By Arnold Vis, Director of Teach English In China, part of Impact Teaching

 

It was incredible to be back in China last month, after not being able to visit for years due to the pandemic.

Here are 5 observations about my experiences about China in 2023.

 

Online payments are the norm

I had heard a lot about this before my trip, and it proved totally true: virtually all payments are done online in China nowadays. I had to resort to cash on the odd occasion, which was grudgingly accepted, but the expectation is to pay with an online payment app, like Alipay or WeChat pay.

For your first weeks in China, it’s easiest to set up Alipay, as it’s easily linked to a foreign debit or credit card, whereas WeChat pay can only be linked to a Chinese bank account.

For most of our long-term teachers, it means starting with Alipay, and adding WeChat pay when you get your Chinese bank account set up after spending a few weeks in China.

Paying online makes your life easier when you have it all set up and you know your way around the apps, because it’s quick and efficient, and there are no language issues at checkout.

But when the technology fails, it can be a bit stressful on occasion.  When this happened to me, it was almost invariably due to two factors. Most commonly, it had to do with my VPN being on when I was paying for something. My VPN generally worked very well (more on that below) but they are not set up to interact well with Chinese IT systems, so having our VPN on can cause payments to fail. Always make sure to turn your VPN off when you pay. The second issue was not having Bluetooth on when I paid, so always make sure to have that on.

 

There are far fewer foreigners in China than before the pandemic

Walking around big Chinese cities like Shenzhen and Shanghai, I would encounter other foreigners on a handful of occasions per day.  In this way, it was stark contrast with my most recent pre pandemic trips to Shanghai, when there were lots of foreigners around all over the city.

Given that China’s strict COVID policies were only lifted earlier this calendar year, it’s not entirely surprising and I expect more and more foreigners to return to China now the pandemic is over.

There are lots of opportunities for English teachers in China

The fact there are fewer foreigners in China means there are lots of opportunities for the available English jobs, and our partners at schools all over China are currently urgently looking for candidates, despite the fact that the teaching market has changed in China since the pandemic, as described here.

For teachers new to China, the job opportunities are at state schools for work during regular school hours (all over China), private kindergartens for work during regular school hours (mostly available in Shanghai and Shenzhen on our program) and at private training centres for work from Wednesday to Sunday, with the work during weekdays taking place after school in the evening.

 

VPNs work well and staying in touch with friends and family back home is not an issue

During  my last trip to China before the pandemic, using my VPN and to access sites like the BBC, Facebook, and Instagram etc was hit and miss. In hindsight, this may have had to do with the VPN’s I was using at the time (sorry Nord VPN ad Express VPN). On this trip, I used Veee VPN and it was brilliant, it worked impeccably at all times. I spoke to our teachers about this, and besides Veee, another popular VPN that teachers like is Astrill.

Using one of these VPNs means it is not an issue to stay in touch with friends and family throughout your time in China.

 

 

 

 

Food delivery is available throughout the day, and it’s very affordable.

Walking around big Chinese cities, you’ll see food delivery drivers everywhere, in traffic, or in shopping malls picking up their next delivery. I was blown away by the availability and convenience of online food delivery. Whilst in China, we usually ordered a breakfast in, which cost less than £4 for three people, and it was delicious.

There is a lot of competition among food delivery companies in China, which has driven prices down, and it’s created enormous comfort and convenience for the consumer.

 

Being back in China reinforced what a fascinating place it is, and what an unforgettable experience living and working there can be.

We are passionate about making the start of your teaching abroad journey as easy and enjoyable as it can be. We have over 18 years’ experience – and currently have placements in China, Thailand, Vietnam, Cambodia, Taiwan, Poland, and Hungary. With more incoming. Please don’t hesitate to get in touch and find out how we can help you start you teaching adventure.

 

Let us know by emailing me, Arnold at: arnold@teach-english-in-china.co.uk

Check out our programs to pick where you want to go.

See you soon!