Program Reviews

My apartment is on the 27th floor, so I have a fabulous view. I make about four times what the average person makes in China, which is not a lot by Western standards, but I do save lots. The hours of teaching that I put in per week are about 25, but the preparation time is minimal: maybe only two. This gives me ample time to do whatever: study, read, explore, etc. The cuisine is great. I tend to have one or two meals at home, and I go out daily for authentic Chinese food--not the deep-fried garbage that North America knows. Going out is also cheap. Where I might spend $10 in Canada for a meal, I would spend two dollars in China for the same. But if you are coming to China, I encourage you to think about air-quality matters. You might look at the article in Wikipedia concerning air quality in China. In terms of air quality, the best regions to teach are in the North-East or the South-East--along the ocean. But even this should not detract you from coming as the benefits far outweigh the disadvantages! Brendan was wonderful: approachable, knowledgeable, concerned, and thorough. My experience with my employer was also first-rate: coming to a foreign land necessarily includes a host of hurdles: healthcare (I recommend that you get your own before you come to China), language, communication (phone and internet), finding accommodations, and many miscellaneous matters. Having someone to guide you through at the beginning is a huge stress reliever. Every day I have to pinch myself: no, John, this is not a dream! You are living the Life of Riley, and having a blast doing so! See my diary of sorts of my first Sunday (it is attached).... (I wrongly stated that the Chinese characters on either side of the cross concerned a political slogan; not at all, they simply say "Merry Christmas"; but the irony is still there, for, not unlike Western society, Chinese society has morphed what is sacred into hall-markish commercialism.)

I just got back from living a year in Jinan, China and I really miss it. I miss the bomb food for cheap prices. I miss the funny Chinese people and the weird and interesting foreign friends I made from countries like South Africa, Italy and Australia. I miss hopping on a train and staying at a hostel in cities like Hong Kong and Shanghai for the weekend. I miss not hearing about Donald Trump and Hilary Clinton everyday.

I am glad a friend suggested I work with New Life ESL. They have been helpful and knowledgeable in the process and found me a good to work for that I can trust.

Hi, my name is Tulin. This is my 3rd year in China and second school placement with New Life Esl. With their support I was not hesitant about such a big change in my life. Monica filled me in with details that helped me a lot before I came here. They were there every step of the way and available any time if I had any questions. My second school that I was placed in Guangzhou was even better and i think I will be here for another few years. I'm so glad that I came to know such cool people as my agent. Love you guys!

New Life was more than helpful in helping me find my job in China. I seriously talked to Monica for 1hr then hoped on a plane 10 days later. Brendan was great in helping me find the right job for me too! They introduced me to a wonderful employer who took care of me in everyway. The job was great and the students were awesome! My living arrangments were very nice and i met some awesome people in Beijing. Even though I had nver met them face to face Monica Brendan and I became instant friends. Thats how nice, fun, open and honest they are. They even came to vist me while I was in Beijing and we had a blast. WEa re still in contact today and I highly recommend using New Life to begin your new life in China!

I could not recommend New Life ESL and Brendan highly enough. They found me an amazing job in Dalian and I am loving every minute of my new life here. While other companies do not treat you as an individual New Life ESL could not be better at this. I could always talk to Brendan and he helped me through every stage of the process from my interview to sorting my visa. This help is really important when moving abroad to somewhere I had never been to before and the New Life ESL team was excellent from start to finish. I had the opportunity to meet up with Brendan in Beijing and I am very glad I did, he has become a friend and I appreciate all the help he gave me. My advice would be if anyone is thinking of teaching in China then do it, and do it through New Life ESL, so you get fantastic help and a fantastic job!

With the help New-Life China I was able to make true one of my new year's resolutions. I wanted to move to China and work there for at leadt a year. I had a job offer from a language school but after some time I found out I couldnt trust them. So I started looking for other options and came across their website which perfectly described everything in detail. I sent in my application and withing a couple days I got a response. After another couple of days I got interviewed by Brendan. And after a week I already had a job offer to work in Beijing. My employer interviewed me and I completely knew I could trust him straight away. After two weeks I already had a visa and a plane ticket to a life-changing experience. The team of New Life are efficient and genuinly care about their applicants. I felt like I knew these people for years. When I personally met Brendan, I felt I talked to a friend who I hadn't seen in a couple years. The New Life team are people who are not afraid, or lazy to go the extra mile to help you and I am grateful that I found them.

New Life ESL helped me to find an AWESOME teaching job in China, and I highly recommend using them if you are interested in having the time of your life!
I write this from my beautiful apartment in Nanchang, the capital of Jiangxi province. From my window, I can see the school I work for, people walking along the river, and the fruit stand and veggie cart at which I have become a regular. I can hear the calming sounds of the river and the children playing outside as I hang clothes to dry on my balcony. Tomorrow, I will sleep in and go to work in the afternoon. I'll walk the flower-ridden sidewalk and get there early enough to play with the kids before class starts. Next, I'll use the Activ-Board to teach about Art or Drama or Science or World Culture in English. I'll sing songs and play games and facilitate crafts and read stories using lots of body language. The kids will thank me and hug me when class is over. The school has lunch and dinner catered for free for its teachers. After work, I'll linger with the Chinese teachers, talking and laughing about our day. They'll teach me a few more words or phrases in Chinese, and then I'll walk home. I spend my days off relaxing in Nanchang, finding a nearby adventure, or taking the express trains to other cities. I plan my trips to Thailand and Vietnam and the Philippines. I try to find the right way to tell my family back home that I don't think I'll be back after only a year...

Before I came here, I talked with Monica from New Life ESL. I had doubts and she helped me through them. She encouraged me to take this leap and she set me up with the perfect school and city for me. I'm thriving and I'm happy here and it wouldn't have happened without New Life ESL.

The best decision I've ever made was coming to China. However, it was a hard decision to make. This was because I didn't know what city to work in and I didn't know which jobs were good. That is where New Life ESL really helped me. Brendan works with many different schools and teachers across China. So from his knowledge I was able to find a great job in Qingdao. It's a 2nd tier city but it still has 9 million people and everything a person could need.

My first week here was pretty hectic. Getting all of my paperwork and physicals and of course meeting tons of new people. But I soon settled in and now that I have been here for about 6 months, it really feels like home! It's also nice to have Brendan available for questions all the time! I was actually able to visit him in Beijing and he showed me a great time! I can't stress enough how helpful it was to use an American company like New Life. Just to know they are there to help is a big relief.

The best advice I can give to someone thinking about teaching in China is to just do it! If you have the right people looking out for you, everything will be fine and dandy!

I'm glad I took the leap of faith that I did.  Maybe there are some shady operations out there; who knows.  But New Life ESL isn't one of them.  I was set up with a Z visa, brand new apartment, and a very fair salary and contract.  Of course nothing is perfect, but there is really nothing bad I can think of to say.  The school, "Best Learning" is a pretty solid operation and the little kids are a pleasure to work with.  Everything is on the up and up and I have no complaints to speak of.

My experience with New Life has been very positive. The staff will answer all your questions and make sure that everything runs smoothly for you. There are many recruiters in China who don't really care about you and place you in a dodgy school with no support. If you want to avoid that, then contact New Life. They will answer all your questions and you can easily reach them through Skype. Their website is very informative and I would suggest you browse it through first to see if you got what it takes to move overseas and become a teacher.

I can recommend New Life ESL to anyone who is ready for an adventure!