China intern, Jessica, has been living the TEFL dream teaching English in China. We asked her what she thought of the trip, what she liked and what she didn’t (if anything!)
Over to you…
Hi Jessica! Which trip did you go on?
I joined the 2016 August Internship in China.
When did you go and for how long?
I arrived in Beijing Airport on 20th August 2016. I was met by big grins and welcome hugs from the in-country team! I instantly knew my orientation week in Beijing was going to be a lot of FUN!
After a magical orientation week, I left Beijing to spend 5 months in Chengdu.
Was the internship well run?
Unbelievably so! The 20 hour TEFL course; the ‘immersion into China’ culture classes; the trip to The Great Wall; meals out; meals on-site; the welcome gathering; first aid / care given to ill and injured interns; and throughout the 5 month internship, the 24 hour support and professional love I received from the in-country team was beyond impressive on the organisation and care spectrum.
Were you able to participate in all the activities you hoped for?
YES! During the orientation week there were organised trips and encouraged self-exploration of visiting major tourist attractions, theatre, opera, The Great Wall (!) and much more than I’d hoped for. In Beijing I got to eat weird and wonderful authentic Chinese food; get to grips with the Metro system; and make new life-long friends, who my heart screams for – we had so much fun and laughter together!
Did you encounter any problems?
Seriously, no!
What was the best part of your experience there?
This is a really difficult question to answer because, as I’ve said I loved the entire internship. However, I will say that perhaps the experience wouldn’t have been quite so successful if I hadn’t have been so lucky to be supported by the in-country team who offered amazing friendly and professional support. They knew when to have a laugh and when to be serious, which resulted in a wonderful family spirit among all the interns!
I cannot express the emotions I feel for the five month magical internship experience… perhaps by telling you I wish I could have bottled up the period from arriving into Beijing Airport to completing my final week at Sichuan Normal University Experimental Foreign Languages School International Department would come close!?
Would you recommend it to others?
I already have!
Did you feel safe during the internship?
Yes, absolutely.
In addition to the area feeling safe (at all hours!), the information I received before starting the internship included safety tips for travelling in China, and our during the orientation the in-country team gave immeasurable advice for how to be careful especially with transport and road safety!
Thanks Jessica! We’re so glad you had an amazing time.
Are you itching to put yourself in Jessica’s shoes? There’s still a few places left on our Paid China TEFL Internship so why not sign up and start your own TEFL story!