It often happens after one year. For some ESL teachers in China, it may even occur after six months. No matter how excited you are about teaching, it is inevitable. Eventually, you are going to feel ‘burned out’ and tired of having to expend so much energy preparing for classes and delivering lessons. When you reach this [...]
Posts Tagged ‘ESL’
What To Do When Teaching English in China Stops Being Fun
Posted by Robert Vance on August 14th, 2008
Packing for your Trip to China
Posted by Robert Vance on July 3rd, 2008
After you have signed your first contract to teach ESL in China, you have to start thinking about what you are going to bring with you to China. Packing for your trip to China may seem overwhelming especially when you know that you will be living in China for at least a year. So what [...]
No Hands…
Posted by Robert Vance on March 13th, 2008
R-E-S-T-A-U-R-A-U-N-T…is that how you spell it? No, but that’s how I wrote it up on the whiteboard this afternoon. Come on, give me a break. I was tired. I wasn’t used to working the morning shift. I definitely wasn’t on the top of my game today. Besides that, I was hearing some pretty scary stuff [...]
Posted in The Vance Report 
Tags: China, crime, Criminals, ESL, teach-English, TESOL, Tips, work-abroad 
No Comments »Sometimes Teaching just isn’t Fun…
Posted by Robert Vance on March 11th, 2008
Let’s face it. Teaching can be really boring sometimes. Even if you have a great group, certain topics can really bring the interest level down to almost zero. Such was the case this afternoon when I was discussing “shopping” with a group of students. Shopping is enjoyable enough but who wants to discuss it for [...]
Posted in The Vance Report Tags: chinese students, English Lessons, ESL, teach in China, Teaching Abroad No Comments »Can Non-Native English Speakers Teach in China?
Posted by Robert Vance on March 9th, 2008
***Visit our job board for non-native English speakers who are seeking to teach English abroad.
Please see an update to this article entitled Non-Native Speakers of English Teaching in China Revisited
Non-native speakers of English who want to teach in China will find that their options are limited. A sad but true fact in China is that [...]
Posted in Finding a Job in China Tags: Asia, China, ESL, non-native English, teachers, TEFL, work-abroad 80 Comments »Teaching Adults
Posted by Robert Vance on March 7th, 2008
Have ever taught English to adults before? You should try it sometime. Seriously. If you have been teaching in primary schools in China for the last 12 months and you are ready to ‘have a break,’ get a job at a training center and work with adults. I have nothing against kids. Working with them can [...]
Posted in The Vance Report Tags: China, ESL, learn-Chinese, Study overseas, teach-English, Teaching Adults, TEFL, TESOL, work-abroad No Comments »What Can I Teach about in Class?
Posted by Robert Vance on March 6th, 2008
The title of this short blog should really be “What can’t I Teach about in Class?” After all, if you are teaching oral English, the sky is the limit when it comes to what you can discuss in class. That’s why conversationalists love teaching in China. A teacher can choose a topic and run with [...]
Posted in Teaching Techniques Tags: abroad, ESL, Go Abroad, Intern, Lessons, Study abroad, teach in China, TESOL, work-abroad 1 Comment »Teaching Demo Classes — Have No Fear!
Posted by Robert Vance on March 5th, 2008
I have rarely had to give demo classes in my “long and illustrious” career as an ESL teacher in Asia. In China, most schools don’t require teachers to give demo lessons. Or least that is how it was in the past when schools were simply happy to get anyone that they could find. These days, [...]
