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Ask a Teacher/old dude thread

User Profile: DaveMcGrath
DaveMcGrath July 9th, 2018

Burning Ember, the rather enthusiastic community mentor leader you all have, suggested I write up a wiki guide of my favorite study sources. I came to the conclusion that my idea of favorite study resources is probably about 20 years out of date.

With that being said, I do work as a teacher in China where I live and teach English for a living. I've been a foreign teacher manager of a school, I've been a teacher trainer, and I taught life skills in the US in a teacher/counselor capacity.

What I'd like to do is try to answer any questions you have. If I can't, and that might well be a very real possibility as I'll be the first to admit I'm not all knowing or the sharpest knife in the drawer, I'll try to find someone who can.

I'd like to try to help answer questions about what its like to be a teacher. Maybe you have a question about why your teacher responded in a certain way, I'll try my best to answer it. Again, I'm a teacher in China, which might make it difficult for me to answer questions about teachers in various countries, even my own the US.

But I'll try my best and if I can get others involved to answer your question, I'll go for it.

I'm also a veritable cranky old uncle sort of person. If you want to ask questions about other stuff, I might have a crack at that as well.

@bolibee this is yer time to shine

2
User Profile: Booklover95
Booklover95 July 9th, 2018

@DaveMcGrath

I do have a question. I'm studying to become a tutor/teacher in the field of languages.

I'm thinking of working abroad though. So my question is, how did it become possible for you to work in china ? What stuff did they require?

1 reply
User Profile: DaveMcGrath
DaveMcGrath OP July 9th, 2018

@Booklover95

Oh man, that's a big answer.

They had a big scandal in Beijing a couple years ago and they changed all the visa rules. When I came over the first time, it was easy. More or less showed up.

This last time, had to get a background check and everything.

Current day, its even more difficult.

Basically, what you need to avoid too much of a headache is a bachelor's degree from an English speaking country. Think Canada, UK, US, Australia, New Zealand, and Ireland, and South Africa depending upon how annoyed the Chinese and South AFrican government are with each other at the moment.

A TEFL certificate if your degree isn't in Education.

And work experience.

Here is a link from the Chinese government that goes over the fiddly bits.

https://en.safea.gov.cn/2017-09/22/content_32328772.htm

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