Perceptive young learners

Postbox letter from Carl Slaughter

Here's a story about some very young but very sharp Thai and Chinese students.

Thailand vs China?

Which country comes out on top for a TEFLer?

I taught English in China for 9 years. Every day I remember something bad that happened to me on a regular basis in China that never happens to me in Thailand. Here is my opinion of the two countries if you put them up against each other - from the point of view of an English teacher of course.

No pants (and no brains)

They're coming to a city near you and it could be anytime soon.

Improve Everywhere began taking their attention seeking illness to the subway in New York City in 2002. Since then, the illness has spread to over 60 cities worldwide. It is one thing to celebrate silliness in your own country; but, as a foreigner living and working in Asia, this kind of "silliness" has no place here

Look before you leap

Postbox letter from James

Certainly, Thailand is a very much more open and friendly country and the secretive nature of a closed society after decades of communism reflects this, but as in any country, beware the unscrupulous schools/agencies!

China: the promised land?

Postbox letter from Ange

There have been a few letters here suggesting that China is the ESL promised land and that any sensible teacher ought to jump ship to China, but my experience of China was nothing short of disastrous

The middle kingdom

Impressions of teaching in China

While many in my shoes go off to the Middle East, I first went to Vietnam and then I found a gig in China working as a visiting professor for an American university operating in this country. It didn’t take long after arriving in China to realize that I wasn’t in Kansas anymore

Travel phrasebooks - blessing or curse?

Sometimes a phrase book can be the one thing you wish you had left at home.

I’ve been doing some travelling in China lately so I dusted off my travel phrasebook to make sure I’d be able to practise some useful language and not feel too alien in this country with more than one billion locals.

My great escape

How are things working out in China?

Lack of inspiration this month made me decide to participate in ‘The Great Escape’ survey found elsewhere on this site. Here are my answers.

Ni Hao

Travels in South-west China

visited Southwest China for the first time some five years ago and was surprised how advanced and modern China had become. As a traveller, my first impression of China was quite positive.