The good, the bad and the ugly

Travelling to China for a job was not something I wanted to do, but I was left with no choice after graduation day came and I couldn't find work in Canada. My fiance had just finished his teaching degree and couldn't find jobs at home either. Voila, we got offered two jobs at MLIS in Wuhan, China.

The company is super helpful with getting you into the country, but it's a grueling process. The flight alone is terrible for anyone bigger than an average Asian. The moment you get into the country, you get a wink of sleep before running around to find an apartment, cell phone, bank account, etc. It's all really overwhelming for someone experiencing culture shock.

For the first few months I was in Wuhan, I spent a lot of my time freaking out. Up until that point, I had only travelled to English-speaking countries because I was afraid of the language barrier. Boy did I have a reason to be. Imagine needing to buy food because you're hungry, and having the clerk ramble off a question you can't understand. How do you proceed? It's paralyzing. I don't think anyone should go to China without first learning some Mandarin (unless you KNOW you will have a local with you at all times).

The school itself is beautiful. The campus is amazing, and the students are top-tier. From what I've heard about other countries, Chinese students are angels. When it comes to teaching, it can be difficult. This was my first ESL position ever in my life, and I had a hard time adjusting to it. I was lucky to have some really experienced coworkers, but I still struggled for a while. I had to manage a new textbook, planning all my lessons, making all my resources (handouts, tests, powerpoints, etc), and doing some clerical work on the side. It was hard, and if you choose this company, it will be hard for you as well.

The good news is that it all gets easier.

You start to pick up survival Mandarin pretty quickly. When it comes to shopping, you learn the basic "how much is this?", "1 bag", "thank you", etc. very quickly. The students also love to teach you Manadarin at every opportunity. You get used to the work as well. Making lesson plans is just something you do. You learn where you can take resources from online, and what works for your students. You also learn when to say no to your boss. Sometimes there's too much to do - you have to know when that is and protest, or you will get used and abused.

All-in-all, Maple Leaf is one of the tougher ESL schools out there, but I think it's one of the best organized schools, with the most benefits. I definitely recommend trying it if you're serious about trying teaching.