Do Chinese Speak English

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences The following blog post is about an ITTT graduate who shares his story on how learning Chinese helped him to become a better English teacher in China. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Joseph S. A common saying imparted to me by one of my professors goes like this: "What do you call someone who speaks three languages? Trilingual. What do you call someone who speaks two languages? Bilingual. What do you call someone who speaks only one language? American." I have found this to be extremely true for the majority of cases, and, as a young student, it spurred me to want to learn as much of other languages as I possibly could. I grew up in a monolingual home, however, as a child, I spent much of...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Alumni Experiences As a kindergarten teacher working in China I have a lot of experience dealing with students, fellow teachers; Chinese and foreign, management and parents. A few years ago I came to China to learn Chinese. To pay for my living expenses I started teaching young learners. Pretty soon I got a full-time job in a kindergarten and I fell in love with the work and I decided to stay in China and keep teaching. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Paul E. One of the first problems I faced was of course the language barrier. In the schools I’ve worked at so far not many people speak English; especially the schools’ management. It’s always quite a task to find out what is expected of you. In China don’t...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences The experience of living and working abroad for sure will give us another vision of the world. If you have been in China, enough you will learn to be more patient and tolerant. Live with another culture is not easy, and we learn how to be flexible. We are different, we live differently, our environment is different, our beliefs, our politeness, our food, etc. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ana P. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. “Good morning, how are you today? “- They have never asked each other how are they? Instead, they ask “Ni chi le ma?” Did you eat? These people were starving for so many years, and the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Language has always played an important role in communication between people. Today, in the globalization, the importance of mastering a foreign language has become increasingly prominent. English is the most widely used language in the world. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Xiao W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In the 21st century, English is not unfamiliar to us Chinese. In our life, we can find English everywhere with little attention. Most Chinese learn dumb English. Few people can communicate with foreigners without barriers. Some Western netizens can't help wondering why English is so difficult for Chinese to...  [Read more]

Dorothy Brown Smith Destinations Alumni Experiences I have always wanted to travel and go abroad. I talked about it with family and friends on many occasions. When the opportunity came for me to teach in China, I immediately said, “NO!” I was thinking of traveling to places like South America, France, Italy, Greece, etc. because I had romanticized these places in my mind from what I had seen on television and read about in magazines. China was not even a thought in my mind! The opportunity kept coming to teach in China. I would see advertisements, run into people who had just came back from China. I even met someone studying Chinese to be an interpreter! I kept running into people who had some kind of connection with...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Nowadays, English is becoming more and more popular and significant in China because of globalization. In big cities, parents send their kids to all kinds of organizations/schools to study English in their early three years. Some capable parents even use English as their communicative language from the first day the baby was born. No matter how early Chinese starts learning English, it’s still not our mother language and the atmosphere is still in Chinese, which makes learning English not as easy as those in English countries. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yixun C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In my point of view, here...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this topic, I will be talking about my own “Personal Teaching Experience” in two Asian countries that I’ve had the privilege to work in and teach such as, China and Russia. So you might want to ask yourselves, What’s the difference between teaching Chinese and Russian students? Well honestly there is a huge difference so let’s get started. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jhonatan J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. First of all, let’s start with the cultural differences in the classrooms between Chinese and Russian students. Let me mentioned to you that in both countries I’ve had jobs mostly in private...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Destinations Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas The development of information lined social life and the economy's globalization make English more and more crucial. As one of the essential information carriers, English has become the most widely used language in every field of human life. English ability has become a necessary skill for every learner. The benefit of gaining a foreign language is tremendous. It will help him/her open the door to another world of learning different or new knowledge and achieve the goal of multiple learning and self-actualization. According to the number of people from all over the world, English usage has more than any language. English is the official language...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Learning is always hard especially learning something new such as English learning. English is a different new language compared with Chinese, so when we are learning, definitely we will meet all kinds of difficulties in listening, speaking, reading, and writing. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate XIAO J. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Due to the lack of vocabulary, beginners can not get the main idea of a story. They usually expect to know every single word and if they miss some words, they will become extremely nervous so that they lose their confidence at all. The best way to avoid it is to pre-teach some potentially...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences In this blog post, I plan to examine why English may be such a challenging language for Chinese speakers to master, namely in comparison to their European peers. For the purpose of this examination, I will focus on four main aspects, from quite glaring differences to other aspects that some may not initially consider: written language, grammar, vocabulary, and language exposure. These points are drawn from my own experience of living and teaching English in China, from learning Chinese myself and from conversations with my students. I will be focusing on those who have not had experience in learning other languages before English, as I feel this constitutes the largest proportion of Chinese learners. This by no...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences It is generally agreed that education is one of the most important issues in every country these days and China is no exception. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Ekaterina G. It’s a well-known fact that China is the most populated country in the world with a long and mysterious history, rich and varied culture. China recognizes 55 ethnic minority groups within the country in addition to the Han majority. Standard Mandarin is the only official language, though there are more than 200 hundred living languages spoken all over the country. While being China’s capital, political and cultural center, Beijing is also known as a melting pot where you can meet the representative of almost each...  [Read more]

Ramon Perez Destinations Alumni Experiences The prospect of working in a foreign country can be an exciting experience for any person seeking a change a pace. Every country has a unique adventure to offer, and many times we ask ourselves, “Which is the right place for me?”. Here, we are going to discuss on how to gain access to the bountiful opportunities China has to offer for English language educators. Despite some strict governmental policies China has in place, the English language labor market is open to native and non-native speakers.   Before you can embark on your new and exciting journey to China, there are some steps we must follow before we are eligible to work there as a non-native English speaker. Take an...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas In China, Parents realize learning English is essential to their child's future. There are many reasons why Chinese have to speak okay English; they also know that the best time for one to master another language, the earlier the best. The biggest challenge we face in China is that parents are reluctant to use English in daily life. It is easy to understand why most Chinese are unwilling to speak English if you know our culture, "Saving Face," they are afraid to make mistakes in front of others, take "English" as a complicated subject, only teacher and school can handle it. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Mengru W. Please note that this blog post might...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas Grammar is the rules governing the composition of clauses, phrases, and words in a natural language. Simply put, grammar is the general rule of a language. Language is logical; grammar tells us in which order we say words. It’s about how words become phrases; how words and phrases become sentences and how sentences become language. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yang S. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Some of these rules are acquired naturally in childhood while others are acquired in the learning process under the guidance of a teacher. While most of the time, people don’t know which grammatical rule they are following...  [Read more]

Jon ITTT Destinations Teaching English in China is as popular as ever and is one of the best places to put your TEFL certificate to use. In 2014, 7.26 million students graduated with Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees and the numbers were expected to rise in 2015. There are over 30,000 organizations or companies offering private English classes, with the Chinese market having nearly doubled in size in the last five years and is now worth around $3.1 billion. Certified TEFL teachers in China can expect to make between 6,000 - 16,000 RMB ($942 - $2,500 USD). Those teaching at an international school, however, can make up to 30,000 RMB ($4,700 USD). How far exactly will your salary get you in China? Most TEFL teachers put away a good amount of...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In the Chinese area, English as a compulsory course in school has to be learned by students for years. Since the government has strengthened the importance of English in Gaokao (College Entrance Examination ) these days, every Chinese family wants their children to start on English learning as early as possible. There is no need to highlight the importance of English to a Chinese family at all. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Xiaoyu Z. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. However, the parents’ English levels are different from each other leads to different ways to help students to learn English. For the parents whose English is...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences A language is a tool for people to communicate, so there must be some connections among different languages, include similarities and differences. If we can use their similarities properly and pay attention to differences, different languages can be interlinked. Therefore, the first language not only has a positive impact but also hurts second language acquisition. We call these effects ‘language transfer’. There are two kinds of language transfer, positive transfer, and negative transfer. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Tiffany C. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. If the first language has a good impact on second...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences China is an incredibly popular country for English teachers. Teaching in China is in high-demand, and there are many perks to working in such a large country. Options include teaching children and adults privately, as well as becoming an instructor in public schools. If an English teacher decides to teach at a university in China, there are key considerations to learn about before making the move. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Priscila E. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. At most public universities in China, public funding will limit the pay and resources available to English teachers. Wages are often less than private...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Visa and Legal Destinations Work in China is very appealing for several reasons like traveling, good salary and working conditions. However, there are some pitfalls expats should know. If you desire to work in China as an ESL teacher, here are some things to take into consideration: visa status, passport country of issue, as well as age, education and experience. For more details about teaching in China, check out our "Step-By-Step Guide to Legally Teaching English in China"! Many people think that it is appropriate to arrive in China on a tourist or business visa and start working in a company. In fact, it is not. Any type of visa but the working one is considered to be illegal by the authorities. Police...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Nowadays, more people are learning English. There are many private English-teaching companies like New Oriental, Meten, Wallstreetenglish and more. We can also find many public schools in countries like China that teach English from people’s childhood. This essay tries to make the potential of English clearer. As a result, people who are absolute beginners of English or who are going to teach those beginners will have a map and a compass in mind to refer to about the motivation for language learning on their way to the future. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Carpenter L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As we know,...  [Read more]

Gianluca Costa Destinations TEFL Information Alumni Experiences If you are thinking of moving to Hong Kong to teach English, this article is a great overview of how an ESL teacher's life in Hong Kong can be. English is widely spoken in Hong Kong, and even young children start their English education very early. Many parents place their children in English institutions early on, which shows how important English education is in Hong Kong. That's why Hong Kong offers many opportunities for ESL teachers, and you can find placements in a variety of school settings, from kindergartens, learning centers to private tutoring lessons. Most schools expect you to be in your classroom at 8:30, ready to welcome the...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences This blog post was written by our TEFL graduate who shares their experience of working on their professionalism. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas This blog post is devoted to the problem of teaching receptive skills. Our TEFL graduate shares their thoughts and ideas. Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences In this blog post, our TEFL alumna shares their story of working in Japan. They explain how they built relationships with the students and what helped them. Elizaveta Pachina Teaching Ideas In this article, our TEFL graduate shares their...  [Read more]

Linda Dunsmore Alumni Experiences While attempting to actively assimilate into a foreign language environment overseas, it has been an ongoing journey and challenging adventure in these previous three years. There have been a few noted observations and insightful discoveries indeed. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Angela W. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. Through living in a tier three city where English is not commonly used, the role of an English teacher and the position of a Chinese student have been assumed simultaneously. Despite the lack of English usage in people’s daily living, independent vocabularies, phrases and sentences could be seen...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina TEFL Information Alumni Experiences Teaching Ideas Games are great tools to motivate students and encourage them to learn things informally. However, ESL classroom games must have a purpose and support the learning process and not distract from it. In this blog post, our ITTT TEFL expert shares seven steps to gamify your ESL classroom effectively. Before starting a game with your students, ask yourself what you want your students to achieve by the end of the game. Do you want them to learn a linguistic point or some particular behavior pattern? If you know your students' needs, then it's easier to choose an appropriate activity that will be purposeful to the learners. Also Read: Playing...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences I have been an English teacher in China for roughly 3 years, one of the biggest challenges I face every day is the look I get from the children when they see me for the first time. I stand out a mile away (blonde hair and blue eyes) so they are either very eager to speak to me or they are petrified. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Jeanne H. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. As a training school teacher, we have to do a lot of recruiting demos and then brand new students will come and watch this demo and decide if they enjoy our school, the teachers and the course books that we use. The majority of the students have no...  [Read more]

Gaia Oliviero TEFL Information Teaching Ideas Working as an ESL teacher can be difficult if you live in a Western country and you haven't undertaken a certain path during your university studies. As far as Italy is concerned, if you want to teach in a public school, you need to hold at least a Master's Degree in pedagogical studies and/or educational sciences. No matter how good an English speaker you are, you are required to own those specific degrees. If you want to teach in a private school, you have to take into account the fact that they prefer to hire native speakers – which is totally licit, to a certain extent. In addition to that, if you have no experience whatsoever in teaching in front of a class, you are basically...  [Read more]

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Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Many people think that teachers are just people with knowledge and teach; however, teachers are way more than that. There is a Chinese old saying, “Being a teacher for one day, respect them as a father for life.” What this means is that teachers usually have many responsibilities, just like students’ parents. Most of the time, teachers need to adapt to various roles in different situations during the class or even outside of the class. The five main roles that teachers play are instructor, controller, role model, and counselor. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Yang L. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. When most people...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Behind every successful company or sports team, there is an efficient leader. One who is capable of executing the team’s goals and vision to the maximum capacity. A teacher is no different. A successful teacher is capable of elevating the performance of his or her students. In this summative task, I will discuss the different roles a teacher must perform and why they are essential to the job. This post was written by our TEFL certification graduate Matthew B. Please note that this blog post might not necessarily represent the beliefs or opinions of ITTT. In my former profession, I was a successful manager of a defense contracting firm in Virginia (USA). In my role as a supply chain manager, I wore many...  [Read more]

Elizaveta Pachina Alumni Experiences Since my childhood, I have been frequently asked the same question "what kind of teacher do you want?" At different life stages, I have different answers. When I was a kid, I would say a teacher who dresses neatly and smiles nicely; when I was a teenager, I would prefer a "cool" teacher as a good teacher, who behaves differently from other boring and stereotyping adults; until I grow up, I think a good teacher should have sound subject knowledge, be fair and consistent with all of the students as well as being sensitive to the students’ reactions and providing necessary support, and until now I know being a good teacher has nothing to do with his/her appearances and dressings. This post was written by our...  [Read more]