Milton Roy Farai Chitatariso

Without a doubt, teaching has emerged as one of the highest paying jobs for foreigners in China, and with a TEFL or TESOL certification, finding an English teaching job has become quite easy for a native English speaker. Teaching jobs are attracting job seekers from across the globe, be it Western countries, Asian countries, or African countries. 

Coming from Zimbabwe, my main objective was to learn Chinese language as my father and I noticed that China was quickly becoming a global giant not only economically but also technologically. I came to China with no intention to become a teacher, but after living in the country for a couple of years, I admired the education system of China. In Zimbabwe, the best schools are private schools which are affordable only for those with the financial means, while the government schools serve the rest. 

After a few years of my stay in China, a local friend introduced me to the world of training centers. I got my first opportunity to teach English at her training center in exchange for private Chinese language classes. On my first day as a teacher, I clearly saw the great enthusiasm among the kids to learn, so I decided to do everything I could to become a good teacher. I learned a lot and experienced the hard work teachers put in each day.  

As a journalism student myself, I had an idea of the teaching style and what I needed to do in order to be well-received by the students. I told myself that it was not about how many topics I covered a day. I needed to make sure the students fully understand what was being taught. In every class, before moving on to a new topic or chapter, I made sure that we spent the first 10 to 20 minutes on reviewing what the students had learned the previous day.  

I developed a strong connection with my students, so much so that if I had a bad day at my university, I found joy at the training center as I not only got good feedback from my students, but also had a chance to learn Chinese language and culture from both my students and fellow teachers. There’s nothing better than the feeling I would get when I asked a question and the whole class would be eager to respond. I realized that there’s no dull student, just that some students might need a little bit more time to grasp new knowledge or a different kind of explanation.  

As time progressed, COVID-19 took its toll and the excitement of standing in front of my students in a class became just a memory, as all classes had to be held online. Giving lessons online was not the same as teaching in person, and to a certain extent, it slowed down my teaching momentum as I sometimes had to use different teaching skills to ensure the students fully grasped what was taught.  

The author is a journalism student at 
South China University of Technology