In 1999 I came to China with the British organisation (VSO) to be an English teacher in the provincial capital city of Nanchang initially for a two-year period. VSO send all kinds of professional people all over the Third World to help developing countries in all kinds of professions. It took VSO and me a total of six months to prepare for my posting, as VSO offered training and advice to make my time in China successful.
I should stress that coming to China was a new venture for me. I had not worked or lived in any other country than my own so found this information valuable.
Therefore, if you are new to China, or new to living and working in a different county, I would like to take this opportunity to pass on some of the advice that I was given, as I have found it to be very useful on occasions, especially in China.
Health
It goes without saying that while you are living and working in a foreign country you must stay healthy.
There are many health issues you should take time to think about while in China, from stress, anxiety, diarrhoea, constipation, sleeplessness, mosquito bites, rashes, colds, influenza, dry-skin, general accidents and possibly many others ills and ailments; not to mention where and how you would be treated and by whom.
Firstly, if you become sick you will most probably be taken to hospital. In China, doctors are to be found in hospitals, as opposed to Britain where doctors are firstly to be found in a general surgery. It is not unusual in China for people to traipse all the way to hospital for treatment for a simple cold.
If you are taken to hospital, as a foreign teacher it is very likely that you will be whisked to the front of the queue, bypassing sicker people than yourself. Some people have taken issue with this, as it goes against their sense of ethics, but with little impact.
Whilst being treated by a doctor there may not be the level of privacy you are used to. It is not uncommon to be treated by a doctor in China with a various collection of people looking on who are not connected with your injury in any way. There also may not be the level of hygiene you are use to. There may also be problems of communication, as the language of medicine is not so familiar to Chinese interpreters. When you are sick, all of these can be hard to bear and I speak from personal experience.
There is no health system in the world that is perfect and China’s is no exception. China, in many ways, has a two-tier health system: one for the rich and one for the poor. The simple rule is: money first, then you see a doctor.
Chinese doctors may have a different approach to treating a patient, which some ‘foreigners’ have thought of as off putting. Chinese doctors usually treat a patient by asking a long series of questions, which may appear meaningless, in order to diagnose the illness.
From my experience I have known an overseas English teacher who hadn’t been long in China, when he found himself having what he thought was heart problems due to the pains in his chest. The newly arrived, overseas teacher was ill prepared to accept the cultural differences in being treated by a university doctor in China. After a series of endless questions, the overseas teacher began to lose faith in the doctor’s ability. At the end of the consultation the doctor diagnosed ‘altitude sickness’, as the man had lived most of his life in Italy in an area of high altitude, whereas where he now lived at a very low altitude. The overseas teacher was distrustful of the diagnosis and travelled, by his own expense, to Shanghai for a second opinion from a Western doctor, where ‘altitude sickness’ was also diagnosed and confirmed.
I realise, of course, that health is a sensitive issue and that people can take from this story an entirely different message.
Some simple steps to better health:
There is much you can do to stay healthy in China and avoid getting ill and going to hospital.
Before you come to China make sure you are in good health. Make sure you have had all your vaccinations and inoculations before you enter China, some of which may be compulsory. For example, if you intend to stay in China for longer than six months, you will need to have a HIV/Aids test. Bring with you some simple medicines such as cold and flu remedies that work for you, which may be difficult to buy here. Bring with you a supply of paracetamol or aspirin, as well as a good first-aid kit, which includes things like an eye bath and extra clean needles.
If you arrive in China in the summer time make sure you drink plenty of clean drinking water regularly. You can either boil you own water or buy bottled water. If you buy bottled water, make sure the cap has not been broken. In a bar for example, it is best not to put ice-cubes in your drinks, as you can never be sure whether the water was clean before the ice-cubes were made.
Stay out of the sun and use a good quality suntan lotion. It is advisable to wear good quality sunglasses.
If you prefer to wear shoes in summer, then it is a good idea to use a foot powder to combat the development of athlete’s foot.
While you are living and working in China, it is a good idea to take regular exercise. Taking regular exercise can help to reduce stress and possibly anxiety, which is important while working in China. Stress is a big health factor for a Westerner living and working in China, especially as an English teacher. Regular exercise can also help to bolster you immune system, and aid good sleeping, which can help to reduce stress. One of the good things about China is that most Chinese people take exercise daily. It will look perfectly normal for you to put on sports shoes and do something, even if it is walking or running around the running track, jogging, cycling, swimming, football, basketball, volleyball, stretching or what ever. It is also a great way to meet people and make friends, at the risk of sounding like a 1960s cigarette commercial.
One of the most common ailments foreign workers get is diarrhoea. A nurse, speaking on behalf of VSO, gave some good general advice about this.
When you arrive in China your digestive system will change, as you will be subjected to a whole new range of bacteria and no doubt be trying the local cuisine. It is usual for foreign workers to get diarrhoea, but it is not uncommon for constipation to occur instead. Diarrhoea is simply an infection. Therefore, do not take such medicines as Imodium, as this type of medication simply serves to stop you going to the toilet, which will in fact, make you diarrhoea worse, as it will intensify the infection and prevent its discharge from your body. Such medicines as Imodium should only be taken if you have to travel and there is no way you can get to a toilet.
If you have diarrhoea the most effective thing you can do is sit on the toilet for three days! Diarrhoea is you body trying to rid itself of the infection. You should limit you food intake and drink plenty of clean water and abstain from drinking alcohol. If you have diarrhoea for longer than three days, then it is becoming a serious problem. You can either buy over-the-counter general use, anti-biotics or you can see a doctor. If the general use, over-the-counter anti-biotics fail to work, then you should consult a doctor straight away.
For mosquito bites there is a range of local products to deter mosquitoes from entering your home. Almost all of these work very effectively. There is also a range of local products to treat mosquito bites with. Again, most of these products are very effective. Mosquitoes are most prominent at dusk, just as the sun in setting.
Chinese weather can make you skin very dry, especially your face and hands, much more so than in Western countries. There are many good skin care products on sale in China, but they are usually sold in the bigger cities.
Good quality condoms, such as Jissbon, can be bought in most places in China, especially in a department store or supermarket. Recent surveys show that the HIV/Aids problem in China is not as severe as first thought, but you would be well advised to take all the necessary precautions to avoid becoming infected.
Eating and Food
No doubt, during your time in China you will want to try Chinese food. Chinese food is extremely nutritious and the variety of foods on offer is immense. However, where is the best place to eat, and what places should be avoided? Again, VSO gave some good advice that has served me well.
Firstly, Chinese food is great because just about every dish is cooked, and while it is cooking the temperature can be extremely high, thus killing off any potential harmful bacteria. Needless to say, avoid eating uncooked or unwashed food. Therefore, as long as your eating utensils, such as bowl and chopsticks are clean you should be safe. All restaurants have a supply of hot water for washing eating utensils; so don’t be frightened to ask to do this. If there is no hot water, then you can use hot tea, as they do in the south of China.
It is therefore, not necessarily better to eat at a more expensive restaurant than eating food from a street vender. With food from a street vender you can actually see the cook cooking your food. You can see how he prepared the food you are going to eat. At an expensive restaurant you are unlikely to be able to see your food being cooked. What if the cook at an expensive restaurant cooks your food to perfection, then decides to go to the toilet, doesn’t wash his hand, then picks up your food and brings it to you? You simply wouldn’t know. In a local street restaurant you can see everything that is going on, from your raw food being washed and prepared then cooked and finally served to you. If you see something that you just do not like, then you simply would not eat there.
You can apply this information when buying food such as vegetables and meat at a local market. If the food is to be cooked then you do not have to worry so much if the unhygienic presentation of the raw food is not what you are used to, or there are flies constantly buzzing around: unless the quantity of flies is staggering to the eye of course. The food you buy will be washed, then peeled and then cooked at a very high temperature, making sure again that your eating utensils are clean.
On a personal level, before I came to China I was told that I would really like Chinese food when I arrive, but then the novelty would wear off after a couple of months and that my appetite for Chinese food would diminish. However, after a month or two, my appetite for Chinese food would come back and would then stay. I found this piece of advice to be perfectly true; my appetite for Chinese food did disappear and then reappear as predicted.
Eating Chinese food in restaurants and at banquets is great fun, but one of the things I had to get use to was to eat from the same plates and dishes as everyone else, using chopsticks. It is also culturally normal to stretch over the table and help yourself to whatever dish you like. These habits are cited as factors why colds and flu are commonplace in China, particularly in the spring. You should take care when using public eating establishments in the spring.
When you have finished you meal and you are full, it is polite to place your chopsticks at the side of your bowl on the table. This will indicate that you are full. Being full after your meal shows politeness to your host. If you are invited to a family meal or a banquet, take a moment before sitting, as it will probably be indicated to you where you should sit. The seating arrangement at banquets is an important factor. The most important person should sit facing the door. If a fish is served then the head of the fish should point to the most important person at the banquet.
Teaching English in China
Chinese students are different from Western students in many respects, but what is it that makes them different?
The general perspective is that teachers are the font of all knowledge and they then pass on their knowledge, which their students are expected to retain verbatim. This perspective is part of China’s heritage and comes from Confucius. Chinese teachers therefore mostly adopt the ‘rote method’ of teaching and tend to be rather bland in their teaching, as they normally stand at the front of their class and talk for the duration of the lesson. The students decide themselves if they want to pay attention or not. It is not uncommon for students to sleep or find some alternative work to occupy themselves.
Chinese students are used to being subjected to the rote method of leaning. For Chinese students to pass Chinese exams, they will be expected to learn by rote huge quantities of ‘data’. This is clearly express in the way a classroom is set up. Chinese students will be sat in rows in unmovable desks and chairs and all facing forwards. Chinese students are passive learners and therefore seldom active in class. The teacher usually has a blackboard at his disposal, but increasingly may have a computer and screen as well. Chinese students are seldom expected to think or analyse what it is they are learning. They are seldom expected or asked to express their opinion. Students are often given multiple-choice style tests simply to confirm the information they have retained.
Chinese students tend to get overexcited when they initially have a foreign teacher, which can lead to false expectations. The role of a foreign teacher can often be vague, which can lead to the foreign teacher being a ‘novelty factor’, with students losing interest in them when the initial excitement has worn off. Chinese students like to be ‘entertained’ rather than taught in their lessons.
However, despite all of these problems, what should a foreign teacher do?
Some simple steps:
Firstly, when you first start teaching do not be too ‘off the wall’. Aim to begin slowly and introduce your method of teaching gradually. Chinese students need at least two or three weeks simply to get used to your accent and you as a person before they even start to understand what you say and respond.
Begin by using the rote method of leaning to help students feel confident and secure, and then slowly drift towards more Western methods of leaning and teaching. Introduce your style gradually, but be prepared for Chinese students to be non-active in your class. For a Western teacher students being constantly non-active in the classroom can be stressful and can lead to overly negative feelings about one’s ability to teach.
It is a good idea to build up a rapport first with your students. Chinese students see their teachers as friends as this dates back to Confucius. You get a better response from students if you ask them to do something as a friend rather than as an authoritative figure. This is, of course, in contrast to the Western method of teaching.
However, a word of caution on being a friend to students, as pointed out by John McNeil:
“If the teachers are on a much higher level than the students in term of position (and students don't express opinions), and also used to doing as told, how can they also be 'friends' with the teacher? To me, 'friends' implies equality and both having the capacity to express opinions.”
John McNeil is right, it is a paradox isn't it? I had to think about this one, and in my experience, circumstances have always erred on the side of students accepting foreign teachers as a friend and the belief in their authority then follows; and students not liking the foreign teacher as a friend and having no respect for their authority. As a general rule, it hinges on if you are liked, but I do know Chinese teachers' careers are pinned on this.
Students’ knowledge about the world or even Chinese society is very limited. Try to design your lessons with this in mind. Try to distinguish between teaching cultural knowledge and teaching English. Try to help students learn English by giving them something they feel they can use. For example, if you introduce the topic ‘Transport’, you can firstly tell the students about transport in your own country, which will give your students some cultural awareness. You can consolidate this by asking the students what their own transport system is like. You can then utilise the function aspect and ask the students to ‘role play’ a scenario to bring out their ideas. You can then place emphasis on grammar and explain things such as tag questions and the 1st conditional.
In this way, students should feel secure.
Chinese students like to walk out of the classroom at the end of a lesson knowing something like a new word or phrase. I, as a Western teacher, like my students to walk out of the classroom at the end of a lesson, having the intellectual tools to know how to think of how to begin to answer a question for themselves. This is the difference of methods that are in contrast with each other. However, to combat this it is a good idea to use both teacher-centred and student-centred methods in your teaching.
In your lesson give clear aims and instructions. Keep your instructions simple and give the students time to think about what they have to do. Do not be too worried if confusion and a little mayhem reigns for a short while. You can also tell your students what you expect of them, and give them some simple classroom rules.
Exams:
You will be expected to give your students an exam at the end of each term and possibly mid-term as well. There are normally two terms of approximately 16 to 18 weeks (possibly 20) to an academic year: sep’ to jan’; feb’ to june.
Exam scores are normally divided between a ‘performance score’ and an ‘exam score’. You will most likely be asked to write you own exam paper and devise you own performance indicator. Students will aim to get a score in the mid 90s. In China 75% would be a low score. My advice would be to ask what is the benchmark the English department thinks is fair for a good and bad score. Be prepared, as Chinese students show no qualms when it comes to cheating in exams.
Firstly though, always confirm how many weeks are in the term. Secondly, always ask when you are to hand-in the exam results, as you will need to plan when to begin your exams. Thirdly, always ask how the exams are to be conducted and what percentage goes to which portion. Fourthly, ask if the exam scores are to written on a special form. Fifthly, ask if there is a special criteria for the exam.
General tips on exams:
Always write two sets of exams papers and a spare one for retests.
Put on the exam paper the marks the students will get for each section or question.
Have very simple but clear instructions. Chinese students have difficulty in following too many rules and regulations. The mores rules you have, the more you will become frustrated when the students do not follow them.
Check which room the exam is to be held or if the exam to be conducted as part of your lessons. You may have to check the equipment in a strange classroom, or even things like when the electric goes off or when the doors are locked.
Make sure there are no spelling or grammar mistakes in your exam paper. It is a good idea to ask another person to check you exam paper.
Make it clear that student write on the exam paper or that they must write their answers on a separate piece of paper.
Students who fail the test should be given a second test.
Make sure you know when and how and to whom the exam results should be handed in.
Colleges and universities like formal exam scores to be in percentages, but for informal test and exams, using A, B,C and D should be fine.
Professionalism in the Classroom:
(Untrained Teachers: a pastiche of ideas by John McNeil)
I don't think there is anything wrong with untrained teachers, as long as they know 1) what they don't know, and 2) what they do know. They may not know grammar, spelling, writing conventions, etc.; they may know popular culture, how to keep the conversational ball rolling, how to motivate students, etc.
Let me suggest that there are many roles to fill. The role of a native speaker in many Chinese schools seems more similar to a tutor than a teacher. (They already have Chinese classroom teachers that deftly handle grammar!) In a perfect situation, students would have their own native speaker. Practically speaking, the teacher is there to speak and to encourage the students to imitate and converse. Not only is the student being taught to speak the language, but to tune the ear to the language. The most effective work is done when the students can carry on a full conversation with the teacher. Because there are so many students, this role expands to serving 40-60 students at a time. The same rules apply, however, in that still the students are trying to learn the oral/aural skills. Someone with dedication and integrity can fulfil this role whether or not they have a degree or any teaching experience. In fact, I have to force myself sometimes to just keep matters simple. Most of my students do not need to delve into literary analysis. Hidden meanings sometimes should stay hidden.
When I object to non-professionals taking positions I do it for the reason that some people have no dedication to fulfilling their obligation. This is not because they are not teachers, but because they don't sense the importance of their role. The implication exists that if a degree is not necessary, than the job is not important. For example: perhaps most applicants might consider the administrators would be mildly inconvenienced if they left suddenly or changed their minds. A teacher might realize that, to a student, one semester's education could be the difference between success and failure. This, however, is a difference in an attitude of professionalism and non-professionalism. It has nothing to do with any magic knowledge that a teaching degree--or any degree-- imparts.
Remember the 3 Do's a Chinese student expects foreign teacher or expert to semi-achieve:
1- Make me laugh.
2- Make me improve faster.
3- Be my friend
and Dont's:
1- Make me lose face
2- Give a lot of boring Homework
3- Come to class unprepared.
Just a few main points:
1) Govt. institutes are more flexible concerning job plans while the private
ones are very strict.
2) In govt. institutes there is less pressure while the private institutes
demand quality work and some times extra work (but not all). Only hard
working and real teachers survive in the private set up.
Liu Wen summarises advice for overseas teachers succinctly:
(Liu Wen is a Chinese English teacher in Nanchang, Jiangxi)
“Firstly, overseas teachers should assist students to gain confidence. Most Chinese students are very frightened about making any kind of mistake in class, because they feel that they will lose their face, or that other classmates laugh at them. I always tell them to enjoy losing face, since they are learning a language, and anyone can and will make mistakes, even the teachers. Secondly, let students feel comfortable when they practising English in class. At the beginning of the semester, tell them that the learning methods in college are quite different from the one in their high school, that is, they should be more independent and creative. Try to help them to communicate with other classmates in English step by step.”
Cultural Differences
There are many cultural differences between China and many other countries, and part of the thrill of coming to China is finding out about those differences. However, there are some cultural differences that are good to know beforehand, as some have caused a few problems for some people.
Chinese people like to spit (and blow their noses without a handkerchief). Since the SARS outbreak this phenomenon has eased a little, but it is still not unusual to see Chinese people spitting in the most unfortunate of places. The most sacred of places are not exempt from this habit and the further you move away from a large city the more you will see people spit.
It is common for Chinese people to stare at ‘foreigners’. If you are waiting at a bus or train station, it is usual for a whole family including grandparents and grandchildren to constantly stare at you in upwards of an hour. What they are expecting to see after the initial 20 minutes, God alone knows? However, stare they will. The only advice is to stay calm and do not do anything out of the ordinary or anything that will attract more attention.
Chinese people do not have the habit of sharing information. Western people of course generally see this as a bad habit. Unless you ask in China, you do not get told, but once you ask, Chinese people can be very helpful. It just does not occur to Chinese people to tell you information so you can make up your own mind if you need to act on it or not.
Being an overseas English teacher in China can do wonders for your social life, as you will have so many opportunities to make lifelong friends. If you come to China as a single person you may meet a very special friend with whom you develop a more romantic relationship. However, in China, Chinese people do not have a boyfriend or a girlfriend just for fun, as can Western people. Such relationships in China are almost always taken seriously. Therefore, if your friend becomes a very special friend you should take time to think about what will happen to the relationship when it is time for you to leave? VSO, during my two years in China, gave the following advice: Chinese people rarely accept having casual sex in a non-marital relationship; therefore, your sex-life may be affected during your stay in China. If a male foreigner strikes up a relationship with a Chinese female, care should be taken as to where the relationship is going. The reason for this is that, the female may begin to think that the male foreigner is going to change her Fate, which is a profound and un-superficial thought and may not be reciprocated by the male. This can form the basis of a bigger and more profound problem later on.
However, if a male foreigner wants to form a union with a Chinese female, then again you should think this issue through, as the husband in a marriage may be asked to take care of his wife’s family in some way, as families are the foremost building block of China’s social fabric. This is in sharp contrast to how old people are taken care of in Western countries. VSO advised volunteers against getting involved unless they are prepared to accept the reality of their choice.
I am now very happily married to a Chinese female and have no regrets, as indeed are some of my friends, but I would ask people new to China to have a really good think about the choices they are going to make as regards romantic relationships with Chinese nationals as to the consequences of developing romantic bonds.
One of the entities you will come across in China is the concept of ‘losing face’. Chinese people, and students in particular, do not like to be embarrassed in the public arena, and this can happen in an untold variety of ways. For example, simply making a mistake can make Chinese people ‘lose their face’. This is one reason why English students prefer not to speak until they can speak perfectly well. Of course, how can students learn to speak a second language without making lots of mistakes along the way, when not to lose one’s face is the overriding factor? This is another paradox that confounds oral English teaching.
Finally………..
China is an exhilarating place to visit, live and work. On the whole, Chinese people are very friendly and are always willing to help and assist. There are, however, communication problems from time-to-time. When faced with this, it is a good idea to take a step back and take a deep breath, as eventually things do get generally sorted out, and if they don’t, it is not meant to be.
If you are visiting, or coming to live and work in China then I wish you all the very best, as I am sure you will gain precious memories to cherish for a very long time.
Good Luck and Welcome to China
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