I'm spoilt for choice with my experiences of traveling in China and Asia but I think my favourite memory is probably Yangshuo in China. The scenery there is just incredible and there's an amazing chilled vibe in the town.
What makes my memories of Yangshuo even better is that I've been able to visit with some of my closest friends including my (now) wife which makes it so much more special.
I have learned an incredible amount since working at York. Even in my first few weeks with York, I learned more about how to teach great classes than I did in the last 18 months with my old school! I think that's a testament to the values we have in our teaching. We don't want our teachers to survive in the classroom, we want you to thrive. No teacher should finish a year of teaching without having learned new things.
This philosophy is central to what we do so we provide lots of training and support throughout your time with us.
There have been so many amazing stories over the years of people achieving great things while at York but also going on to achieve amazing things after. We've had teachers who've become fluent in Chinese during their time with us, teachers who've gained so much confidence in their teaching they've pursued a career in it, and of course, teachers who've fallen in love and gotten married.
We focus our efforts on just one program, so I'd have to say that one!
Teaching our amazing (and adorable) students in southern China is an experience I would recommend to anyone with a sense of adventure and a desire to do something different and rewarding. Having experienced it personally, it's definitely an experience that changed me for the better.
I think the one thing that really sets York English apart is our teaching philosophy and our values. Simply put, we never lose sight of why we exist as a school: to give our students the best education we can and the education they deserve. It's a big responsibility. They've come to us for an English language education and we have to give that to them.
This means we have to support our teachers both inside and outside of the classroom. From great teaching materials to tons of training and professional development, to high-quality accommodation and not forgetting a great community. Because if our teachers are loving this experience, ultimately the students will get so much more from it.
Honestly, I think treating people the right way is a huge factor here. Good communication, great compensation, the right working environment, lots of help and support. It's hard to keep great people if you don't have these things. I'm proud to say we do and that's why we have a lot of amazing individuals who've been with us for years.