TEACH & TRAVEL CHINA SUMMER 2008

Have you ever thought about teaching in China? Do you want to live in China for six to twelve months?

This summer 69 participants have arrived in China to begin their teaching experience. They have begun with an intensive training program designed to prepare them for teaching in a Chinese school and living in China. This year the training is taking place in Harbin, located in the north of China, where the participants will live together for one month before moving to separate schools and teaching English.

Departure

Finally, after four weeks of intensive training, meeting and making new friends and becoming accustomed to a new culture, the participants moved onto their new schools and homes for the next 6 months. The 69 participants are now placed in various parts of China, teaching English and continuing their discovery of a new culture.

Graduation Dinner

The final event of the Teach and Travel TELF training course was the graduation ceremony. During this evening the participants received the theoretical certificate for their Teaching English as a Foreign Language award and had the opportunity to let down their hair for the night before moving on to complete the practical element of the award at their placement schools.

Football Tournament

One of the many TTC traditions is that of a football tournament, which gives the participants a chance to blow off some steam and take part in some friendly international competition. This year teams from Scandinavia, Europe and England took part alongside the Teach and Travel China staff team. The tournament was full of highs and lows of emotion as each team attempted to better the opposition but when the dust finally settled and the scores were in, the Scandinavian team stood above the rest victorious.

Public Welfare Day

During the third weekend the participants took part in a public welfare show in the centre of Harbin. The televised show, organized by Top International English School, was held to celebrate the closing ceremony of the Olympics and had the participants organized into teams, each representing an Olympic nation. Each team competed in an obstacle course, starting with a mechanical bull ride and finishing with a mad dash over water using inflatable floats.

Culture Class - Chinese Calligraphy

The final culture class was a session of Chinese Calligraphy. The participants were given guidance by three tutors on how to form Chinese characters. Beginner tips were offered on how to hold the ink brushes, the sort of paper to use and how ink should be applied to the paper. The participants then practiced writing some typical Chinese phrases in characters.

Teaching Practice

Part of the Teaching English as a Foreign Language training includes 5 days of teaching practice where the participants are placed in charge of a class for 30 minutes a day. This gives the participants a chance to experience teaching in a supportive atmosphere and to put into practice the teaching techniques they have been learning in front of real students.

Culture Class - TAI CHI

The third culture class the participants had a lesson in Tai Chi, the famous Chinese martial art. The participants found this to be a challenging but relaxing hour as they learnt the basic movement and technique for beginners, giving them a stepping stone to learning more of this interesting skill.

KTV Night

One of the highlights of the program is a chance for the participants to experience modern Chinese entertainment at a KTV. KTV's are karaoke complex found throughout China and blend Western and Eastern music together, allowing the participants to try their hands at singing Chinese songs and their favorites from home. TTC's nights at KTV are always a highlight of the program for participants and this year was no exception.

Culture Class - Chinese Traditional Music

For the second culture class the participants had the opportunity to meet a famous local musician who showed them different types of traditional music instruments. For each instrument he gave a short introduction and showed them how to play them. After the presentation the musician had a quiz for the participants, giving them a chance to win prizes. At the end of the lesson the participants could try traditional clothes on from the Song and Qing dynasty.

English Language Company TEFL training

The main training throughout the program that the participants receive is given through the English Language Company. ELC is a very successful language school from Sydney, Australia. They were recently voted the best English school in the southern hemisphere by Language Travel Magazine.

The English Language Company prepares the TTC participants for Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL.) The training teaches how to manage a class, run games and supervise English speaking activities, all of which are part of the theoretical part of the TEFL qualification.

To find out more about English Language Company click: www.englishlanguagecompany.com

Mandarin Class

Also included in their training were Mandarin lessons. These lessons were designed to equip the participants with a basic beginners level in Mandarin and help prepare them for when they travel China. It also allowed the participants a small view at the teaching style used in Chinese schools by Chinese teachers.

Culture Class - Chinese Knot

Throughout the training coarse the participants took part in specially designed culture class. The first of these tried to teach them how to make a chinese knot. Attempting to get to grips with this difficult dicipline took the participants over an hour. Chinese knots are often used in China for ornamentation and decoration.

Tiger Park & River Rafting

One week into their training, the participants were given a free day and taken on a tour by the company to the Siberian Tiger Park in Harbin and Mao’er shan. At the tiger park the participants had a chance to see fully grown tigers up close. Following lunch, the participants moved onto Mao’er shan, a scenic mountain area where they could river raft and water fight with Chinese tourists.

Birthday Celebrations & Olympic Opening Ceremony

The long standing TTC tradition of celebrating participant’s birthdays was upheld again, this time with a party coinciding with the starting of the Olympics. Happy Birthday was sung in over eight languages and cake was provided for all.  Everyone enjoyed celebrating the opening ceremony of the Olympics alongside the local Chinese people.

Welcome Dinner

The same evening at the welcome dinner the participants had the chance to settle into their new home and make new friends. The dinner, hosted by the university, included videos of previous interns experiences of China and a welcome speech from the university by Mrs Fu, the vice principle of Cambridge college of the Hei Long Jiang University.

Orientations in Harbin

During the first day in Harbin the participants were given extensive orientation sessions by TTC staff, preparing them for what to expect in their next six or twelve months. The TEFL trainers gave an introduction to the course and what the participants will learn during the up coming month. This was followed by a campus tour through the Hei Long Jiang University. 

Splendid China Park in Shen Zhen & Flight to Harbin

The following day the participants had a chance to experience some of China’s most iconic scenery and sights in miniature at the ‘splendid china’ model theme park. The following afternoon they took the journey for real on the flight between Shenzhen airport, located in the south, to the TEFL training facility in the far north. At 3am the TTC staff welcomed them to their new home for the next month.  

Team Building at Dong Guan

On the first day that the participants spent together, it was time to break the ice. With high spirits and energy, they had two days of team building and group games. These enabled them to get to know each other and to develop their team working skills. 

Arrivals

This summer, TTC participants from all over the world made their first step into China. Full of excitement and with a few nerves, they all arrived by train or plane to the south of China. From here they were taken by the TTC staff to their temporary accommodation in Dongguan.