Take the next step!!

I have been working as a Foreign English teacher at Aihua for one and a half years, and it has been a unique and truly amazing experience. When I made the decision to move to China all those months ago, I knew I wanted to secure a legitimate teaching job which could offer me a safe working environment, and the potential to grow professionally. Let me tell you, Aihua has offered exactly that!!

Leading up to my departure, The assistance offered from Aihua in processing my visa application was second to none. I was sent a clearly outlined e-mail explaining what documents I needed to gather and essentially exactly what I needed to do. Any time I had a query, I received a very prompt response from Aihua headquarters. You will never have to do anything by yourself during this process and help will always be provided.

Not speaking Chinese must surely cause a number of problems in everyday life right?........wrong! All foreign teachers are provided with support from two amazing ladies called Summer and Tina. From your very first day at Aihua, Summer and Tina will kindly help you buy a Chinese sim card, Help you register with the police, complete the compulsory health screening check and buy you a travel card which can be used on most modes of transport. In addition to this, if you encounter any personal problems, let's say you need to see a doctor, visit a dentist or change some money at the bank, Summer or Tina will assist you in setting up an appointment and accompany you to this appointment.

Another question I asked myself before I decided to move to China was, "Is it safe?" "What are the people like?" Shijingshan district in Beijing is a very comfortable and safe environment. It is common in China for people to walk around the streets very late at night and feel completely safe. This is very true of Shijingshan. It is also very nice to know that all of the other foreign teachers live in the same area. So if you do ever have a problem or feel scared or lonely, you know all you have to do is walk for a couple of minutes to meet a friend. The locals in Shijingshan are also extremely friendly and love to have a chat. You will notice you begin to see the same faces while carrying out everyday activities and if you can speak a few words of Chinese they will be full of curiosity.

Another reason I decided to move to China was to learn Chinese. Aihua offers every foreign teacher group Chinese classes twice a week and a V.I.P class once per week. Looking back and not having a word of Chinese, it's great to see how far I have come with the help of the classes at Aihua. It is an amazing benefit and it is really great fun to learn Chinese with the other foreign teachers.

Aihua offers a very comprehensive ten-day training course. It focuses on a variety of topics such as classroom management, teaching methodologies, course curriculums etc. I found this training course extremely beneficial before I began my first teaching term. Any worries or fears I had before stepping into the classroom quickly vanished and I was very confident leading into my first lesson. I have to say it is also a very funny experience and it allowed us to act like little kids again.

While working for Aihua there is a lot of potential to take on more senior roles. Many of the foreign teachers at Aihua become foreign center supervisors at one of Aihua's many schools. Others may become involved with training the new Foreign teachers or more recently developing online curriculums. If professional development is something that interests you, there is huge potential to achieve this during your time at Aihua.

Lastly, Teachers are contracted to work up to a maximum of 25 teaching hours per week. Foreign teachers at Aihua have a lot of time off throughout the week. There is huge potential to see all Beijing has to offer on days off. Usually, teachers don't start work until later in the evenings during weekdays, so there is also potential to do a lot of activities during this time. Foreign teachers get a month break in February for Chinese new year and a month off in July-August. You can decide whether you want to explore more of China's rich culture and vast landscapes, maybe travel home or even visit a number of other neighboring countries like Vietnam, Cambodia or Thailand, there is always something to see or somewhere to go!!

Overall, Aihua is an extremely professional company. Help will always be offered and you will never feel alone in this huge City. Aihua has allowed me to learn a lot about myself and really develop as a person. I have found my home away from home. So, if you're on the verge of taking the next step, and moving to this diverse city, Look no further than Aihua International Education, you won't regret it!!!!!