Honest Peizheng Review

Here is a fair and honest review of Peizheng (PZ) after one year. I do strongly recommend PZ overall. I came to get adult teaching experience in a university and that is exactly what I got. I don’t regret a thing and I am happy I came here. I have recommended this job to my close friends and will continue to recommend it to others such as a reader like yourself. That being said, you should know what your life will look like if you accept this job.

PROS:
It is by far the most relaxed, chill job I have ever had in my life. A short bike ride or a 15-ish minute walk to class. No traffic, little pollution.

Work time: Four days with classes, one week day off and weekends off. You plan your English Corner whenever you want to.

Vacation time: Basically two months in summer, two months in winter, as well as national Chinese holidays. University positions in China offer the best vacation time you can imagine. This is perfect if you want a base for traveling, want to do privates, have online schooling to do, or have any other activity to do which is time consuming.

Management: Your manager will be a foreign teacher who is more of an intermediary with PZ management and the rest of the foreign teachers. That being said, any situation, question or concern was handled in a professional and quick manner. You have very little to worry about. They aren’t breathing down your back like some other positions in the ESL industrial complex of china.

Classroom: Small class sizes. 16-21 students in your regular classes. ECs really vary day to day. 3-12 students was my average.

Curriculum: Books are given along with topics to stick to for the week, as well as basic exam guidelines. However, in practice we are pretty much left to our own devices as to what and how to teach under the umbrella of the topic for the week. We have a lot of freedom. I have been able to try so much material, build my teaching portfolio and even perfect lessons which I used before.

Life at Peizheng: After traveling China and living in a really rough part of China, PZ feels like an easy-going bubble in the middle of rural GZ. The local people here are used to handling foreign teachers, and all the students speak some English. It’s a very easy life in China. It’s definitely ‘China light’ until you visit the neighboring towns of Chini and Shiling- that’s where you will see raw China. Huada is the developed and quiet suburb of GZ which is perfect to hang out on a day off, or on the weekend. Huadu is like GZ without the crowds. GZ center is easily accessible and only becoming easier with the metro and the special buses for teachers. However that being said, while the center of GZ is great for a full/half day or weekend trip, don’t expect to be going there every night after work unless you don’t mind spending all your time on public transportation.

Housing: By far the best apartment I have been given in an ESL job. The foreign teachers live in a compound of villas. The apartments are only a few years old and are in great condition. They have spacious studios, regular apartments and even bigger apartments for couples.

Students: Most come from smaller cities in Guangdong. They are humble, working class and lower middle class mostly. 90% have never had a foreign teacher before PZ, so these aren’t the grown up spoiled brats from kiddy training centers. Many will be impressed, curious and interested simply in your existence as a foreigner in China. Classroom management can consist of a sleepy student, or one who likes to use their phone during class. The students may also sometimes be quiet because they simply don’t understand you.

CONS:

As with every job, there are cons.

Classrooms: We have access to use multi-media classrooms once a term or for our English Corners. However your everyday classroom will consist of fans and a chalkboard. No white board, no markers or any screen to show videos. No AC.

Life at Peizheng: PZ has a strong small town feeling. It is what it is, some love it and others don’t.

Housing: Guests must also be registered beforehand. You can’t bring anybody last minute and expect them to enter the compound.

Students: Being a student’s first foreign teacher can be an amazing experience. However, the bad part of this is that you’re teaching students who have studied reading, writing, and listening in English with Chinese teachers who often times had bad English themselves. Some classes have high speaking levels and some just have a really low speaking level. This isn’t all their fault. It is a bigger issue in the paper exam based education system. So, this is where we (the foreign teachers) come in. It’s a part of the job, so just try your best to have fun with them and get them talking.

No job is perfect. However, I do recommend this position. It’s honestly a really great experience in general. I am personally leaving because I just miss the excitement of living in the center of a big city.