Guides

Teaching has been the number-one profession for foreigners in China for decades. While many expats come for just a short spell, others end up carving out careers for themselves and becoming “Old China Hands.” It’s not always easy to know what you’re getting yourself into when...

 Source: McPheeSteury Using Colleagues as Personal Translators Although pretty understandable, this is often the most common mistake foreigners make in a Chinese work environment. For expats in China, routine everyday things can become difficult challenges. From speaking with your landlord to making a Taobao order or talking to...

I am a foreign teacher in China. I start work at 9am, I have a two-hour lunch break from 12 noon, and then I leave at 4:30pm. I go home to my apartment, play with my kids, see my spouse and visit friends. I even have enough...

My hunt for a teaching job in China began with battling my way through scores of emails from recruiters and schools. From my home country of England, I’d sent my CV to hundreds of potential employers and received a giant raft of emails in response. This was not...

Every month when payday rolls around, especially around the national holidays when I’m due paid leave, I get an uneasy feeling in the pit of my stomach. I know this feeling is irrational. I have a good, stable job, I’m on a legitimate signed contract, and...