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Considering teaching in China but need some more information


Gallamanji

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Hi everyone. I am considering the idea of moving over to China and teaching English part time, and am trying to find out more about it. I thought I would let you know a bit about my situation and, if possible, get some information from you as to what opportunities, if any, might be suitable me in China. I will try and keep it as brief as possible.

Basically, I come from an Art background - BA in Fine Art and MA in Computer Animation. This is my main focus really. Although I am interested in Teaching and value learning it as a skill, it is not my main ambition to be a Teacher. Since graduating I have been working on my Illustration and Computer Animation portfolio, with the hope of finding work in the Video Game or Film Industry. However, I still have much to improve on and learn in this field, and finding work in the industry could take quite a while. I love Chinese and Eastern culture and my girlfriend is Chinese and now lives in Beijing. 

I am considering the idea of teaching in China with the hope of it giving me an opportunity to:
be with my girlfriend, 
earn money to sustain and enjoy life in china,
embrace Chinese culture, 
meet new people,
open me up to new business/industry opportunites 

have spare time to work on my portfolio (very important) << also requires my desktop computer and watching tutorials on internet

as well having an enriching experience and embrace learning teaching as a new discipline.

I am considering the idea of doing it for 6 months to a year, or even sticking around if it works for me. And would like to be working part time, ideally teaching small groups, with lots of spare time to work on my portfolio, but earning enough to sustain myself. After some research I think private tutoring might be the right thing to get into?

I wondered if you would be able to let me know how plausible this idea is for me and what steps I night have to take to achieve it. 

My main concerns are that my reasons for wanting to go there are quite selfish and I probably wouldn't be happy if I didn't have enough spare time to work on my portfolio. I am also quite introverted and might be uncomfortable teaching too large groups or teenagers, but I am not sure. Its obviously a big decision to make, and a big change. Perhaps you could help me figure out whether its right for me and what to expect or prepare for.

Thank you very much for your time, I hope I managed to keep this as brief as possible and I really look forward to hearing from you.

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Thank you very much for your detailed response, I was really in need for this kind of information and advice. Apologies if my initial post sounded slightly naïve. If I was to do it, I would put 100% into the teaching, I just have other commitments that I need to put 100% into as well and needed to gauge whether it was possible for me to do both successfully. I did think that this might not be totally possible. Another factor is all the equipment and resources I need to work on my portfolio, such as my Desktop Computer, Pen Tablet, and all the online learning videos etc. which might not be possible to have over in China. Working on my portfolio really is the number one thing for me to do at the moment and I am in a perfect situation right now to do that. I have a lot of free time, and all the equipment  and resources I need. I think coming over to China might mean sacrificing some of that, which might not be the best decision. I am still researching it as a possibility though, and would be intrigued to see what other people have to say. And thank you for your suggestion of enrolling at a University, I would definitely look into that.

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  • 2 weeks later...

I completely agree with ChTTay - you can easily find a Chinese language program for around 9000 RMB per semester. That will get you here, legally, and provide you with plenty of time to work on your side projects. At most you will have 12-15 hours of classes per week.

 

My girl is an artist - she brought what she needed from home. You'll probably have to do the same.

 

Also, it may be possible to find a non-English teaching job with your level of education, especially in Beijing. Perhaps kill two birds with one stone because they'll have the equipment you need.

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  • 1 month later...
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Hello hello!!

 

I'm sorry i can't give you any helpful information regarding any of your questions however, i wanted to say that i am an artist too who is considering moving to China and teaching English while working/developing on my portfolio (this does not mean that i will not commit fully to my job though). I do plan to bring my equipment with me so maybe you should look into that too...pen tablet is a precious thing :D

Wish you all the luck and i hope everything goes well and as planned for you!  

(it's nice to see another fellow artist jumping into the same adventure)

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