Name, city and age group you work with
Hello all! We’re Curtis and Beth, a couple here in China, teaching 12 – 13 year olds in a middle school in Foshan, Guangdong province.

Briefly describe what it’s Iike working with that age group
Teaching 12 – 13-year-old children was intimidating at first. We haven’t been 12/13 in a time longer than we’d care to admit. What do they like? What are they interested in? What’s going to be their level of English? These were the questions we worried about before arriving in Foshan. In reality, young teenagers have allowed us the opportunity to both have fun with and challenge our students. This time in their lives is one of great change. They’ve just started at a new school, they’re making new friends, and they’re starting to think about their futures. Whilst sometimes this means that they can be highly strung, sometimes all they need is someone to talk to, and a way to let off some steam. So, we try to make our classes as interactive and engaging as possible, and we try to get them to start thinking critically about their futures and dreams and ambitions.

Best thing about teaching in China?
For us, the best thing has to be the learning curve we’ve been on in regards to ourselves as teachers. Don’t get us wrong, we’ve seen some truly breath-taking and ‘you-won’t-believe-it-until-you-see-it’ sights, but this year has allowed us to test our newfound teaching abilities. Also, it’s confirmed a few ideas about where we’d like to be in the future, which is always reassuring. The entire learning curve has been awesome.

Biggest challenge?
Homesickness. It’s something we knew we’d struggle with, but not to this extent. Sometimes it gets really hard, it would be pointless to sugar-coat it, but then we look around and we remember how amazing this year has been for us. All of the wonderful places we’ve been and people we’ve met. That makes it easier.

Favorite city you’ve visited in China & why?
We struggle to agree on this one so we’re going to have to cheat and give two answers. For Beth it’s without a doubt Hong Kong. A truly mesmerising place which just captivated us from the moment we stepped off the train. We’ve been back time and time again, and there’s a reason for that. For Curtis it’s Guilin. He appreciated the serenity of it – the landscape is perfect for escaping the hectic, bigger cities of Foshan, and seeing the famous Karst mountains which are depicted on the 20-yuan note was just down right cool.

Advice about teaching in China
Take each day as it comes. You can research China until your heart’s content, but it’s always going to surprise you. Sometimes it will be a good surprise, sometimes not so much. Take the good with the bad. Embrace the opportunity with both arms, and you’re bound to say this is one of the best experiences of your life.


Curtis & Beth submit an update and a picture about their experiences in China on our Facebook page every fortnight Foshan Bloggers Curtis Newell & Bethany Joyce

The stories highlight the highs, lows, adventures of teachers in China and are designed to give a little taste of what living and working in China is like. Click on the individual pictures for the posts per week.