Jitka Hruzova: A Year in Yuxi

Interview with Jitka Hruzova, State School teacher in Yuxi 2016-17

What made you decide that you wanted to Teach English in China?

The main reason I decided to teach English in China was to try something completely different and new. Back in the UK I had begun climbing the career ladder, but this wasn’t right for me at the time. I wanted to do something rewarding and worthwhile – teaching English and seeing someone’s improvement seemed like a great thing to do. It might sound a bit crazy, but I was looking for a culture shock and China seemed to be the best place to experience that.

At the same time, I always enjoyed working with young people and the idea of going to a culturally completely different country and environment was exciting and scary (in a good way) but challenging too. In my case, another important reason was that I really wanted to find out what was China like. I always heard that “China is this and that…”, but I wanted to find out for myself. I also wanted to travel more, which the Chinese New Year (4-6 weeks in January/February) allows for. This helped me decide to go.

What age group do you teach and what are the pros and cons of teaching this age group?

I teach Grade 1 of a senior high school. My students are teenagers, 15 to 16 years old. Mostly it is fun because they have a basic level of English. With the better students, I can have a simple conversation, which is often very interesting and educational; I have actually learnt a lot about how they live. Occasionally I have lunch with some of my students and they excitedly tell me about themselves, their families and school.

The most challenging thing is that at this stage of their education, most students have a mixture of English skills. Therefore, sometimes it’s quite difficult to meet everyone’s needs in a single lesson, especially considering I have 55 – 60 students per class. That said, there are ways to make the class useful for everybody – videos, team work, creating dialogues, etc. The students are great, but sometimes they can give you hard time. After all, they are teenagers – we all remember this funny age, right?

Occasionally, I get to play basketball or ping pong with them, which is great fun. This allows me to get to know them from a different angle and learnt how they spend their free time. I’m not exaggerating when I say that the lives of Chinese and Western teenagers are completely different.

How does living like a local in China compare to the likes of visiting somewhere on holiday?

Experiencing a country as a local has always been on the top of my list. With Teach English In China you spend almost a year in China, which means you really get to know the local people, local’s habits, community and the way things work here. Going somewhere for two weeks is a completely different experience. During my time in China, I went through the ‘shocking’ first few weeks but after some time I started to feel that I am really at home.

Living somewhere away from your family for a long time makes you a better person. You become more independent, tolerant, compassionate and you learn lots about yourself. You have a better understanding of different cultures, which has been even more enhanced for me as I am living in the most diverse province in China – Yunnan. This province has the biggest concentration of ethnic minorities. Living here for a longer period of time has allowed me to get to know many of those ethic groups and make some friends amongst them. At the same time, spending a year here has helped me to understand how they live, work and interact together in the bigger picture – China. It is a truly special cultural experience which you cannot gain during a short-term holiday.

What kind of things have you been able to do in China that you wouldn’t have been able to do at home?

This program allowed me to experience something I’d usually have had to spend years studying for; teaching. I always wanted to try teaching, but it’s not possible in Europe without a degree. Except for the TEFL certificate, which Teach English In China helps you with, you don’t need any teaching qualifications. Therefore, it’s a very convenient way of trying teaching without committing to studying towards it for many years. After all, who knows if that’s the right thing you want to do in life? It’s worth trying as many things as possible. Who knows where it will take you! That’s the great thing about Teach English In China.

Right from the beginning, I planned to do two things which I could not do anywhere else as authentically as here; learn martial arts from a real martial arts master and learn Chinese calligraphy. Chinese culture is so rich and vast, so where better to learn about it than the country of its origin?

Other things I have done in China might not be the smartest, but it was fun and an experience too. I was able to drive a scooter without a helmet. I must mention that I have never tried it before! Almost everybody, including my students, has an electric scooter for which you don’t need a driving license – unthinkable in the West! Lots of rules in China are much more relaxed than in the western countries.

What have you gained from the experience and how do you think this will help you in the future?

First of all, it is a great thing to have on your CV. Teaching English shows a great variety of skills and qualities like responsibility, leadership and communication skills. The fact that I chose to teach English in China to do it only makes more impressive. It’s is a great achievement and people and potential employers recognise that.

In terms of my future, I have started looking for some new opportunities after I finish in China. I’m lucky enough to have already secured a volunteering job in Sri Lanka where I will be not only teaching English, but also using my passion for creativity and yoga. When I applied for this position I could already see the advantages of my teaching experience. It certainly made me a much more interesting candidate. Being an English teacher in China shows your flexibility, adaptability and tolerance. This experience makes you far more interesting candidate for any job really.

Last but not least, I’ve made some amazing Chinese friends who I hope to stay in touch with once I leave China.