Teach In China

Message from Our President

Why teach abroad?

I spent 7 months in China, teaching English in the cities of Zhengzhou (Henan Province) and Shijiazhuang (Hebei Province). I found my school through another placement agency that will remain nameless. When we arrived in China, exhausted after a 13 hour flight from New York, we were met at the airport by representatives of our school, and spent the night at a hotel near the Beijing airport. The next day, we traveled to our school in Shikiazhuang.

Much to our surprise, the school representatives, who were very nice, informed us that they were unsure why we had come in July, since we were not scheduled to begin teaching in September! Our agent had decided that he could find summer placement for us at another school, but had neglected to tell us, of course. After we had been in China for a few weeks, we found out that this was the standard practice for this and many other companies. Teachers would arrive in China, expecting to have a school and apartment arranged for them, and end up having to live in a cramped shared apartment until the company could acually find a job for them!

This was unacceptable, but being a foreigner, there is little you can do about situations like this.

That's when I had the idea for creating Teach Abroad!

I would find a number of dependable schools in China, and from the USA, would recruit teachers for these schools, and offer the teachers a complete service that ensures that teachers are treated honestly and that the process is smooth and professional.

Now, with Teach Abroad, Inc.approahing its 2 year annuversary, I have radically changed qne improved our services! I have personally sought out and nurtured relationships with professionals in travel, airfare, insurance, visa, and US and international schools, at both private schools and k-college level, and through those partnerships I have managed to create a service that is better than I had ever imagined when I first started this company.

I am very proud of what I have accomplished, offering people a reliable, professional, and affordable service that meets people's expectations for thier journey to China. I truly believe that I am offering people a great value, and an even greater service. While the numbers of teachers and students working with Teach Abroad had continued to climb with each passing month, I am constantly striving to maintain the highest level of personal care and contact my clientsas when I started this company. This is an aspect of Teach Abroad that initially separated our service from that of our competitors, and it is important part of what we offer.

My China Experience

As mentioned above, I spent 7 months as a teacher in China. While working, I managed to travel all over the country. I spent 2 weeks in Yunnan Province, where I saw some of the most beautiful, and also some of the most remote parts of China. A highlight of the trip was when I traveled to Lugu Lake, which is not only one of the most remote places on the planet and amazingly beautiful, but is also home to one of the world's only female dominated social systems!

I also visited Luoyang, Nanjung, Shanghai, and Beijing (about 5 times!). At all of these cities I was able ot view examples of ancient - modern Chinese archaeology, history, art, religion, and culture. I took advantage if every opportunity I had to sample traditional and local specialty foods, and to sample the local beverages as well. I had some of the most extraordinary meals of my life while traveling in China. Most were delicious, some were not, but at the very least I enjoyed the wonderful opportunity to share in the cultural phenomenon that is Chinese culinary arts. There is a story behind every meal in China, be sure to learn as much as you can from the friends you will make while there!

While teaching I made some great friends who took me under their wings and shared themselves and their cities with me. It was an amazing experience, and I will cherish my memories of this time for as long as I shall live.

China can be difficult at times, and there is an element of culture shock that most people will experience to varying degrees. It is my mission to help my teachers adjust to life in China to help eliminate must of the early stage stress that ofter grips new arrivals by preparing them as much as possible. In this way, my teacher's memories of China will be as wonderful as my own are, and hopefully better!

I look forward to hearing from you soon!

Sincerely,

Justin Pare´, President and Founder