Hong Kong is a part of China

Harry finds a local contact on the ground in China invaluable.
Before one talks of the Chinese mainland it would be remiss not to mention Hong Kong which is the usual gate for many arrivals. Hong Kong island is to me the equivalent of the upmarket side of London, excepting for the number of oriental persons passing by. Kowloon is just across the water by Star Ferry, a short cheap ride [and shades of Suzy Wong] lands you near the bottom of Nathan Road close to the Peninsular Hotel which is the epitome of everything that a Grand Hotel should be.

Kowloon is a real insight into an oriental trading port. Walk up Nathan Road take in the big stores as well as the family businesses that spill onto the roadway.

Finish up in the Wung Soo night market area and experience the bustle, the smells, the food, ordinary people going about a normal days trading and a strident though melodious language banter swimming around you. This is the peoples’ China. You really feel the difference when you see street signs such as this one!


English Explorer has an excellent Hong Kong contact in Candy Ling who is a consultant at China International Travel [CITS]. Candy not only knows her home city of Hong Kong very well but she is also a font of information about travel and connections across main land China where CITS have offices in every major centre. A link such as Candy to smooth your way makes travel for first time China visitors so much easier. English Explorer supplies not only Candy’s office and email contact information but also her mobile phone number so that you know that you can be in easy reach. It's this extra attention to detail that makes EEG stand out!

English Alliance School, Dunguan, China.

An interesting Scotsman.

English Alliance School’s owner and head Dr William Soong is an interesting person. He was born in China but spent much of his young life growing up in Edinburgh, consequently you are faced with a person of obvious Chinese parentage who then addresses you in perfect English complete with mild Scottish accent. The obvious upside of this is that he also knows well the culture that most of his English staff come from.

This understanding is very apparent in the quality of the teaching staff accommodation as well as the extremely pleasant surroundings within the compound where the units are located. This is situated a short bike ride from the school.

Dunguan is mostly a very new city and as yet is lightly populated. The infrastructure is all brand new and in fact is still being created.

To reach Dunguan economically from Hong Kong involves a train ride north to Shenzen where you cross the border into mainland China proper. I had not actually ever really felt the weight of the Chinese population until going through an obvious choke point such as Shenzen. This is where the density of the population becomes very apparent as you queue to pass through immigration. From Shenzen fast efficient coaches travel to all parts and it’s a further couple of hours by road.

English Alliance run a school within a school. The main campus is a secondary school and students are time tabled out for English classes.

Classrooms are spacious and well appointed with full airconditioning.

As has already been said the teacher accommodation is of a very high standard and even includes a gymnasium and swimming complex for residents. Another point to note is the provision of a western style WC which makes the culture change just a little easier to get used to!

TESOL in Italy

Andrew O'Connell

I had always taken the language I speak for granted. I had no idea that the English language could be so interesting and that it had such a rich and colourful history!

I started teaching English as a foreign language around 5 years ago. Interestingly, one of the first things I realised I needed to do as a teacher of English was to go back and learn English myself!

Here I am contemplating the atrocities of ancient Rome at the 'Arena' in Verona.

When you're among English-speaking people, it's easy to communicate! But when you have to deal with people who don't know a word of English, it's a totally different experience! You often need to draw on all your resources to make yourself understood! It can be frustrating; it can be fun; but it's never boring and you're always learning something!

I've taught a wide range of people; primary-school children, teenagers, young adults and even retirees and from all walks of life! I've had students of varying abilities; beginners, intermediate students and advanced.

I worked in a school of English in the north of Italy. I took the opportunity to enjoy all that Italy has to offer: fine food, great coffee, the latest fashions, picturesque villages and a richness of history and art.

Of course, being based in Italy, I had Europe at my doorstep. When I had holidays, I travelled around Europe or to different parts of Italy.

That beautiful turquoise water? You'll find places like that if you take a ferry from the west coast of Italy to the island of Sardinia.

Oh! And don't miss Venice, the world's most beautiful city: that's the 'Ponte Rialto' (Rialto bridge) you see, on the 'Canal Grande' (Grande Canal).

So there you have it! I started off exploring a language and I ended up exploring the world!

TESOL in Indonesia

A Tribute to the People of Aceh and Nias

I seem to have always had the name of Mixed Moss lurking in the back of my mind as I have rolled around the world over the last twenty years or so, dwelling on all sorts of mixed thoughts.

In 1995 I was in the back blocks of Sumatra in an archipelago of 92 islands, called Banyak, many of these were uninhabited off the north west coast.

I befriended a fishing family with small children and wonder now if there is any chance that they survived the Tsunami? There is absolutely no possible way for me to check. This really underscores the simplicity of their lives. No phone, no email and a perilous postal service. A family such as this would quite likely never have received a letter by mail.


This is Sinini she was around nine years old when this was taken in 1995. A lovely little girl, full of fun.

This is her Grand Mother, Mother and Aunt dressed ready to go ‘shopping’ on the nearby main Island.

It makes one appreciate very much the ordinary people and the friendly welcomes, as well as the outright generosity that I have encountered in many years of ‘traveling local’ from persons who are often desperately poor themselves yet have a generosity of spirit way beyond what we encounter in the so called developed world.


The early morning school bus, not sure about loading capacity though!

This is ‘Das’ heading out to his fishing ground.

Before discussing anything to do with TESOL and it certainly is a ‘Ticket To Travel’ I’d like to share just a few images of the very many that I have collected in Indonesian villages as I have shared time, rice and conversation with those living there. This is the only tangible tribute that I can make to those I knew in North West Sumatra on the Banyak Archipelago living at sea level as their families have always done in the past.

And now NIAS!!!


You can see from my hand drawn map that I travelled from Banyak to Nias by local small boat. It was an all night journey to avoid pirates! Nias I remember as well kept, quiet and supremely friendly. I lived there for a short time and taught English to several secondary students who were working in the local Library on what we would call ‘Work Experience’

Again I have no way of knowing if they survived but the memory of their daily good humour and the outright joy of living in each of them makes me hope for a miracle on their several behalves. TESOL really does open so many doors and cements friendships with wonderful people all of whom want to learn for the sake of a better life style. Not all of my travels bring back such bitter sweet memories, but in the current set of circumstances, where off the coast of Sumatra in Banyak and Nias I enjoyed so much friendship, I want to record my deep sadness for the people that befriended me so readily

In demand in Italy

Lisa discovers three job offers in one day.

I thought getting a job in Italy might be a challenge. However just three days after I arrived in Milan, I had job offers from three language schools. I simply looked for language schools in the phone book and faxed them my resume. In fact, getting a job had never been easier.

Obtaining the necessary paperwork to get paid, however, was more complicated. I left the local questura (government office) with a stack of paperwork to fill out and no clear answers. After about as much effort as it took to fill out my income tax forms, I had what I needed to get paid—a 6-digit tax ID number.

An Italian friend patiently explained, "Rules are not meant to be followed, every Italian knows that. You must find a way around them. You Americans give up too quickly."

As a foreigner teaching English, I am a learner as much as I am a teacher. I understand what my students are dealing with in their fears and frustrations about learning a new language—because I am also dealing with this, but from the other end.

My students are business people and students, young and old, at varying levels of proficiency. Gilda is an oil tycoon's daughter with bodyguards; Francesca is the young, unhappy wife of a high-powered company director. I teach a Romanian student who is simultaneously learning Italian in order to make a better life for herself outside of economically shattered Romania. In the evening I teach a group of theater employees who bring their Mac laptops to class.

Work opportunities abound for English teachers in the big cities of Milan and Rome as well as smaller places in the south. Although not a necessity, for your own peace of mind you may want to invest in a short intensive course in teaching English. Completion of a training course is essential for prospective English teachers without a college degree.

Most schools won't hire teachers from outside Italy, so take all your paperwork and you will get work.

TESOL in Japan

Jenny Chenik - My Experience Teaching English as a Second Language

I was 21 years old, and was fortunate to have the opportunity to go to Japan and teach English at a private language school. I stumbled upon this job by accident as I was just about to graduate university after four years of studying a Bachelor of Commerce degree and a Bachelor of Arts in Tourism degree. Teaching had never crossed my mind, let alone teaching English as a Second Language in a foreign country.

I had studied Japanese for 5 years at high school and counted it towards my tertiary entrance exam score as well so I had always had an interest in Japan, the language and the culture. I had also been to Japan in year 9 on a student exchange program for 27 days. I noticed an advertisement in the job section of the newspaper advertising that a company was looking for people to go to Japan and teach English. I applied for the job, not sure if I had what it would take to make it. I attended a full two day interview in Perth and was finally chosen to go.

When I arrived in Japan it was like a totally different world to the Western Australian city of Perth in which I had grown up. I was fortunate enough to have travelled to various countries since I was young, so I knew what to expect of a foreign country. Of course, I had never lived in a country that didn’t speak my language before either. It was a rather daunting experience for a fresh-faced 21 year old straight out of university who had never lived away from home.

We were basically thrown into the deep end when it came to teaching. I started classes the second day I was in Japan. There was a substitute teacher taking care of my classes in the interim and I sat in on some of his classes all the while trying to get used to the idea of being a teacher even though I had never studied anything to do with teaching before, as well as trying to adapt to this foreign culture, language and people. Three days later I was on my own and had about 65 students of various ages from 3 to 73 all expecting me to teach them English even though I didn’t have any teaching experience. These students were not all in the same class.

We had a wide range of teaching resources available to us including invaluable teacher’s manuals that had models of lessons that we could use, or at least get a few ideas for an original lesson. The first few weeks, I think all of my lessons came straight from the manuals, as they had been tried and tested by other teachers and I knew it was ‘safe’. It took a while for my confidence to grow and also for the students’ confidence in me to grow, but after a few weeks I had earned their trust and felt I had more self-confidence. Once I had this feeling of self-assurance, I was ready to veer off the teacher’s manuals and start incorporating some of my own ideas into the lessons.

What was great about the school that I was at is that it was a language school, meaning most of the students that attended the school actually wanted to be there and wanted to learn as opposed to a primary or high school where the students don’t have a choice. The ages we taught were from three years old still trying to master the Japanese language, to senior citizens. Everyone was at a different level and students had varied reasons for studying English that included business people that needed to improve their TOEIC score to get a pay increase or a promotion, housewives taking English as a hobby, students wanting to study abroad in an English speaking country, parents wanting their children to have a head start and many other reasons. The classes were mostly well organised in that every attempt to ensure students of the same age and level were put in the same class. Of course, it is almost impossible to cater for everyone as students all have different times and days on which they could come, and occasionally we would be faced with a mixed class, either mixed in ages, levels or interests. That was the biggest challenge for us as teachers because we had to prepare a lesson that would be challenging enough for the higher level students, but also allow the lower level student to feel that they were learning and participating as well. We had training sessions on catering to classes such as these, and most students understood that because there were different levels, sometimes a part of a lesson would be easier and other times a bit harder. This also boosted the self esteem of the higher level students as they could help the lower levels and everyone benefited.

Another challenge in the classroom was teaching children. How were we supposed to teach a class of three year old children if we couldn’t use English? I thought I was fortunate because I had knowledge of Japanese, but during class time, students were supposed to be completely immersed in English and the use of Japanese in classes was therefore frowned upon. Again training was provided on the different teaching methods for children’s classes and we were always having game idea swaps with teachers from other schools. When the students are that young, the best way for them to realise that they want to learn is for them to have fun. If they are enjoying themselves, picking up parts of the English language will be a natural progression. Therefore we played endless games, sang songs, danced, and generally made fools out of ourselves trying to get the students to have fun and learn English at the same time. Once the children learnt something, I would always invite the parents into the class and we would perform what we had just learnt for the parents. This way they can see what their children are learning, as well as what their hard earned cash is going towards. This was also a great way to earn the trust of the parents.

Due to cultural differences, some lessons that I planned didn’t always work, or were not understood. Australians in particular are rather sarcastic in their sense of humour and this was not always well received in classes. I quickly learned what was and wasn’t acceptable with regards to cultural differences, but there were some awkward moments. One that stands out is the difference in the way Australians and the Japanese deal with teachers and other people in higher positions. As a teacher, students were reluctant to disagree with me, or tell me they weren’t happy with something or want something changed. In my culture, debating a topic is considered healthy and necessary, and feedback or constructive criticism is usually welcome. It took me a long time to understand that students were only agreeing with me or telling me that my lessons were fine because of their cultural background. I tried introducing debating into some higher level classes and the first few times it failed dismally, with teams just agreeing with each other. So other approaches were tried and I even wrote down points each team could argue so all they had to do was read the point and expand. Needless to say, debating never really took off in most classes. I realised then that the point of teaching my students was not to have them act as someone from a foreign country would, but rather to expand their ideas and thinking and prepare them for different situations in which they may find themselves. Although my students never learnt the art of debating, they will at least be able to acknowledge that disagreeing with someone elder or more senior than themselves is acceptable in western cultures.

Of course, most of the time classes were thoroughly enjoyed by both students and teachers alike. I got to know my students, their personalities, their hobbies, about their families and occupations, and we would often go out socially after class or on the weekend. This was where great friendships were made and there was no teacher/student form. It gave me an opportunity to really get to know my students and they in turn could really get to know me. I probably also learnt the most about Japanese eating and drinking practises when I was out with my students or friends. I made a discovery that one of my high level classes loved to watch the American sitcom ‘Friends’ and so every week I would hire out that video and prepare a lesson around an episode of ‘Friends’. As a result, students were not only studying English, they also had an opportunity to be exposed to western culture and other aspects such as slang and western humour. It can often be quite different. As I got to know my students better and they got to know me, so the teaching became relaxed and more enjoyable for everyone.

As someone who has had no teaching background, I believe one of the main obstacles in teaching English as a Second Language is the cultural difference. However, with a bit of patience and understanding from both parties, this difficulty can be overcome and the experience and knowledge that one can gain from going to a foreign country to teach English is invaluable. I have mainly written about my experiences as an English as a Second Language teacher, but of course during my three years that I spent as an English teacher in Japan, I had so many wonderful experiences in other areas as well. I had the opportunity to become friends with Japanese people and was often invited into their homes where they treat you as a special guest and where they go out of their way to ensure you are satisfied. When it comes to guests, nothing is too difficult or trying for the Japanese. I was also fortunate enough to go on many trips around Japan with my friends and as a result tried skiing for the first time, an experience I would never have had living in Western Australia. I grasped a more thorough understanding of the Japanese language and even had lessons and sat for a Japanese exam, and I had the opportunity to make many friends from countries all over the world. My colleagues at my school and at other branches included people from Australia, Canada, USA, Britain, just to name a few. They have come to Perth to visit me, and I am planning to go to visit them. There is such potential for lifelong friendships to be made, as well as for memories that will stay with you throughout your life.

It was very difficult for me to keep this account of my time teaching English in Japan short. There is so much more I could write about. As a young 21 year old, straight out of university and still living at home, this was one of the biggest and most exciting (as well as daunting) experiences of my life. Once I settled in and became used to my surroundings, I jumped into the culture with open arms and as a result I had so many wonderful and amazing adventures and met some fantastic people as well. My advice if you are thinking about going to a foreign country to teach English, is to do it. As long as you are prepared to realise that it is most probably going to be very different from what you are used to, it is one year out of your life (or in my case three) and the experiences and opportunities to learn and experience new things are just invaluable.

Don't overlook Taiwan

Jessica encourages others to consider Taiwan.

Taiwan is an underrated destination for travelers and quite possibly the best place in Asia to teach English. First, there’s the money and the island’s insatiable demand for teachers. Beyond that, Taiwan has bustling cities which never sleep, an intriguing mesh of Chinese tradition and cutting-edge technology, dreamy mountains hazed in a sea of clouds, a coastline that rivals Hawaii, and friendly people who, as they define themselves against China’s threats, are currently in a period of self-discovery.

I have lived in Taiwan for the past six years. While Asia boomed, crashed, and now recovers I consistently made good money. The average wage is NTAU $500-NTAU $700 (AU $15-AU $22) per hour and rising. The highest-paying jobs are generally at private kindergartens. There are also plenty of opportunities to teach older kids and adults at “bushibans” (private cram schools), though usually at a slightly lower wage. Right now, there is a shortage of teachers all over the island. If you come, compare schools and be selective. If you get what you think is a great job offer, take it. But take nothing less.

Most schools prefer that you have a bachelor’s degree in any subject, though I know teachers here who have no degree. Previous ESL teaching experience or training is a plus, but it is not required. Usually, you will be asked to sign a 1-year contract. No two schools’ contracts are the same, so read them carefully. Pay special attention to contracts which require a deposit or threaten to fine you if you break the contract.

If you plan to work in Taiwan, it is best to try to get at least a 2-month visitor visa before coming—the only visa you can get if you don’t already have a job lined up. To obtain a resident visa, you must have a bachelor’s degree and present your diploma (not a copy) to the government as proof.

To supplement your income, you will probably want to teach privately. You can find private students through friends, at your school, or in posted advertisements. The pay, negotiated between you and the student, averages AU $15-AU $25 per hour.

Low Living Costs: Taiwan is a great place to teach because not only are you well paid, you can live cheaply. Outside Taipei it is not difficult to find a 2- to 3-bedroom apartment for AU $190-AU $310 per month. Stay in a budget hotel or hostel and find a job first. (This should take less than a week.) Then ask a Chinese person at your school to help you find an apartment, or ask other expatriates if they know of available rooms. Empty apartments are abundant.
Food is also inexpensive—as long as you eat as the locals do. The Chinese are the true masters of creating delicious fast food. Cafeterias and street vendors are ubiquitous. The average dish with a portion of meat, vegetables, and rice or noodles cost AU $1.50-AU $2.50.

Take a couple of different jobs and a few private students and save money for travel around other parts of Asia. Or get enough hours at one school to support yourself and then pursue other interests, such as studying Chinese or tai chi. If you’re careful, you still may be able to save some money for travel.