You can do all the reading in the world, but it’s not going to prepare you for the reality of China, and teaching Chinese students.  When I arrived at Shanghai airport for the British Council training program, my initial thought on walking through the arrivals gate was, ‘my god, everyone is Chinese!’  Stupid, yes, but it was so elementary and underlying that it had never crossed my mind.  The training program was great fun, and I made many friends, who I have been lucky enough to catch up with around China on my travels.  

Arriving in Beijing was something else.  We got there on a fiercely hot late-August day, and the visibility was poor.  After waiting for half an hour for our school to pick us up from the train station, we were driven through the smog past endless rows of tower blocks, shiny metal buildings and smoking towers.  I couldn’t believe a city could be this big!

What amazed me most was the sheer number of people.  Every bus and subway train is full, and wherever you go, you cannot get away from what has been described as one of China’s greatest resources.  This can be good, but sometimes hard if you like time on your own.

Picture 1 – they all come from one subway

The Beijing weather is full of variety.  I arrived in the stifling heat of August, but this soon cools, and autumn is probably the most pleasant time to spend in Beijing.  I would definitely recommend visits to the Great Wall (at Simatai or Jinshanling), the Summer Palace or the Western Hills at this point.  

Suddenly in late October the temperature plummets, and you find yourself in the grip of an icy winter.  It wouldn’t be so bad if there were no wind, but there is, and it cuts through you.  National turn on heating day is November the 15th, so you don’t have to suffer too long!  I would definitely recommend stocking up on your thermals if you are coming to Beijing though!  

Picture 2 –Chinese food

Another essential purchase is a down (puffer) jacket – the type that was fashionable in the early ‘90s in Britain.  Then around March-time, the weather warms up a bit, and the sandstorms arrive.  I am told these are not as bad as in previous year, where the air was turned red by the dust picked up from the Gobi desert by harsh Siberian winds.  There is the odd day where it can get annoying, but it doesn’t affect your day-to-day life.

The food is one of the best parts of coming to China.  I really enjoy the communal experience of a Chinese meal, and once you have got to grips with chopsticks (which takes about a week, give or take), then you can dig right in.  As I live in Fengtai - one of the suburbs of Beijing - the food is also astonishingly cheap.  On Boxing Day we fed 12 people with drinks for 120 yuan (under ten pounds).

The school itself is excellent.  It is one of the key schools in Beijing, and therefore much sought-after by students and their parents.  The facilities are also something else for someone who went to a comprehensive school in Bristol.  There is a running track, swimming pool, sports hall, gym, science building, entertainment centre, and a small theatre.  This seems fairly common in Beijing

Picture 3 – mini morning exercises

So, the teaching!  The first lesson is always the worst, and teaching at the school in Shanghai I was extremely nervous, despite having taught at summer camps before.  But we were well prepared, and if you can fight off the first few minutes you find the time flies by as you get into the lesson.

Teaching my first real lesson in China at my school was a strange experience, but the students were lovely, and all very keen to get to know you.  Within the first 30 seconds I was asked if I was married, had a girlfriend and how much money I earned!  I teach Senior 1 students, who range from 15 to 16, and Junior 2 students who are 12 to 13.  The seniors have a slightly higher level of interest, but the juniors make up for it with sheer enthusiasm alone, and every lesson is a party (although not at my request).

I was (and still am) astonished at some of the levels of English the students have attained.  In my lessons I have covered such diverse topics as bullying in schools, mobile phones and Harry Potter.  Apart from the teaching, I am also kept busy with other things that interest the students.  I play chess against one of my Senior 1 students (I have yet to win…), and have visited the homes of several students as a guest.  Throughout the year there are various competitions such as an English speech contest, a ‘Science in English’ contest and a song contest, which I have helped some of the students for, and helped to judge.

Having worked for 3 years after finishing university, I was a little nervous about packing-up and shipping out to China, but I have found it a wholly positive experience.  After living and working in a place where the culture and language is so different to my native country – and surviving! – I now feel that there are very few things in the world that cannot be done.  I hope to go to Shanghai next year to study Chinese, and if that is as good as this year, then I’ve been very lucky indeed.  

Good luck!

Tom Herbert