I do recognize a special commodity in the eyes of some employers of ESL instructors, however. I’ve studied in Chinese schools at both the high school and university level and despite the tragic condition of my Chinese, my “classroom leadership” vocabulary is not bad.

I have to agree with the point about knowing Chinese. I have two personal perspectives on this as a language student myself. In grade 9 French, I recall completely sucking at the language and could care less about my success in the course provided that I passed with a marginal grade and never had to retake the stupid course (in Ontario students are required to complete French up to grade 9, after which point it becomes optional). When the French instructor (a frail, weakling of a woman) would “immerse” us in French as she explained something, my eyes would glaze over and I would ignore her until she went back to English. The reality was that, I and perhaps many members of the class, had such poor levels of French speaking and comprehension that concentrating hard on her syllables wasn’t going to change the fact that our French vocab was basically no existent. She was just blabbing away, losing most of us in the process.

My French would have been much better served if she had quit with the French and taught me something that I was actually capable of learning.

On the other hand….

Years later while enrolled in the CSL student at Luhe Zhongxue in Tongzhou Beiyuan, Beijing, I and the other students studied in class about 35 hrs a week. Our teachers spoke English/Korean to us for about two weeks and then they quit and went entirely with Chinese. It worked. My Chinese significantly benefited from this “immersion” experience…partly because the rest of my life as largely conducted in Chinese too.

I say all that to say that the amount of Chinese/English you speak in a class should be based on the abilities of the students and what their potential learning capabilities stack up at.

A couple other suggestions for those just starting off:

*There are a couple ways to buck culture that won’t make you hated all too quickly. Although most teachers in China can get away with wearing jeans and a t-shirt, because I tend to look young for my age (and I am young to start with), I would always wear a shirt and tie. This both helped me look and feel professional and pushed me to be everything that I could be. This isn’t for everyone, but don’t be afraid to go the extra mile and areas that benefit you professionally and will potentially increase learning.

*Buy and printer and your own paper. Neither of these things are all too expensive in China and it will really give you a certain degree of flexibility when you don’t need to depend on school facilities. Also, find a small photocopy shop, where the proprietor appreciates your business enough to offer to share lunch with you if he is already eating when you arrive. I found having this kind of relationship was invaluable when crisis struck.

If your school/organziation limits your book selections, you can probably still get away with sneaking in some handouts of your own design. When possible, I skip that handouts altogether and design all my own curriculum, tailored specifically to the needs of each class. Keep in mind, however, that if I worked full time, this would be tough.

jmcn

To compliment #1 and the frame of reference suggestion: Most ESL books suck. The vocabulary is mundane (and often ridiculous), the grammar, sentence structures and phonics an evil disjointed mish-mash. For students to get anything out of the lessons these teaching aids have to be put in a frame of reference applicable to the students.

I used ESL books as a basis for my lessons and expanded upon the vocab and grammar in situations the students could get interested in.

I would add #5: Know your students. Their school/family/business life, their likes and dislikes: Where they are and where they’re headed. Teachers of Grade 1 kids or adults should learn as much as they can in the first few lessons. Success will follow.

I find that pictures and concrete questions trigger more interesting discussion than open questions. “Imagine that the guy in this picture is keeping a secret from the girl in that picture. What is it? Why? What will happen if she finds out?” was far more effective than, “Tell me how you really feel about this.” I think that Chinese students don’t have very much experience with vague, personal questions, and therefore specific, impersonal questions make them feel much more comfortable and willing to share ideas.

Also, for one-on-one training with adults, NPR and TED Talks are my favorite sources. They combine reading and listening, and bring up all sorts of interesting conversation topics.

I enjoy the variety of personal stories that I’ve heard through teaching here in China. I’m glad I took the plunge and moved across the world!

“3. Airfare: Instructors’ international airfare will be reimbursed with the maximum amount of RMB8,000. Instructors already in China will get a reimbursement of up to RMB4,000 for their domestic trips. Free pick-up at the airport can be arranged upon arrival.”

is bullsheet.

Thanks…looking forward to a good year.

@Matthew Llewellyn I think if you stop feeling sorry for your students for being tired and overworked, and instead crack the whip a little you will see a far better result. The students take advantage of teachers in the classroom because they sense weakness in them and naturally exploit it. Don’t you remember what you did to your substitute teachers when you were in middle school? Why were you more likely to obey your regular teacher than your sub? My teachers didnt let us get away with anything. One in fact got into a fist fight with a student. But that was just a tough school. Point is you gotta take control.

Someone once told me that teaching is like being the captain of a ship. You have to give them direction otherwise they’ll be lost at sea. Personally I’ve never had cases where students were talking on the phone or smoking in class or any of these horror stories that I hear going around. The reason is I command respect from the outset. I’m not a jerk to my students and we often have fun in the classroom; I just dont take any shit and I let them know it right away. (picture leonardo dicaprio as teacher in “catch me if you can”)