Aston English Review

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.