15 Days in China before I go home.

At this time of year the EFL/ESL teacher’s thoughts turn to home.  Some of us, particularly those of us that work in universities and colleges are on their last week of teaching.  They have the long two months of summer to look forward to.  Others, like myself, working in High Schools still have a few weeks left. My semester ends officially on the 10^th July. Initially I was told the 6^th July but, as always, things change. You have to be adaptable to live in China.  My plane ticket is actually booked for the 9th; I cleared this with my school admin as the last weeks are usually taken up with exams, marking exams and general shilly shallying about.  Also its important to negotiate a bit of wriggle room when booking your tickets home so you can bag the best prices from the airlines.

So now it’s 15 days before I go home and gaol fever is starting to set in.  I booked my ticket months ago and as I said the dates were negotiated with my school admin.  This is tricky in itself because you will find that even the school admin will not know for definite when the school semester will end. It seems to be a movable feast.  According to my admin it’s the local education department that sets the dates of the semesters and the holidays and nothing is ever set in stone. That’s why you have to be adaptable.

One would think, logically, that as these things happen every year then dates would be fixed, or at least planned for. But no, this is China, every thing is flexible, everything is moveable and subject to change.  It is sometimes infuriatingly frustrating.

Take the beginning of the next academic year.  Most years the new semester starts on September 1^st.  This year however on the 3^rd and 4^th of September there is a special public holiday in China to commemorate the 2WW.  I have heard, from other teachers, that in their schools the start date has been set back to the 7^th. Of course they haven’t heard this officially, they have heard it from their students.

I asked my admin what was happening in my school and she said she would have to ask. Around a week later, when I asked again, I was told that the start of semester was the 1^st September. But I am not holding my breath. It is just as likely that someone somewhere will decide that we start on the 7^th. Or have a day off but then work on the Sunday – that’s how holidays work in China by the way, you have a day off, but then work the Sunday to make it up again.

Nevertheless, before we worry too much about that situation we have the run up to the break to manage and we need to think about what we will be doing during the two months or six weeks we have off.

For myself, the next few weeks will be teaching as usual. But as any teacher knows during the run up to the holidays, the natives get restless.  It’s been a hard year for my seniors.  Remember they are in class from 7am in the morning until 9pm at night.  Plus most of them have spent the last few weeks doing the Cambridge AS and A level exams so they are pretty exhausted.

My senior class - about 15 students  short

Of course they also have the end of term exams to look forward too and many of them are not even in class as they are now swotting for American college/university entry exams or the IELTS/TOEFL language exams.  This is a bit of a nightmare for the conscientious teacher because if you are working to a lesson plan that lasts for a couple of lessons you are constantly being disrupted are the numbers in the class change on a daily basis. So some students are turning up in the middle of a programme of teaching and not knowing what the hell is going on or students are missing from the pairs or groups you set up.

But of course, we teachers are human too, so we are feeling the pull of the holidays. They are just around the corner so plans are being made and rumours of cheap flights abound. Most of us have, as part of our contracts, payments to cover our flights to home and back. For most of us this is not a fortune and in many cases barely covers the cost of the airfare and the incidentals such as train or coach tickets to and from airports.  So finding the best price for the tickets home, or to your final destination is important.

Many of the gap year graduate teachers might not even get home this vacation. The lure of exotic destinations just on our doorstep is too enticing. So trips to Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam are popular destinations as are the highlands of Thailand. Why long haul home when you have deserted beaches and cheap beer on offer just a couple of hours away?

Like myself, most of the older teachers that I know, will be going home to visit with families and friends.  But it’s a double-edged sword. For those teachers on the lower incomes, the 6000 – 7000rmb per month teachers, going home for any period of time is expensive.  We might have our airfares paid, but it’s the day-to-day expense of living in the West that becomes the topic of conversation once we are back.

‘Can you believe how much it costs just to…’?

a.     get the bus into town

b.     eat out

c.      buy a pint

d.     stay in a hotel

All things that are reasonably cheap in China and are a shock to the system and the wallet once we get home.  So for some colleagues to head out for countries where the cost of living is cheap and the living is easy makes good financial sense.

Of course some colleagues and friends will be leaving for pastures new come the end of term. Some might not have their contracts renewed, like the guy who can’t be arsed to wear a shirt to class and thinks shorts and flip flops are reasonable attire for a teacher in a High School.  And what the Aussie who was teaching his High School students English four letter words was thinking F*&! knows.  Of course he is no longer required at that school. But within a week or so he has secured a new teaching position, no problem, and teaching kindergarten of all things.  That he has to leave his pregnant Chinese girlfriend, soon to become wife, hundreds of miles away with her family seems to be bye the bye.

Other friends are seeking new working opportunities across the world and its sad to see them go. I feel like I am losing very good friends. Friends with whom I have shared the highs and the lows of living in China and in one case we have both shared actual blood, sweat and tears.  I hope we meet again to share a whisky or two.

Some of the younger teachers, teachers who I might have stereotyped as ‘gap year graduates’ are returning home to continue their academic careers.  Some are entering MA programmes back home to become better teachers, and of course become better qualified in what, at home, will be a very competitive job market.  I think I have written elsewhere that teaching time in China on your CV/Resume doesn’t cut the mustard with most employers in the West so returning home to continue with their education might be the best choice. Of course they could have spent their time in China doing the various courses on offer here such as the CELTA and various MA courses taught in English.

Of course going home also offers us the chance to replenish and purchase those crucial things that we can’t seem to find in China.  I’ve already done some of my shopping on Amazon so things will be waiting for me when I get home. The 600gms plastic bucket of Marmite for instance, shaving oil and other goodies to bring back with me.  I might do some clothes shopping, especially shirts and a few tee shirts because as I have mentioned elsewhere its difficult to get the sizes here in China – a Chinese XL from a couple of shops (Uniqlo and H&M) just about fit me, if I watch my weight - an XL from a standard Chinese men’s shop is about a western M. I have not seen XXXL shirts, apart from some tee shirts.  (I have mentioned that you can get shirts made to measure here – but they are more formal type work shirts I want casual short sleeve shirts.

At the moment my agency, my actual employer has my passport. They have to renew our residency visas with the authorities so we can come back.  This has turned out to be a fraught experience for a colleague as her passport was stolen whilst it was in the charge of the office admin en-route to the police on the Metro.  Obviously this is one of our worst nightmares losing the passport. Thankfully my passport was in a different system and was not lost. But now my colleague, with only about two weeks before flying home, has to go through the rigmarole of filling in forms, travelling to Shanghai to visit the embassy and hoping the passport gets back before she has to fly home. Fingers crossed as the trip to Shanghai, scheduled for today, has already been put off until Friday as the police didn’t complete all the paperwork on time – This is China!

Getting one’s residency visa renewed also means a trip to the local travel medical centre for a medical check up.  This means getting there at around 8am and doing the rounds of the various doctors and tests. Ones blood, eyesight, chest x-ray, ECG, Ultrasound are checked and then various bits are prodded in different rooms until all the boxes have been ticked and signed.  This year I was given my report and it raised a few minor issues that I need to chat with my doctor about in the UK.

Of course one of my major problems is getting someone to look after Snooky whilst I’m gone. Some people ask me if I will take Snooky with me.  But at around £2000 per each leg of the trip that’s a non-starter.  I’ve looked into the local dog stay places but I have not been impressed as the dogs seem to be confined to cages all day and only given two walks a day. Fortunately a Chinese friend of mine has offered to take Snooky again as she looked after the dog whilst I was in the Philippines, Australia and NZ.  So I know Snooky will be looked after. Probably looked after too well as she was a little fat when I got back from my holidays.

So that’s pretty much it, everyone I know is counting down the days to their holidays and in fact some lucky b………s are travelling this week! You know who you are!  We teach for ten months of the year and to be honest for some of us the workload is not particularly onerous and China has lots of public holidays but I guess we are all looking forward to going home. We need to wash China out of our hair for a while, indulge in some of the food we have missed, meet up with family and friends and have some rest and relaxation.

That is not to say that we will wash China out of our hair completely we still come back, year after year – next year will be my forth year – to continue to teach English and be amazed by this crazy and wonderful country and its people.

Learning is not a spectator sport – someone please tell my students

Sometimes one just gets fed up at staring at the uncomprehending faces.  Fed up of waking students up during the class. Fed up of the incomprehensible and mangled attempts at speech. Fed up with the lack of comprehension when I explain to them in words of one syllable that it is unlikely that they will be attending Cambridge or Harvard, well, at least this year anyway.

I work in a top high school, in the foreign language department, in a big city in China.  I have been teaching the senior classes ESL for the past two years. All of these seniors have the expectation that they will be attending a good, if not superior, foreign university next year.  Let me put it a bit more succinctly, these seniors’ parents have the expectation that their child, their only child, will be attending a top ten foreign university next year.  Most of these children of rich parents do not really seem to know or understand why they are sitting in my ESL class. They seem to think that what they really should be doing is cramming for the IELTS or TOEFL exams they probably have in the next few weeks or months. What they shouldn’t be doing is wasting time with me, a native English speaker, who has actually spent 20 years teaching in a top ten university in the UK.

This is highlighted by the fact that after at least a semester of me prepping my class with IELTS and TOEFL related study, although not in my remit.  Plus giving them all the insights from a book I have been writing with a Chinese colleague about the IELTS speaking test, one student, lets call him ‘Land’ because that’s what he calls himself, came to me and asked me for all the questions and answers I had been giving them over the past year. That this was two days before his IELTS test seemed to me a bit short-sighted.

I am an irrelevance to these rich kids.  These rich kids, who, for most of their pampered and spoilt lives, have been given everything they have ever wanted. Who, even at 16 and 17 years of age, are still fawned over by their doting parents – it’s galling that most of them have designer watches and clothes I couldn’t even think of affording. These rich Chinese kids who think daddy will be able to buy them into a university regardless of their ability and their lack of effort in the English classroom.

It really worries me, this lack of engagement with the English language, by these Chinese students.  I actually want these kids to go to university. I want them to succeed. That’s why I’m a teacher.  But in my classes there are students who can barely speak to me, even after two years of English tuition by foreign teachers.  Plus they have had two years of English classes given by the bilingual Chinese teachers and the fact that they are following the CIE iGCSE Science and Math’s subjects - in English.  God knows when they actually started learning English, because I don’t.

The problem, it seems to me, is the focus on the IELTS and TOEFL tests. Chinese students have tried and tested rituals, rotes and tricks for them to achieve the required scores on these tests. This approach really has nothing to do with learning English it’s simply to pass the test with the highest score possible. Indeed I have even colluded myself with Chinese students by publishing a book with a Chinese colleague that provides a method for the student to increase their IELTS score from the ubiquitous five to the much needed six or six point five and higher.

And yet they seem to think if they could just memorize all the words in the vocabulary books then all will be fine. That they attempt to do this during my ESL class whilst I am actually trying to teach them how to use words in the correct order seems cruelly ironic.  Even so, when I close their books for them and ask them to focus on the lessons I am giving them on collocation, or phrasal verbs, or even something simple like listening or writing they can barely finish the tasks that I set them.

In an attempt to shock them out of this torpor I presented them with some research which shows that the IELTS and TOEFL scores do not indicate how successful a student may be in a western university, indeed in many cases the research shows that Chinese students with a ‘respectable’ IELTS score of 6 or higher might still struggle when entering higher education in the West.

Indeed one report out of the US shows that 8000 Chinese students were sent home in 2013/14 from US universities and colleges for cheating and not making the grade. And yet, and yet, when I show my students these statistics there is barely a lifted eyebrow or a murmur of shock. I really think these students do not believe that this would, or could, relate to themselves in any way, shape or form, such is their confidence and their denial that they may not be making the grade.

That my school has a foreign language department where we teach English and yet we do not have any formal English examination on site must bear some of the blame for the situation.  The only English examination these students will take is either the IELTS or the TOEFL tests.  This to me is a ridiculous state of affairs. It means that we have no way of gauging the level of our students English, over and above any tests we the teachers set.  There is no way we can measure our students against any global standard such as the iGCSE.

Consequently the students have no motivation to pay any attention to my ESL classes at all.  They remain focused on the IELTS and TOEFL requirements and what I do in my classroom must seem to them just a minor detail, another forty five minutes where they can zone out and if they think they can get away with it have a snooze – they never get away with it in my class.  If I have to be 6000 miles away from my 16-year-old daughter in the UK then they had better, by golly, pay attention in my classroom.

I really do want my students to get to university. Last weekend in the high school right next to mine the Gau Kao university entrance examinations took place.  I really do think some of my students would have been better off to have sat that exam and to enter a Chinese university. But filial duty being what it is in China these kids will have to suffer their fate to the dying end. I do know some of my students really do not want to go abroad but they just cannot let their parents down.  To be brutally honest they will get their wish because their English is just not up to scratch and they make little or no efforts to change that situation in the classroom. So mummy and daddy will be faced with a fait accompli.

Will poor Cherry or Coby be blamed for their failure?  Personally, I think not, I think the odds are more likely to be stacked in favour of the English teachers at the school being the fall guys here and, as is often the case, contracts will not be renewed.  And yet, and yet, I still love working with these testing, exasperating, annoying, trying, at times demanding, maddening, but very often delightful, funny, charming, sweet, naive, innocent kids.

Cherry and Rita - two good students.

A Bite of IELTS - a primer for the speaking test - a new book by me.

This year saw an important event in my academic life a book that I co-authored with a Chinese colleague was published on February 1st 2015 in Beijing. The book is entitled (In Chinese) A Bite of IELTS. (Amazon.com have it listed a A Tongue of the  IELTS). Basically the premise behind the book is that many Chinese students who take the IELTS test get stuck on band 5. They find it very difficult to move beyond a band5 simply, we believe, because of the approach they take to studying for the test. It is not unknown for Chinese students to buy sample answers for the test and they simply try to memorise the answers to simply repeat them should they be lucky enough to get that question in the exam. 

The IELTS speaking test is broken down into three parts. Part 1, Part 2 and Part 3.  Lets have a quick look at what each part entails. 

Part 1. This is where the examiner introduces himself and asks the student to identify themselves. The examiner then carries out a short interview asking some questions on various topics. This lasts about 4 to 5 minutes.

Part 2. The examiner provides the student with a written task card.  This is an example:

Describe a person who visited your home

You should say

        Who the person is

        When the person visited you

        What you and this person did together

        Explain how you feel about this visit

The student has one minute to think and make notes about this question. Then they have to speak for 1 to 2 minutes about the topic.  The examiner might follow up with one or two questions about the topic. 

Part 3.  This is a two way discussion where the examiner will want the student to discuss more abstract issues and concepts which are thematically linked to the topic used in Part 2.  This lasts 4 to 5 minutes. 

The problems faced by many students when they take this test is that there is an ingrained culture of learning the shortcuts and tricks to get a high score rather than investing time in learning English to the standard expected by universities in the West.  Students get stuck on band 5 because they have often purchased model answers off the internet and memorise the answers. When they get to the exam and are asked to speak they often use a monotone voice. The monotone voice is a consequence of not paying attention to learning stress and intonation whilst memorising the answer. On the day its also a consequence of the effort of remembering the answer and actually speaking so there is not any cognitive ability left to add stress and intonation to the voice. 

My Chinese colleague, Sam, has actually taken the IELTS test about 20 times researching how the tests work and how the different examiners influence the setting. He also continues to carry out exit interviews with students to get an idea of their experiences.

From this research Sam developed a method to help students move past the IELTS band 5 barrier.  In short what we attempt to do in this book is to use a formula for building an answer which is based upon the students own experience.  We argue that by using personal experience a student doesn't have to think about situations they have no experience of.  (It is also important to note at this time that many 16 and 17 year old Chinese students have led very sheltered and protected lives so their memory bank of lived experiences is very small). Also, when recounting personal experience, it is easier for the student to add emotion to the voice - thus fulfilling the intonation and stress requirements. 

The premise is that if the student uses the formula and then adds to that framework their own personal experiences then they are able to speak more confidently and fluently around the topic areas. This method has been very successful with many students that Sam and myself have coached going on to increase their IELTS scores from the band 5 where they were stuck to band 6.5, 7 and above. 

If you are interested in the book you can purchase it on Chinese websites and on Taobao 

ISBN 9787300205298

or contact me if you are in China the price is 45rmb plus postage. 

A couple of pages in the book. I wrote the English  - Sam wrote the Chinese.

Packing for China for the TEFL - ESL, English Teacher.

If you are reading this you are probably on the cusp of a great adventure. You are coming to China to teach English.  You have probably already started to stress about what to fit in your luggage let alone what, how or who you are going to teach.  How the hell can I live for 10 months when the baggage allowance (on most airlines) is around 20 kilos you ask yourself as you look at the pile of packing on the bed?  If you are lucky your chosen airline might give you a bigger allowance, once Cathay Pacific gave me 30 kilos, which was a huge bonus.  Or you might be rich enough to buy a premium airline ticket which gives you a bigger allowance, or you can afford to pay the extra for extra bags, whatever, you are probably still wondering what to bring.

I have written two or three earlier blogs about packing for China the first one is here. But it might be timely to write another one about packing for those of you who are frantically pulling stuff in and out of your cases not sure what you will actually need.

Lets look at what most airlines will let you take on board.

1. Most airlines seem to restrict checked in luggage to around 20 kilos. For instance Cathay Pacific post their limit as 20 kilos, but when you speak to the check in staff, you can get away with 23 kilos, some airlines post 23 kilos, maybe they are more strict if you are over your allowance.  Some airlines will charge you for excess weight and some airlines will allow you to pay for an extra bag.  There's a handy list here posted in June 2015 but do check your ticket and terms and conditions and your airlines website first.

2. The airlines also allow a carry on bag weighing, depending on the airline, between 5 and 18 kilos, again check your airlines terms and conditions.

3. Most airlines will also allow you a computer bag/handbag or both - probably more likely if you are a female.

What I assume is that you will have your large luggage, your carry on bag and a 'computer bag'/handbag. So you have to be really creative about what goes in where, what you will wear on the trip and once you are in the departure lounge how you can rearrange it all to be more comfortable.

Personally I travel with a largish suitcase, a rucksack (not a large one) for my carry one and my computer bag/briefcase and I do make sure they are packed to the absolute limit.

These are my bags the big black bag is a Jeep canvas bag with wheels etc. This got trashed by the airline (Cathay Pacific) when I came back to China the second time (and it was relatively light then) and I only got 100rmb (£10 approx) compensation. The red bag is my daypack-sized backpack and the grey bag is my computer bag.

These all went onto the airplane with no problem, the Jeep bag into the hold, both the other bags as carry ones into the cabin.

Lets start with packing my computer bag.

Computer Bag 

This weighed in at about 7 kilos so it was packed with stuff. This is what I took in it - with commentary.

Spare dog lead (I took my dog to China) This could have stayed at home you can buy them here cheaply

Neoprene knee brace – I’m a runner, you can get these here so this could be jettisoned but I haven't seen neoprene - these come from the £1 shop in the UK

Office folder containing papers, certificates etc - obviously important. EDITED 2017 - YOU NOW NEED original documents - notarised AND ratified by the Chinese Embassy in your country of origin.  I also have scanned copies on my computer.

Ventolin - I packed a three-month prescription supply of Ventolin from my Doctors in the UK - but you can buy this over the counter in China no problems. I also bought it over the counter in New Zealand.  So just bring what you need for now. 

Hair clay - you can get gel/clay etc here – so it’s not needed.

Olbas Oil 10ml - Personally I would pack the bigger bottle or two of the 10ml bottles. During the long cold damp winter you will get a cold/flu - you work in a school - it’s a germ factory. Steaming your head with this is just what the doctor ordered - and actually he does. I haven't seen similar in China - but I'm sure you could get menthol oil or something similar to steam those sinuses.

Kindle - obviously as its difficult to get English books/novels here. Kindle works well. Its easy enough to download books here - no problems. 

Google Nexus tablet - Personally I don't use this at all. I’m not a tablet sort of person and I have my iPhone. 

Hanky (cotton) - for the colds - stops you getting a big red sore nose using all those paper tissues. 

Notebooks x 2 - Didn't need these at all. 

Spare mobile phone - this is important. I have a Chinese Sim in my iPhone. This spare phone has a Tesco PAYG Sim in it which I can top up if I need to online. It is useful for example my bank is Santander and when I move money or pay a bill online it sends me a code by TXT - so I need my spare phone with the UK Sim in it to receive that text. Plus it means people at home could txt me if there was an emergency (not that I have it switched on all the time). It’s a Nokia - it cost me £9 brand new in Tesco. 

Glasses x 3 (reading) - Bring your reading glasses and optical glasses - but once here you can find, or someone can take you, to the optical/glasses market where you can have your eyes tested and glasses made while you wait for about 150rmb (approx £15)

The optician I use

 Theres a lot of choice

Business cards - business cards are an important part of life in China - get some done. Use Vista Print it’s cheap and quick. 

8 x USB memory sticks - You will need USB sticks, maybe not 8 but that’s all I had. They are cheap enough to buy here in China. In my local supermarket 8GB is about 400rmb (approx £4).

Oxford School Thesaurus – Useless - I shouldn't have bought it not with so much access to online dictionaries/Thesaurus 

Apple Mac Book in case - Very important - see below. 

Dr Dre Headphones - Personal entertainment 

Dogs papers - Important

Lead and Harness - I could buy here but this lead is a 'Jogging ' lead a bit springy so it was important. 

My computer bag is both a computer bag and a briefcase so it’s pretty large. Its never been weighed. If I’m asked what I’m taking on board I say my carry on bag - my rucksack - which I have on my back - NOT obligingly offered out to weigh and my computer bag which is either over my shoulder or down by my feet - OUT OF SIGHT. So far it has never been problem and I have come to China 3 times now on International Airlines. 

Rucksack

The next bag is my rucksack - you might have one of those little carry on suitcases - I personally prefer a rucksack for travelling. It’s on your back and out of the way so you at least have one hand free when you are travelling. (The other dragging your big check in luggage). Of course once you are in China you will want to travel, so the rucksack once again becomes indispensable, especially if you want to travel around China or further a field. I travelled to the Philippines and then onto Australia and New Zealand this last Spring Festival (Feb 2015) with my rucksack as my carry on luggage with no checked in luggage at all - I was away for three weeks. Your rucksack also works for you when you want to go shopping locally. My nearest local supermarket is 5K away, my local big supermarket, Auchan is 10K away. Although you will probably get a taxi having the rucksack is a godsend not having to deal with all those plastic bags. 

When I had finished packing this was about 5 kilos when I had a 7 kilo limit. I wanted to err on caution because of my computer bag and for any books etc I might want to take on board with me and I added stuff later. 

2 x electrical plug adaptors - important at first, but you can get Chinese plugs to fit your devices. So I don't use mine at all now.  Don't buy the expensive travel shop ones, the £1 shop ones are good enough. 

Camera - Digital SLR so hefty - I suppose you might get away with carrying it around your neck.

All the charging leads for gadgets - yep you need these, but once here you can source replacements cheaply and easily, especially those pesky iPhone cables that don't last long at all. 

These are all about £1

Camera lens wrapped in scarf - important - I purchased this zoom lens in the camera market in Shanghai at a really good price (The first time I was in China)

2 bags sweets for friend’s kids - precious weight given up for a mate. 

Spare glasses and sunglasses - as mentioned, spare glasses are important - but once here you can find the local optical glasses market and get replacements cheaply and easily - I only wear Raybans (including optical sunglasses) now dontcha know!

Spare razor blades (1 pack) - these cost much the same in China as they do in the UK - looking around the chemists in the UK sometimes you can see multipacks at a good price. 

Hat (warm for the winter) - but cheap enough and easy to get here. 

Moist toilet tissue - just in case!

Head torch (wind up) - useful - but I've not used it in two years I've been here - perhaps more useful if you are out in the sticks. 

Anadin Extra - a favourite pain killer that works well with me.

3 x Typhoo tea packs (I know coals to Newcastle etc - but you can't beat a good cuppa, even in China!)  Any and all extra space was taken up by tea bags. You can't get good tea in China - good British tea I mean. Just that Twinning’s abomination they call tea. Although some Cities do have a Marks and Spencer where tea is available as well as other goodies. 

Packing your suitcase

Now for the main event – packing your checked in luggage. Bearing in mind this was my second visit to China - you can check out my first packing list here. Although the airline had confirmed my baggage allowance at 30 kilos the following weighed in at about 25 kilos. 

You also need to bear in mind what part of China you are going to. If you are going North you need to think about warmth in the winter - but you can buy suitable clothes when you get there  - but note if you are BIG say UK XL or larger it might be difficult. However, you could get say a down jacket made to measure relatively cheaply - maybe £40 or £50 or less. 

I work in Nanjing which has a short spring and autumn an OK winter in British terms -1/-2 degrees at worst (I'm from the South West) and really hot and humid summers 34 degrees and higher with high humidity - so my packing reflects that.

Running shoes- I use these a lot, for running of course, not fashion - you can buy trainers and so on out here cheaply enough but these are for running and I haven't seen any specialist places.

Black shoes for work _ I don't use these as much as I thought I would - In the winter I usually wear my black walking shoes for warmth - the black dress shoes are just too thin and cold. 

Running shorts - Lycra – but you can buy standard sports shorts here cheaply

Running shirt - long sleeves - again these are available - running/jogging is popular in China or just wear a tee shirt

Polo Shirt x 2 - for casual wear only - this type of shirt is available but note the caution I give about sizing - women take note also.

Waxed type Jacket - really useful for those showery days and when it starts to get chilly

Black and White Kefeya Scarf - could have stayed at home.

Casual Rugby style shirts x 1 - long sleeve  - I have not seen rugby type tops here  

Tracksuit bottoms  - new and thick and warm x1 - Handy for slouching around my apartment when it gets chilly. I bought mine at Primark - on the basis that if they get left in China then its not a great loss - plus once you are here you can buy tracksuit bottoms for about £3 to £4 pounds (30 - 40rmb)

Towel (small hand towel) - this is just for when I get here. Don't waste precious weight on large bath towels you can buy towels here cheaply.

2 x blue jeans - my waist is 36in that’s about the biggest I've seen in the shops, especially the shops that carry western sizes like H&M and UNIQLO although I've seen some large Chinese guys and large western guys but I wouldn't know where they shop - once you are here you could use the online shopping site TAOBAO I guess. You'll need a Chinese friend to do it for you. 

7 cotton shirts - for work etc 5 x long sleeve formal 2 x short sleeve casual - At school when I teach, I dress like a professional, so I wear shirts and ties. The long sleeves are to cover up the tattoos on my arms when I teach - in China tattoos are the sign of criminals and low people. The short shirts are for casual use when I am not in work mode. You can get shirts made to measure by a local tailor. They usually cost less than what you would pay in shops like UNIQLO where shirts are usually less than 200rmb each. (approx £20). A UNIQLO XL shirt is just about OK on me (they do not sell above XL) as long as I don’t drink too much! 

2 x thermal vests and 2 x thermal long johns - In the main, there is no heating in Chinese classrooms in Nanjing, even if there is the classrooms are open to the elements and the heating really does not compete with the cold weather. 

Chinese classrooms

To clarify - once upon a time a Chinese bureaucrat drew a line across China. Above the line was cold. Below the line was warm. So buildings above the line have good insulation and heating, below the line it’s not appropriate. Nanjing is just under the line.  In the winter thermal underwear is everywhere in the shops. The main issue, as always, is sizing. Bring some thermals with you - unless you are really down south. 

6 pair’s underpants  - once you are here you can buy decent replacements in supermarkets like Auchan, C&A (Yes C&A exists in China) or any of the high-end designer shops if you have the money. I pay around 20rmb a pair (approx £2) in Auchan. Of course no problem for women's undergarments here - although I would say all the bras I've seen have straps that would hold up the Forth Bridge and enough padding in the front to make even Madonna think twice. Some cities do have an M&S.

7 pairs of socks - ditto UNIQLO, Auchan and so on. 

2 x ankle socks for running - I buy the packs of ankle socks in JB sports in the UK - they suit me, but you can buy them here.

1 woolly hat  - you can buy them here - this one was a gift from my daughter 

Bobble hat - you can buy them here.

2 x pair thick socks - Recommended buy for the winter - but you could probably buy them here.

Running trousers (Lycra) - Ron Hills - I’ve not seen these here.

8 ties - I dress professionally at work I wear ties, especially when I meet parents. I buy all my silk ties in a charity shop in the UK for 99p - a lot of this stuff has to be disposable. They will not come back to the UK so why waste money upfront?

Lumberjack style hat (bought in China last time) - Just for fun - but its warm.

1 x neck scarf - you can get them here.

Long sleeve top - tee shirt style - for summer/autumn and layering in winter. I believe I bought this in UNIQLO the first time I was here.

Polo neck top - long sleeve - fleecy material for layering in winter purchased in UNIQLO the first time I was here

White England Nike rugby top - all important for those nights down the bar when the rugby is on. Especially if there are Ozzies, Springboks and Kiwis about!

Linen Suit - for work in the summer. I bought it in M&S - but to be honest you can get one made to measure here in China like I have done by a local tailor for 800rmb - (approx £80).

Trousers (work) - standard work trousers - not jeans - to go with the shirts

Grey work jacket - This was a favourite tweed type jacket, it started to look tatty and worn out this year, so the tailor made me a direct copy (bespoke) - different pattern tweed, for 800rmb (approx £80)

Micro fleece - I really like micro fleece - warm but not too bulky - I got my first one in UNIQLO in London (honest I'm not being paid by them) and my second in Nanjing, China. 

 My Local Uniqlo

Swimming shorts – you can get them here – if you are not too bothered about style.

Hiking shoes - mine get a lot of use especially in the winter. The thick souls insulate your feet from the marble floors in all the buildings and of course when you are outside, and as I have mentioned elsewhere outside of the city the pavement/sidewalk can be none existent so you are walking on the verges. 

Dark Suit - I wear this when I have to meet parents, or do something more official than teach - maybe give a talk to guest or parents or represent the school in someway.

Wash bag 

Razor 

Toothbrush - I purchased a Braun electric toothbrush as soon as I got here. 

Small toothpaste – Colgate, Sensodine etc are all available here 

Large bottle Calvin Klein One - its cheaper to buy your smellies in the Perfume Shop if you are lucky enough to have one in your town, its cheaper than duty free and cheaper than China, if you can find it, and if its not fake. 

Bigger wash bag holding various medicines 

20 Lemsips (gold dust in China), 

Anti diahorrea remedy

My prescription migraine medicine

A couple of packs of Anadin Extra - because it works for me - you can get aspirin, ibuprofen and so on in China. 

My prescription anti indigestion medicine - you can buy this over the counter here.  

Pholcodeine cough linctus 2 x bottles

3 brown puffers (cenil modulate) - I haven't checked if you can get this - but in China I don't seem to need it.

4 blue Ventolin - You can buy this over the counter - so just bring what you need for the short term

Canvas bag (present)

Shoe brushes x 2 and polish (Oxblood for my Dr. Martens)

3 x pairs of insoles - 1 from a podiatrist and 2 from Lidl which are very good for my fallen arches – I was wearing the others.

Small canvas artwork 6 x 6 inches - a gift

2 x filters (for friends hot tub)

10 x anti perspirant roll ons - I buy these from the £1 shop. They are difficult to get in China. Chinese guys don't seem to use them (phew!). Recently a Japanese shop has opened up in my local mall and they do stock them at 10rmb (£1 approx) for both male and female roll-ons. I haven't tried them yet. Whilst the 'Chemist' a few doors down doesn't stock them at all.

UPDATE: - Ive been trying this 'Japanese' underarm deodorant from a shop called Miniso which seems to be a Japanese chain so look out for it. They seem to work OK.  But I can't guarantee there will be one where you are so bring your own. 

Japanese Shop

Swiss army knife - My knife has been all around the world with me, except when I only take a carry on bag. It has actually got through security twice when I have forgotten. But it is jolly useful and you should have one if only for the corkscrew and bottle open - Oh and the can opener which seems to be none existent in China. 

Vanish soap bar. I only have a cold water washing machine so the vanish soap adds that extra umph to clean my collars and cuffs and any dribbles I might leave on my shirts etc. 

Late in the day - the evening before I left actually, I added a pair of shorts that were always going to be on the list but I had been wearing them and they were then in the wash.  

I also added a fleece and a rain jacket.

I also decanted the cough linctus out of the glass bottles which I decided were too heavy to pack and put it into two 100ml plastic bottles. 

I've added some more teabags - the teabags were taken out of the box and put in a plastic carrier bag to save weigh. I think I bought well over 350 teabags.

Indeed everything that was in a separate box, the medicines, teabags and so on, was taken out of the box and packed as is. The boxes were, in my view, surplus weight. 

Snook Dogs Ducky, two extra balls, and after dropping her off at the airport her lead, collar and harness as she is not allowed them on the plane she's going on. 

All in all that made about 25 kilos. 

I also carried a heavy overcoat - I favour the Crombie style of overcoat, you might well prefer a different kind of winter jacket. This also had largish pockets into which I stuck a couple of books for the flight.  My colleague got a winter jacket made here in China by a local tailor. It was downfilled, hand stitched from a design in a fashion book - I think the tailor buys the kit, fills it with down and puts it together. It cost around 400rmb (approx £40)

My friend Louise added these thoughts for a female perspective about packing.

Take clothes (the Chinese are tiny)

Shoes

A first aid kit – you could buy the stuff here

A Spork – until you get the hang of chopsticks – restaurants do not have supplies of knives and forks just for you.

A good penknife (for fixing things)  

Duct tape (also for repairs)

Rough Guide or similar if you want to travel

Learn some basic Chinese also, it helps a lot and you’ll make friends quickly

Every year I bring back cans of deodorant, you can buy it in the PRC, but it’s very expensive and not as good. Also a 10 month supply of medicines that you use.

Ladies, it is a myth that you can’t buy tampons. You can at large supermarkets and stores like Watsons and Mannings even in smaller cities. So don’t bring those.

Packing Food

When you are shopping in China you have to be like a hunter-gatherer. You will not find everything you need in one handy one-stop shop.  You need to find where the goodies are and remember if and when you are passing that shop to stock up.

Some of the things you love in your home country you just will not find.  Also the cooking facilities in your apartment may only stretch to a gas wok burner, or an electric plate.  I’ve never seen a fitted oven. You can buy counter top ovens – they look a little like a microwave but you could hardly get a turkey in them – that’s if you could find a turkey! 

So what to pack?

The only food I have ever bought to China is Marmite.  You can buy it here but it’s expensive. You can buy a 600gms catering pack on Amazon.

UPDATE: - I forgot to mention curry powder. I brought a 500gms bag of Madras curry powder purchased from my local indian supermarket. You can get Thai curry paste here but I've not seen a good curry powder. 

Veg Curry I made this weekend - 22nd June 2015

Louise says she brings the following:

Cuppa soups – Good idea for the winter!

Custard powder

Dried protein (falafel)

Squash (concentrated in small bottles)

Note: I do live in a city so there are a number of foreign food shops around, if you are in the sticks you will find it more difficult to find food that you recognize.  But as I have noted before McDonalds, KFC and Pizza Hut are pretty ubiquitous – you might find bars and restaurants that serve western food local to you.

Packing technology

First up – technology in China is not significantly cheaper than the West. The prices on most of the goods I have seen are much the same as in the UK.  So I would try to get yourself a bargain in the UK or US or Australia – wherever you are coming from. The added bonus is that the operating system and instructions will be in English.

Laptop.

Having a useful and working laptop is a must to teach English in China.  You laptop will be your best friend.  You will use it for work, rest and play.

In the office you might well be given a desktop computer, but the operating system will be in Chinese. This is workable and because it’s a windows machine you can get around a lot of it by muscle memory that is if you have been using windows computers for the past few years.

In your apartment you should have wifi or access to the Internet – check with your employer as this is very important.

You will want to Skype with family, do Internet banking and other stuff back in the UK, paying bills etc. You will want to watch TV, watch Movies and listen to Radio 2 or whatever floats your boat.  You might be a game-player.  You will want access to search engines. You will want to use the ESL websites that are out there in abundance to plan your lessons. You will want to use YouTube. You will Torrent movies and music. Buy Birthday and Christmas gifts for family back home using Amazon. Buy flowers for your mum on Mother’s Day. Buy Whisky for your dad all on the Internet. You will need to buy airline tickets on the travel search engines or train tickets on Trainline.com. You will use Trip advisor to find places to stay and a million other things.

My advice: is to buy a Macbook Pro or a Macbook Air.  
(Links to Amazon)
Apple 13-inch MacBook Pro (Intel Dual Core i5 2.5GHz, 4GB RAM, 500GB HDD, HD Graphics 4000, OS X Yosemite)

Apple MacBook Air 13" 1.6Ghz DC i5 4Gb 128GB SSD


My reasoning is simple.  The Windows machines in the classrooms are used by students as well as teachers, they are full of viruses. You will use your USB sticks in these machines, so you will transfer viruses onto your windows machine. So your machine will be out of action for long periods of time. You have to find someone who can help you fix the problem. And so on – just too much hassle.

I have used my Macbook Pro for over three years in China with not so much as one problem (apart from spilling beer on it last year just before I left China but a quick visit to the Apple store back home and the touch pad was fixed for £50.) There are plenty of Apple Stores in China now so I wouldn’t have a problem here.  Also on the plus side the machines are tough and resilient.

You also need to think about what to load on to your Macbook or computer before you come to China.

You need to download SKYPE from your home country because the Chinese version is monitored.

You need a VPN (Virtual personal Network) to access Facebook, Twitter, BBC iplayer, Blogger, Google, Gmail and so on because these are blocked in China, you need the VPN to bypass the blocking by the government.  I use Express VPN; I’ve had no problems in the three years I’ve been with them. If you sign up using this link we will both get a free 30 days service.

Tablets: I bought a Google Nexus – but I don’t really use it. But I see people all the time using IPad – if that’s you bring it. My iPhone5 does all I need and more. I’m not a gamer.

Smartphone: My advice is that you will need a Smartphone.  If you have one make sure you have been to your supplier and have got them to unlock the phone so that you can put another Sim in it.  You will want to get a Chinese Sim in your phone asap once you are here.  It’s easy to do. Take your phone to the shop. Have your passport with you. Choose a PAYG contract. Obviously you might need a Chinese person with you.  I did it on my own as the assistant had some English.  There are two main providers in China - China Mobile and China Unicom.   China Unicom is the best provider for iPhone at the moment.

Once you have your Smartphone load APPs such as these:

QQ – social networking – its available to download in the UK

SKYPE –you need the English version – the Chinese version is monitored

We Chat (Weixin in China) – social networking - Twitter and Facebook are not available in China

Your local taxi App – ask the Chinese teachers

Trip advisor

Bravolol – English - Chinese Dictionary

Pleco – English - Chinese Dictionary

Waygo – Chinese menu reader

Air Quality – Chinese air quality app

Pinyin Chart – Chinese language

Money Changer

Tiny Scan – for scanning documents, passports etc into PDF

Booking.com – booking cheap hotels usually no deposit up front

Guardian - news

BBC - news

Spare Phone.

Buying a spare phone is important. I bought a Nokia brand new from Tesco for £9. I put a PAYG Sim in it.  This is my emergency phone in China.  Plus when I do online banking, my bank send me a text with a code number, I have to enter this code into the website to allow the transaction. So I need a phone with a UK number. Also if there are emergencies at home I can use this phone or SKYPE.

Kindle

I’m a reader so this is important for me. Finding English language books/novels is difficult.  Buying books and downloading onto my Kindle is simple. There are no issues. In fact I will probably upgrade my Kindle once I am back in the UK this summer.

Addendum

27 June 2015 -  Having purchased a tin of refried beans last week I realised that one thing you cannot get in China is a tin opener. I have looked everywhere (except IKEA) luckily I had my trusty Swiss Army penknife with a tin opener blade.

Happy Packing.