Teach English in China - No experience required

Aston English School has by now I believe 5 locations in Xi'an. I taught at Aston 1 which is on East Street in the center of Xi'an inside the wall. I shared an apartment within walking distance of the school. There was a great mixture of western amenities (Walmart, McDonald's, Starbucks) within a very Chinese city. The city is beautiful but dirty and with poor air quality most of the time. However, once you venture beyond the main locale, it is a beautiful part of China, nestled in the Qing Ling mountains. The school itself could use an overhaul in terms of cleanliness and functionality but the staff are helpful and accommodating. I had no major issues with my apartment, one of the few with central heating. Aston pays on time and does not try to get teachers to work overtime or against their contract, a rarity in China or so I am told. Although I don't believe I'll go back to teaching children, if I do I would choose Aston again.

Generally well organised set-up.

Good pay.

Great housing, with all amenities.

Top level management inconsistent; scheduling problems, reluctant to pay over-time, poor day-to-day communication.

Chinese staff not made to feel valued - huge turnover as a result.

Aston English is a good way to get started teaching in China. The pay is not the best for teaching jobs, but it's higher than typical other second- and third-tier city foreigner salaries. Aston mostly operates in second- and third-tier cities, so it's both a great way to make your salary go farther and catch some glimpses of the "real China."

The social scene depends on the city you go to. Aston mostly teaches on the weekends, so typical weekend bar sorties are usually out of reach. However, lots of foreigners teach at similar private schools, so it's not hard to find a group to go out together on a weeknight. Depending on the foreigner population of the city you're in, that is.

Aston Education Group itself only owns a few schools, in the larger cities such as Jinan, Xi'an and Dalian. Most other cities' Astons are franchise-owned. This means that it's a good idea to search around the web for reports from the specific Aston school you're considering going to, because different franchises have different attitudes towards the education goals of their schools.

Bottom line, I recommend Aston to people just getting started in China who don't want to go to a major city like Beijing or Shanghai. Go to a second- or third-tier city, take advantage of the free language classes, and make friend with your Chinese coworkers. Spend a year at Aston easing yourself into the Chinese culture and teaching, then seek out a higher-paying school at a larger city who wants to see a little experience. Or stick around Aston and move up the ranks quickly -- they have a pretty high turnover rate, which means higher positions are constantly opening up if you're ok with relocating within China. And why wouldn't you be?

Overall, Aston is a great company with great ideas. They continuously look for ways to improve their curriculum and the teaching resources they offer are first rate. The learning tools range from books, CD's, DVD's, and in the Aston A+ schools, the rooms are equipped with Smart boards, CD-Roms, play equipment and arts and crafts. While you do have to write up your own lesson plan, there is a guidebook you can use to help you and with all of the resources offered, it's hard to run out of things to do. The only thing the schools seem to lack are flashcards! Why are there no flashcards? I spent so much time making flashcards that would usually get ripped by students during my lessons.

For the most part the staff is friendly and helpful, but I did find there was a disconnect between the different management levels. During my time teaching, several things weren't taken care of that should have received attention immediately, although they were addressed eventually. (Bare in mind, there are different managers for different schools depending on what region you're in). If you ever have a problem with the program, it's typically more effective to email or phone the foreign general managers or the recruiters. They take action and get things done, rather than let the problems pile up.

The pay is pretty standard for teaching in China and you don't have to pay for your apartment, only utilities. The contract's not bad. You get an end of the year bonus and there are several different contracts you can choose from (20 vs. 25 hours a week, etc). Nights and weekends are the busiest, but during the day you usually have free time. At my busiest, I was teaching 15 hours a week, spent 2 hours working on lesson plans, had 2 hours worth of demonstrations and another hour for the weekly meeting. I was on the 25 hour contract. You also get two weeks paid vacation (for a year contract), plus local Chinese holidays. Fair warning, there aren't many Chinese holidays.

The learning environment is fun and most classes are half-an-hour to an hour. Classes are small (typically no more than 8 students) and there's lots of room for being creative in class. If you teach at Aston A+ you'll get to partake in 'club activities' which usually happen every several months and can be anything from playing laser tag to going to a fun dinner.

Working at Aston really was a great experience. It wasn't hard (although frustrating at times due to a lack of communication), the learning materials made class fun and I met some really great people. I also saved a fair amount of money and had plenty of free time to take up extra hobbies or travel. While I experienced a few mishaps during my time teaching, they've all been addressed since and I recommend Aston's program for anyone looking to teach in China.