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Teach in China

Opportunities for Graduates and Alumni

Drake University’s Teach in China Program offers recent graduates from any academic background with any (or no) international or teaching experience or knowledge of Chinese the opportunity to live and work in China for a year. Twenty-five graduates will be placed to teach primarily English at either the secondary or university level in one of Drake’s eight (8) partner institutions found in five (5) cities across China.

In the Summer of 2010, China overtook Japan to became the second largest economy in the world.  First-hand knowledge of and experience in China is quickly becoming a pre-requisite for advancement in many fields.  Whether you are interested in teaching, gaining international experience or experience in China in particular, the Teach in China Program is unique in providing the needed preparation before departure and support after arrival, and by encouraging prospective participants to contact those Drake graduates currently on the program!

TEACH IN CHINA INFORMATIONAL SESSIONS

You are invited to an informational session about Drake’s Teach in China Program for graduating Seniors and hear from Drake graduates who have participated previously.

What:  Informational Session about Drake’s Teach in China Program



When/Where: 

Monday, February 20, 2012 (Please note - Feb. 13 sessions are postponed to Feb. 20):

1. 3:30-4:30 p.m.  (International Center, the Point)
2. 8:00-9:00 p.m. (Medbury 221)

                          

Tuesday, February 21, 2012:

1. 3:30-4:30 p.m. (International Center, the Point)
2. 8:00-9:00 p.m. (Medbury 221)



Why:  Because China is part of your future and Drake’s Teach in China Program offers graduates a unique opportunity to explore the work environment, culture, people and language of China! 

So, what's it like to teach in China? Here are four ways to find out:



1. Come to an informational session and hear from former program participants about their experiences.


2. Look here and see if you know any current participants and contact them directly with questions you may have!
3. Check out these BLOGS by Drake graduates currently on the program (by clicking below you will leave the Drake University web site):


Current Participant Blogs

Tianjin

• Paige Hulsey
• Shaina Mugan

Shijiazhuang

• Emily Krstulic
• Meredith Lamberti
• Sarah Chestnut
• Byron Spears
• Lauren O'Dell


Guilin


• Michael Ujifusa
• Sarah VanLandegen

Chongqing

• Danielle White

Check out these comments from some former participants:

Looking back, what made teaching in China through Drake’s program appealing to you?

Honestly, being someone who would do anything to travel, knowing that there was a post-grad program hosted by Drake, that didn't leave me applying and dealing with a school I'd never dealt with seemed pretty good. It also gave me some peace of mind knowing who my contacts were personally through the program should I encounter any problems while in China. (Anna E., ’07-‘08)

There are many reasons:

1. It was easy to apply and the assistant received with the whole process after acceptance, including the training, was much more comprehensive than other programs out there.
2. It is a very convenient way to have the chance to travel in Asia, without being a tourist. And, after graduation, that is one thing I really wanted to do: travel.
3. It provided me the challenge of teaching, something I'd never done before, and it provided me this in partnership with an institution, Drake, that I was familiar with. The fact that I was embarking on this challenging year was made much less daunting by the fact that it was in partnership with Drake.
4. It was appealing that I'd be over there, and going through the same experiences, as so many of my peers that I'd known for years already. (Lauren K., ’08-‘09)

The travel, I've also always enjoyed teaching. It was also nice to go as a group with Drake, knowing some of the people before hand and having (even if it wasn't intimate in the beginning) people there experiencing the same difficulties and of course power in numbers (Caroline C., ’07-‘08)

I wasn't quite ready to go to medical school and I wanted an experience to travel to a country that I knew nothing about (anything in Africa would have also been acceptable :-) ) (Jeremy D., ’07-‘08)

To be honest, I had friends who were in the program a year before me. They had such a great experience and they encouraged me to do it. (Willie C., ’08-‘09)

The prospect of being in China was quite appealing already. Participating in this experience through Drake proved rewarding because:

1. Orientation helped, even if a little, with establishing contact with our future employers.
2. It created a sense of shared experience with the other CCEP participants. It was assuring to know that there were "familiar faces" in China and professionals at Drake with you throughout your teaching experience. (Amit S., ’08-‘09)

I chose to go to China for two reasons:

1. I never got to study abroad in high school or college, and I really wanted the experience of living overseas. While China may not have been my first choice of places to go when I heard about the program, it seemed like one of the best deals I could possibly get.
2. I didn't want this chance to become one of the "I wonder what would have happened if..." stories. It was scary making the choice to go to a developing country where hardly anyone speaks English, but it's better than staying home and telling everyone "Well I once had the opportunity to go to China but I was too scared to do it."

As I approached graduation, I was looking for an opportunity to study or work abroad and the serendipitous creation of this program fit my needs. More specifically, knowing that I would be entering a relatively controlled environment and would have access to Drake advisers if needed really put my mind at ease. Teaching was always something I wanted to do and thought I had a "knack" for, but didn't want to study education in college. (Jim D., ’04-‘05)

As you entered Drake's Teach in China program, what goals did you have for your participation?

The main goal was to successfully adapt to living in China. It was also important to gain something of value from this experience that would help me in professional or academic advancement. (Amit S., ’08-‘09)

To be honest, I wasn't sure what to expect. I just wanted to make it through a year in China, enjoy teaching and try to travel as much as possible. (Zach S., ’08-‘09)

If your goals WERE met, what PROGRAM-RELATED factors facilitated the meeting of your goals?

For someone that didn't come from an Education background I think the discussion on running and classroom and things to include were beneficial (Lindsey J., ’07-‘08)

The cultural and language training during orientation was the biggest factor in getting used to being in China. Interacting with previous CCEP participants was also useful. (Amit S., ’08-‘09)

Obviously the forming of long-lasting relationships was facilitated by the school program. Were it not for Drake, I wouldn't have had this opportunity. (Meghan M., ’08-‘09)

I think so. I ended up loving teaching, made some amazing friends and know have even more motivation to learn Chinese and return to China as soon as possible. (Zach S., ’08-‘09)

If you goals WERE met, what NON PROGRAM-RELATED factors facilitated the meeting of your goals?

My school, Handan No. 3 Middle School, was an incredibly supportive atmosphere. My colleagues, superiors and students all provided me with an environment to not only challenge me in and outside the classroom, but also to help me become a better teacher and a better person. I found they helped me with all three goals, but especially in regards to challenging and learning about myself. (Lauren K., ’08-‘09)

Being as outgoing and friendly as possible. Don't be shy and just talk and interact with everyone you meet. From the other people in the program, to students, to people who leave on your campus, just everyone. The people who will help you the most are the Chinese friends you meet while you are there; they will really take care of you and help you any way possible. (Willie C., ’08-‘09)

The school gave me the opportunity to go abroad, but it was on my own that I formed the relationships that I wanted to form. (Meghan M., ’08-‘09)

I think it helped being in a small city where we had to come out of our comfort zones very quickly. It was kind of challenging the first month, but after that, it was absolutely amazing. We did not have a lot of foreigners and Chinese English speakers to rely on so it made us have to be able to accomplish things on our own, and that was very helpful. (Zach S., ’08-‘09)

1. Going out independently from work-related events (seeing the city, learning some of the language thru trial and error, traveling around the country, socializing with Chinese people who were not my students) (Angela G., ’08-‘09)

I'm open minded and patient. I've lived in various parts of the world, and I have a very good understanding and acceptance that while you're away from home things can't always be the way you want. You're going to have to adapt and be patient. I'm just easy going and willing to take things in stride as they come. (Hugo D., ’05-‘06)

If your placement contributed to the development of relationships during your time in the program, what factors in your placement facilitated this?

The fact my school was a middle school made a big difference. Also, living within the school provided me much closer contact to my colleagues and students, which gave me a much deeper connection to my job.  Also my superiors always gave us praise, gave us advice and made sure we were doing well. Their guidance and support was crucial to not only developing significant relationships with everyone at the school, but also to my success as a teacher and as a guest in the country. (Lauren K., ’08-‘09)

Living on campus made relationships easy to build. When you live so close to school, you are able to be in contact with the students all the time. You are able to be around the school and your students more often and this helps build relationships.(William C., ’08-‘09)

Good relationship between the host institution and Drake made the experience pleasant. It eased and cleared up some expectations and helped further establish interpersonal relationships.  It was also extremely helpful to have other CCEP participants at the host institutions. Whether it was to bounce ideas off someone else or just see talk to/hang out with some on a regular basis, I preferred not being the only Drake person at my institution. (Amit S., ’08-‘09)

Being in such a small city, we had to learn to adapt quickly. It was nice only having five Drake people in my city, because we got to know each other very well. It was great because there was always a Drake person to talk to if we needed, but yet there were not too many of them thus causing any problems! (Zach S., ’08-‘09)

1. Working together in groups during our prep class made relationships much easier once we arrived in China
2. The staff of the school were very helpful in facilitating professional and friendly relationships with other teachers/coworkers. (Angela G., ’08-‘09)

Working in a university was a definite advantage for me as many of the students were about the same age. They were able to help me with many things, and made the transition much easier. (Hugo D., ’05-‘06)

What were the greatest rewards AND challenges to you while living/working in China?

So many! Being such a full-immersion and at times, isolating experience, I really learned I was all I had some days. (I did have a really supportive family at home.). I was able to meet so many inspiring students and other Chinese people who really impacted my life. I think the work environment was a total shocker, given that I was used to a pretty corporate one--I had a hard time getting used to the lack of communication from the school, short notice for things and even translation difficulties that lead to a whole semester of my students thinking the class topic was different than the translation I was given. The resources were another issue, but on the upside, really just pushed creativity where it was allowable. I really now appreciate the ease of copying/faxing now! I also think my own impatience and the usual quick response you would get in a Western office environment was a challenge for me--I had to learn I wouldn't get answers on my time, but theirs. I also think being a young, female teacher was challenging in the way the school treated male and female teachers. I definitely had to "up" my stand on things and push some things where I wouldn't back down. Overall, I think my time in China was rewarding, even though I learned that unlike others who instantly fell in love with China, I just couldn't find the groove. I felt really frustrated and even like I was wasting the experience, but I do think it's just each individual personality fit and the experience of really living, working and staying somewhere, versus a vacation or short-term experience. I can also say I had this misconception that my year in China would give me this huge epiphany about my life...and that didn't actually being to happen until after working through the first six months being home and re-adjusting. (Anna E., ’07-‘08)

Rewards:

1. The relationships I built with my superiors, colleagues and students. I will treasure those always, and that was the most difficult part of leaving in July.
2. The places I was able to travel to and the people I met along the way. I made incredible memories and saw incredibly beautiful places.

Challenges:

1. Teaching. There were some days I wanted to give up and go home. The students were not paying attention and I felt like teaching them was hopeless. BUT, in the end, I felt I made an impact even with those hard times.
2. The cultural differences were often frustrating, especially the language barrier. It was hard being away from everything that's familiar, including people, places and food, and it became frustrating when you could not communicate a need to someone. (Lauren K., ’08-‘09)

Rewards: If you enjoy interaction with people and like to engage in conversation, then being a foreigner, and a teacher to some extent, in China is a rewarding experience, especially in areas where foreigners are a rare sight. As a young professional, being treated with respect by your students and the host institution was also a great feeling. Add to that, the ability to NATIONALLY explore China on a small budget made it culturally rewarding as well

Challenges: Language. Most challenges would not be a challenge if I could communicate, on my own, with other people. Regardless of whether your host institution was dependable or not, the inability to independently handle seemingly mundane activities was often a test of patience. In some cases it was also a deterrence to try and learn the language or travel. (Amit S., ’08-‘09)

Greatest rewards were meeting some great people from all over the world. Greatest challenge was living in a huge city, but when my program was finished, feeling like I could move to an even bigger city....I am a small town girl... ;) (Kelli H., ’08-‘09)

Rewards: Knowing that I can put myself outside of my comfort zone and thrive, building relationships and earning respect among peers and students, the opportunity to travel and meet students' families, engage in a truly unique experience in a rapidly changing society. Challenges: Lack of privacy and space with so many people and well-intentioned students wanting to play badminton at 6:30am on a Saturday, not knowing if what I am saying in class or on campus crosses the line with officials, feeling like I'm being watched occasionally, bargaining for everything can get tiring, eating that "mystery meat," fear of getting very sick and not having proper facilities to treat me. (Jim D., ’04-‘05)

The greatest rewards and challenges that I faced while I was in China are many and very varied in experience. The greatest rewards that I experienced while I was teaching was helping the students improve their English and getting to spend time with them outside of the classroom. The greatest challenges that I had to overcome were mainly dealing with the cultural barriers. Everything in China is done when it is done and deadlines seem to not exist. So, at times it was very difficult to have enough patience to deal with those barriers. (Catherine S., ’05-‘06)

Rewards:

• Getting to know enough of the Chinese culture to be able to navigate it and use that knowledge in my professional life as a foreign affairs professional.
• Building lasting friendships with Chinese people.
• Discussing my experience in China has been a plus in getting in the graduate school of my choice, getting the internship and fellowship of my choice, and getting the job of my choice. (Marie M., ’04-‘05)

The greatest challenge was learning the language. I did not know even the basics. We had to try to figure out on our own, for the most part, how to order food...crazy! The greatest reward was learning to dig deep inside myself for strength to face the many cultural differences I experienced on a daily basis. (Casey L., ’04-‘05)

Read More:

Check out this story about the 2009-2010 Teach in China group. and a couple of article on the Teach in China program from Drake's online newsletter can be found here:

• http://www.drake.edu/news/dbletter/eblue/index.php?article=3181
• http://www.drake.edu/news/dbletter/eblue/index.php?article=1870