These Little Corners

6 Sep 2018 | Veronica Who’s heard that being an English teacher in Asia is easy?   Lots of holidays, often only minimal experience needed, being with cute kids all day. Should be a breeze, right? Now picture answering the phone the day before you’re meant to start work because another school needs a cover teacher that day and your agency is wondering if you can do it. “Of course”, you say jumping out of bed, wanting to give a good impression as a dedicated employee. So you walk into this new school at 9:20am, knowing nobody, are shown to a classroom of 2-3 year olds and are told “Okay, so at 9:30am it’s the English lesson for 20 minutes. Here’s a storybook you can use”. I didn’t realize how long 20 minutes could feel until that moment, in front of a class with a very, very short attention span and any pause in distraction reminds them that their mom isn’t there so they should probably start crying, loudly. I started with “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. Then,...

6 Sep 2018 | Veronica 1. East Meets West If you’re considering Asia for the first time, or if you’re a bit intimidated about culture shock, Hong Kong is the perfect place to live. Walk around neighbourhoods like Sheung Wan to see exactly how East meets West here as you pass a western coffee shop followed by a traditional Chinese medicine store side by side, hearing French, English, Mandarin, and Cantonese as you go. 2. Holidays, holidays, holidays! Speaking of East meets West… Thanks to recognizing both Eastern and Western festivals, there are 19 public holidays in Hong Kong. Teaching in a local school you can expect even more! Approximately 1.5 weeks off for Christmas, 2 weeks for Chinese New Year, and another 1.5 weeks for Easter. With this generous holiday time, you benefit from being able to take holidays longer than the average businessperson (making friends jealous and meaning you can book flights outside the worst of the peak travel times!). 3. Easy and afford...