What to expect from teaching different age groups

One question that will be put to all of our applicants during their initial phone interview with me will be what ages do you feel most comfortable teaching? For some of our more experienced teachers who apply they probably will have a general idea based on their previous jobs. However if you’re one of our many teachers who have had no formal training or experience in a classroom it can be a little difficult to know which ages would suit you best. For this reason I have written a little bit about my experiences of teaching varying ages in China to hopefully assist our applicants in their decision. Unsurprisingly many schools will be attracted to applicants who display flexibility and are comfortable with all ages but there is no harm in telling us your initial preference before we put you forward for interviews.

Our associate schools range from kindergartens all the way up to Universities although it’s worth noting that many high schools (ages 15-18) tend not to hire foreign English teachers and rely on their Chinese staff to teach the syllabus. I have been asked previously which age group would be the most challenging to teach and truthfully there isn’t really a right answer that I can give as it will usually depend on the teacher’s attributes.  There are however different challenges and enjoyments posed by all ages in China. At a University for example often means that the teacher will have a lot more preparation to do for the classes and provide plenty of material so it can mean a lot more marking and work to do in the evenings away from school. However the upside is there is more opportunity to be friends with your students, play sport with them and even eat lunch/dinner together. The fact that all of my university students were so friendly meant that I settled into my job really well. Contrastingly teaching kindergarten will mean very little preparation as each class may mean only learning one or two knew words and practising them over and over again. It can be a little repetitive however creativity is an important aspect of working with the younger children as its vital not to lose their attention so thinking of a wide variety of games, using props and not being too worried about making a fool of yourself by singing songs can all contribute to an enjoyable classroom atmosphere. When teaching younger children, although you are not going to be friends with your students the structure of your schools and the fact you have co-teachers mean you will be able to become friends with your Chinese colleagues very easily and they’re always keen to show you around the city when you arrive.

As I have been in China for a while and have gained good experience with most age groups, I can honestly say I enjoyed elements of teaching them all. Like I mentioned previously if you are teaching the younger children you have definitely got to be prepared to sing songs and make a fool of yourself from time to time so if that doesn’t sound like something you’d like to do I’d suggest opting for the older children as there is no escaping the singing. One thing I would say about Chinese children compared with English children for example which is not in any way a criticism is that they don’t grow up as quickly as Children in England which although took some getting used to. When I used to teach 13-14 year olds they seemed young in terms of their hobbies and the way they behaved so if you want to get away from having to discipline your student’s universities would be a better option.  If you are working with younger age groups there can also be a problem with communication as the student’s English skills are understandably not that great, however your Chinese co-workers will always be on hand to help translate your ideas across to the students and many schools provide a co-teacher to be in the room with you to assist with your class which is a huge help. There is no escaping how cute and fun it is to be around Chinese children and even though I hated the singing I would always look back on my time teaching the youngest children as my favourite.