Interview with Charlotte Gray, State School teacher in Shanghai (2015-2016)

What made you decide that you wanted to Teach English in China?
In my final year of university, I didn’t feel like I’d seen enough of the world yet to be happy going straight into a graduate job or further study straight away. I thought that teaching English abroad would be the perfect option for me, in that it would give me the opportunity to spend a long time experiencing another country’s culture, while working and saving money to see other places at the same time. I knew, as well, that having an experience like this on my CV could only be a good thing for job-hunting in the future. I chose China because of how different its culture is from the UK’s. It felt like the most adventurous choice!

What age group did you teach and what were the pros and cons of teaching this age group?
I taught grades one to three in a primary school in Shanghai, so my students were aged between seven and ten. When I arrived in China, I didn’t know which age group I’d be teaching and when the company I was working with told me I’d have one of the youngest groups, my heart did sink a bit. I’d not had very much experience around children and thought I would get on better with teenagers. Looking back, I’m glad I was given the younger classes. They had less pressure on them to perform than older students; I could focus on making lessons fun so that they’d grow to love their English classes. A con would be that younger students are harder to control, so classroom management had to be a big factor to consider when planning lessons.

How does living like a local in China compare to visiting on holiday?
I’d imagine that visiting China on holiday is a completely different experience from the one I had. When my friends and family came to visit Shanghai, they were surprised by things that I didn’t even register as strange anymore. China has such a rich culture that I was still discovering new things (especially great new food!!) in my last few months there. I feel really lucky that I was able to experience everyday life there because it gave me the confidence to travel to new parts of China with a bit more savvy than I would have done had I just been visiting on holiday.

What kind of things were you able to do in China that you wouldn’t have been able to do at home?
I went to China hoping to learn a bit of Mandarin, but I didn’t expect to fall in love with the language as much as I did. I think that being immersed in Chinese culture, and seeing language-learning as a window into it, made me appreciate Mandarin a lot more than I would have done had I just been learning in the UK. I was also able to save money while still living very comfortably in China. I saved enough for two big trips around China and Japan during the Spring Festival and the summer holidays, while still eating dinner out with friends most nights and exploring Shanghai at the weekends. I was surprised by just how much more affordable life in China is than life in the UK.

What have you gained from the experience and how do you think this will help you in the future?
Living and teaching in China was probably the most rewarding experience I’ve ever had. It gave me a unique perspective on a different culture and helped me learn about myself and what I’m capable of. Teaching and facing new situations every day has made me a lot more confident. I also feel like I’ve got a bit of a second home in China now and I’m planning my next trip there soon!

What would you say to someone who is considering taking part in a Teach English In China programme? Would you recommend us?
I absolutely would recommend teaching in China, and doing it through Teach English In China. It’s a great way to spend a year after you graduate, whether you know what you want to do after university or not. Teach English in China are great at preparing you for the transition; having never been to China before, I wouldn’t have known where to start without their help. Once you have a place on their programme, they help you with every step of the move and the Beijing training camp gives you the opportunity to make friends as soon as you arrive.