Staff Spotlight: Lauren Pettit

My favourite memory is on Halloween during my teaching placement. The other foreign teacher at my school and I volunteered to organize an activity day that gave all students at our school the chance to experience games and activities that children would play in our home country. We organized a day filled with games that encouraged students to use English and learn more about this holiday, and it was so much fun. I've kept in touch with my colleagues at the school and found out that since then, they have continued this event for Halloween as it was so popular among both students and staff!

Since working for the company, I have learned so much about China and its booming ESL industry. I have had the chance to work on a range of different projects that have helped me to develop a wide skillset. I've gained skills in communicating with people from different backgrounds, problem-solving and online marketing. These have helped me to gain a good understanding of how a small company works.

One of the best stories I've heard is from a homestay programme participant, who ventured from the suburban house she was staying in central Beijing for a day trip.

After a good day out, she confidently headed back to the bus stop and jumped on a bus, only to notice an hour later that she was headed in the completely wrong direction and was in fact on her way to the Great Wall (miles out of town). With little battery left on her phone and no idea where she was, she quickly told her host family, who ordered a taxi to her. Fortunately, she was able to find somewhere to charge her phone, and the taxi soon arrived - she managed to keep a positive attitude throughout this and took the experience in her stride, which is something we try to encourage all our participants to do!

I would choose to go to the Business Homestay Programme, because this programme is so unique and is not one I have seen offered anywhere else. Not only can participants experience the Chinese culture in an extremely immersive way, but they also have the chance to immerse themselves in the business environment of Beijing, creating a network and discovering new opportunities.

This is an excellent opportunity for those who haven't yet decided if they want to remain in China on a longer-term basis to put out the feelers and see what the city may have to offer them professionally. I'm very jealous of the participants in this programme!

Teach English In China is unique in that it is one of the longest-standing companies offering teaching programmes, and unlike some competitors, it remains focused on China.

The team is formed of former ESL teachers in China, meaning there is such a valuable wealth of knowledge ready for newcomers to tap into. The team makes every effort to ensure that participants are happy and well looked after, right up until the time they arrive back home.

I'm proud of the team every time we have an Orientation Day, which happens before the programmes begin. At this time I always see the team come together and share their infectious love for China, which has a positive impact on the participants who always leave smiling.

I believe the biggest factor in being a successful company is customer service. Having a friendly, knowledgeable team who is already ready to assist customers and solve problems is crucial to building and maintaining a solid reputation. The more people that have a good experience with a company, the more they will keep coming back or tell their friends about you. This is something we strive to do at Teach English In China, encouraging participant feedback at every step so that we can continue to improve our services.