As anyone who reads this site regularly knows, I spent 5 years living and teaching in China. This book is my attempt to capture what a lot of the teaching was like. I go over all the training centers I’ve worked for, the CTLC program, EF China English First, Kindergartens, and Tutoring.
I focus on what it’s like living in China and what you can expect when you get there. I also talk a lot about how you teach English in China. Teaching English in China isn’t like what you were taught back in university. In fact, teaching ESL English is a whole different ball game. That’s why this book is a great thing for anyone heading over to China in the coming months.
The reason the book is called English Last is because that’s how I felt that English was prioritized by the time I left China. The attitude I saw employers take was really focused on money and not so much on how much the students were learning.
Too many times students are moved up into classes they can’t handle just because their parents threaten to stop paying if they’re not. Too many times I’ve seen students disrupt class so much that other students can’t learn. The reason for this: schools want the money, they don’t care if the student is bad behaviorally or can’t keep up with the lessons.
I hope some of my experiences teaching English in China can help you, and if you have had a similar time in China, you’ll probably like a lot of what this book has to say, and will be able to identify with it easily.
So if you’re in the Middle Kingdom already, are planning to, or just want to read about it, pick up your copy of English Last today!