Tag Archives: china

The confucius institute at the University of Nottingham next door to our office at Noon Elite Recruitment. Many test centres are based on university campuses and they are prestigious buildings.

HSK – Everything there is to know

Inspiration, Learning Chinese, Teaching English in China, Things to do

HSK. You hear it when looking at Chinese courses, on job adverts and see it required on University courses. But what is it and why is it worth looking into? This post is is all things HSK.  What it shows, why to take it and what it stands for? Here’s everything you need to know… What it is HSK stands for hanyu shuiping kaoshi. This literally means Chinese language water level examination. More accurately translated to Chinese language level exam, or, examination of your Chinese language level.  The examination is run and accredited by Hanban, a department ran by the…

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A British brown man in China – From Beijing to Jining

Beijing, Daily Life, Inspiration, Teaching English in China

In a follow up from my first blog, I had woken up the next day in Beijing, and had to think where I was for a short moment. The realisation then dawned upon me that I was not in fact at home, blanketed by central heating, but in the colder hostel room in China. For breakfast, I thought to stick to comfort in familiarity with an egg omelette as part of me acclimatising my stomach of sorts, to avoid having any repeat of an incident similar to previous travels in Tanzania or India…always learn from experience it seems. The local…

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Pagoda at night in Fenghuang ancient town.

Promotion time in Guiyang

Daily Life, Teaching English in China

As I’m on a morning stroll around Fenghuang’s old canal, the Guiyang branch of English First contact me. I had had an interview with them a week before, but I assumed it was just similar teaching work to what I am now used to. Turns out that they want me to their new Director of Studies, someone responsible for managing the foreign teachers team and resources, coordinating with all the other departments and recruiting potential teachers. In short, a big job. I  was pretty taken aback at first, as I believed I was too inexperienced to take on such a…

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Five staple Chinese foods that you can rely on during your time TEFL teaching in China

6 Incredible Chinese Foods to Try

Teaching English in China

Travelling to China is a wonderful opportunity, and while you’re there, why not immerse yourself within the culture by trying some foods they have to offer. Here are 6 foods we recommend you try! Ma Po Tofu A powerfully spicy and pungent dish, mapo tofu is one of the top ten famous Chinese dishes and one of the most famous in all Chuan cuisine. The tofu is cooked in a spicy, oily chili and bean based sauce which gives it a striking aroma. Gong Bao Chicken A classic Sichuan cuisine made with chicken, peanuts, chili peppers and vegetables, characterised with…

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