Alumni Spotlight: Stephen Perrot

Stephen Perrot is from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and is currently enrolled at Concordia University's Master of Arts International Studies program. He taught at Aston English in Xi'an China from March 2011 through February 2012. He has a BA in English and will be returning to China in August 2012 where he will continue his studies while teaching in Shanghai. He enjoys golf, guitar, history, archaeology, reading, photography and the great outdoors.

Morning: Teaching abroad, at least in China, requires weekend work because your students are mainly children and they are in their own schools Monday through Friday. Many contracts are 20 hours and the bulk of those hours will be Saturday and Sunday. My weekends started by getting up at 6:15 AM for an 8 AM start. During the week, the mornings are yours to relax and/or sleep in. Since I had a 25 hour contract and had a business background, I did have some mornings devoted to corporate training. All of my fellow teachers had their mornings free.

Crescent Moon Oasis

Afternoon: My afternoons were often my own and I would spend them walking around Xi'an; along the Wall, through a nearby art district, or around the Muslim quarter. In the art district and muslim quarter there are many vendors and you should be ready to negotiate prices or you will spend much more than needed! There are also malls where you cannot bargain for better prices but you don't need to inspect for quality as much as you do on the street. But the streets are more fun! There are also many parks where you can relax and read a book or do some lesson planning.

Evening: I had some evening classes for adults and children due to my 25 hour schedule, but when I was not teaching, the night life in Xi'an was robust indeed. I played guitar at 2 local bars for some extra cash on the side and for the sheer fun of it. The Chinese love western performers, although they seem to latch onto specific songs they want to hear over and over. It is easy enough to find local spots that cater to both western and Chinese patrons. Look for some nearby youth hostels as they are often a great place to meet not only travelers, but teachers and other foreigners working abroad.