6 months from my experience it definitely starts to become easier, yet still you can have random days where you feel alone and miss where you came from. Now my advice to overcome feeling left out and alone in a foreign county with such an amazing opportunity would be to always keep in contact with family and best friends. It can be hard to find the time as you’re busy and so are they, but please find the time to set a weekly or even daily time to call back home and have a good old chat to make you feel like you’re back at home having a cup of tea with your mum, dad or whoever you wish to call. Socialising becomes very important. If you want to feel like you’re part of something and have that social part of your life back you need to go out and make friends. The easiest way to do this is to either make friends with teachers in your school or join a sports club. There’s so many ways to make yourself feel like you’re a part of something. You just need to motivate yourself, take your time and have fun.