There are many reasons why someone might choose to become an ESL teacher, but one of the most common motivations is a love of travel. If you’re an English as a Second Language teacher, there’s a good chance that Beijing was your dream destination. Beijing is a city that is full of opportunities for ESL teachers, and it’s a great place to live and work. However, the outbreak of Covid-19 has forced many ESL teachers to leave Beijing and return to their home countries.
In this podcast episode, Amy, whom I met when we were both teaching for Disney English in Beijing, shares her experience of creating a home in Beijing and offers advice for future expats who may find themselves in a similar situation.
When she saw an ad looking for English teachers in China with Disney English she thought why not? She didn’t know anything about China. When Amy moved to China to teach English as a Second Language, she didn’t know anything about the country. She was unsure of what to expect, and had to rely on YouTube videos and online research to learn about her new home.
She also tried reaching out to people who had already been there, ESL teaching, and everyone was just so helpful in getting me settled and finding an apartment and getting acclimated to the culture shock of living in China for the first time. However, once she arrived, she quickly realized that there is so much more to China than she could have ever imagined. The history, the culture, and the food are just a few of the things that make China such a fascinating place. And through her work as an English as Second Language teacher, she has had the opportunity to help other people discover all that this country has to offer.
Her parents were concerned but she just reassured them and showed them that she was safe. During her Whatsapp calls she showed them around her neighborhood, her apartment, and made them feel like they were a part of it as well, and in a way, it stopped her from feeling very like homesick.
When Amy thinks about what home means to her, she thinks of a place where she can be comfortable and herself around the people who she enjoys spending time with. For Amy, that place was Beijing. Although she spent less than one year living in Beijing as a teacher she absolutely loved it. She misses it every day. Beijing was a place where she felt like she belonged.
As an ESL teacher, Amy felt like she had a real impact on her students’ lives. Amy still dreams about going back to Beijing all the time. But even though she’s no longer living there, Beijing will always hold a special place in her heart as her home away from home. Teaching English in Beijing was an amazing experience and she would recommend it to anyone!
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