East is Relative

Initial research and compilation

I’ve started compiling my information for the application to Buckland and updating my teaching resume. Now that this semester is over, I have plenty of time to look through the blogs of previous teachers through Buckland’s program. Shane Johnson, an Australian bloke who has been teaching in China for several years, has a blog on TravelPod detailing his adventures. The blog is a little difficult to navigate, but it’s extremely useful, especially with its FAQ about actually teaching in China with Buckland. If you’re interested (it’s very long, but it’s very informative), check out the FAQ page: Teaching In China: The Run Down N Other Info.

One interesting entry in his blog talks about being down to his last ¥20 (yuan, the Chinese form of currency), approximately AU$3.

I guess people must have noticed and someone asked the other day why I hadn’t been around the town much. I didn’t think much of the question at the time and said I had no money as it was all spent on phone calls to back home. When I went to withdraw my last 20 Yuan I found I had ?[sic]000 in the bank. I asked the school today and they had received a phone call from Buckland’s asking them to put my pay in early….this is how well I’m looked after.

Seems like really good service from a company watching out for their employees.

Daniella Wilkie, another Australian who taught in China for a while, also has a great account of her adventures, both culturally and educationally. Her first entry on going to China, Daniella’s gone to China, has good information about Buckland, as well.

These are just the beginning steps in my research (and I’ve been casually looking at programs and information since last November). Please feel free to add suggestions, ideas, or opinions in the comments of this post.