Guess what ???

Here we have a serious thread from me for a change !:rolleyes:

 

My daughter is 21 and passed all her qualifications as a nursery teacher.

Cant get a start without experience, no experience means no start !

 

She is covering supply at the moment, you know, school phones in the council as a teacher is sick or away on a course and need a quick replacement ! Hardly a regular income !

 

Anyhoo,

She put in a lot of hours, and gained her qualification to T.E.F.L.

Teach English Foreign Language.

 

She has secured a place with an English Agency, The Aston Group and is away to China, late February !

School name is Xuzhou 1 or 2, Jiangsu Province,

a short term initial training at Jinan.

 

It all looks well above board, but as a Father, anybody with any experience or knoweledge of the aforementioned group, school, working there etc

I would be very interested to hear.

 

She is my one and only and I cant help but be concerned.

Well made up for her, as I have never seen her so upbeat about anything for a long time !:D

 

Alan..................

That's great news Alan!

 

Although very different, my father went over to teach English as a foreign language to Portuguese students in Porto in his early 20s after he'd graduated from University with a number of language degrees.

 

He thoroughly enjoyed it and was over there during the Portuguese revolution in 1975 and had it not have been for that, he would have been a very very wealthy man now having written a text-book that was due to go into circulation throughout all Portuguese schools. Literally, overnight (revolution), this changed and the books became totally unsuitable and completely obsolete.

 

Anyway, China is a place I've wanted to go for some time now. Have been looking at doing the Trans-Siberia railway across Russia and to China for my 30s. We'll see though.

Hi Alan,

 

I lived in Hong Kong for three years and travelled extensively throughout China for business. I do not recall every visiting Xuzhou but I do know it is one of the eastern provinces half way between Shanghai to the south and Beijing to the north. Weatherwise she'll be fine as it is fairly temperate around there. However, and I say this with some reservation as I've not been there in a long time, if foreign investment isn't high (as in there aren't a lot of foreign companies and therefore nationtionals out there) then any city in China quickly becomes very isolated to our western expectations. If she is living amongst the locals (most likely) then she'll have to learn the local dialect as communication will be difficult. They are very friendly people but do take getting used to as both their culture and daily lives are so different from ours. If your daughter is prepared to keep an open mind and be flexible then I don't see any reason why she wouldn't enjoy herself. I would be worried if there aren't any other foreigners around for her to socialize with, especially in the beginning period that she's settling in.

 

I have a close friend who is doing exactly the same as your daughter up in Beijing - has been there for 5 years now. She thoroughly enjoys her work, the people and the culture - she even learned the language! However, she is in Beijing which is infinitely more cosmopolitan than the majority of China (with exception of Shanghai).

 

I wish your daughter the best of luck. If going there with the right attitude it can be a brilliant carreer for her and you should be very proud! :)

 

HTH

 

Dan

Thanks for the replies guys !:bow:

 

Si,

Both my wife and I are well made up for her !

She is a good lass, who is well above her years.

She wants it, and she is going for it !

 

DTA (UK),

Dan,

She is lucky enough to be going over and starting with her friend.

Same age, same outlook etc.

She is also taking chinese/Mandarin lessons to try to get a wee bit in advance.

Laura had always had a fascination for the Far East, and has not gone into this lightly. Loads of research, she is in communication with teachers over there at present, teaching at the school she is going to and a healthy appetite for anything spicy !!;)

Only thing that might be a niggle is,

She is just short of six feet tall !! So that will probably draw a few stares from the locals ? She is ready for that tho !

 

She has read through your replies and says to Thank You two very much !:bow: Any advice or help is most welcome.

 

Thanks again guys, as when its your one and only, you cant help but worry !

 

Alan.......

A bit far from Jiangsu, but My partners best Friend runs a school in Beijing and has now married out there having been there over 10 years. If you need some contact details drop me a PM and i'll ask the mrs for her details. might even be temp work if things fdon't work out?!! She'll have the time of her life and any TEFL course will stand her in good stead for any role outside of teaching which she may choose in the future. My Girlfriend taught in Japan for 12 months after travelling the far east before heading to Aus and finally coming home to finish her law quals....She had the time of her life and one of her best experiences was small students standing on chairs singing green days 'basket case' to her the day she left...!!

hi there matey my brother did the exact same thing teaching in japan and china he was only 25 at the time i can ask him for you if you need to know anything