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TEACH TEACH VISUALLY IMPAIRED CHILDREN IN BEIJING, CHINA
Teach visually
impaired children in a special needs comprehensive school that is
located in Beijing, near a beautiful river. Your role will be to improve the
students' oral English and pronunciation. China is
a real delight... work with children who really want to learn and
perhaps you'll learn something from them in return.
Living and working
as part of a school means
you will really become a
part of the local community.
"I had a lot of fun teaching and found it really
rewarding:
one of the best things that I have ever decided to do."
Lina Joshi on her teaching placement in China
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►SUMMARY
FACTFILE |
| Start Dates |
All year round, subject to school
holidays. You choose your start and finish dates. |
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Duration |
From 2 weeks up to 12 months+, subject to visa
requirements |
| Requirements |
You should have a TEFL
qualification** or an education related qualification.
No knowledge of Mandarin is necessary, but a little basic Mandarin will
make your placement much more enjoyable. You should have a lot of
patience and empathy.
**
We can help you get the necessary TEFL qualification on our Weekend
or Distance Learning Courses. To find out more,
click here. |
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Price |
From
£895 / US $1,345 for 2 weeks ranging to
£2,245 / US $3,370 for
12 weeks.
Full Price List and other
Currencies |
| What's included |
►Accommodation
►Meeting
you at Beijing Airport
►Transfer to your accommodation
►Full
pre-departure support
►Local in-country team support and backup
►24-hr emergency
support
►2 free T-Shirts. |
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What's not included |
Flights, Insurance, Cost of Visas (if a
visa is required, but we'll provide necessary documents and assistance), Food, Return transfer to
airport. |
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Who can do this Project? |
All projects are
open to all nationalities.
Unless otherwise stated, you need to be aged between 17 and 70+ |
PROJECT OVERVIEW
In working with Chinese blind children the challenge
is not just to help them improve their oral English, but also to do so without
them feeling as though they are incapable of doing things for themselves. In
addition, you should treat them in exactly the same manner as you would a
Chinese child whose vision is not impaired. Your assistance as a native English
speaker is invaluable to the students as they get very little exposure to proper
English pronunciation. The improvements they make under your tutelage will give
them lots of confidence, which is so important to them.
There are currently 247 children in the school, most of whom come from families
and about 20 who come from orphanages. Your classes will usually have about 8 to
12 children. You may also be asked to help with adults who are visually impaired
and who come to the school for career training. The school has lots of advanced
equipment and facilities needed for teaching visually impaired students.
Teaching will all be oral and you'll be given text books to guide
your lesson plans which you'll prepare for each class. You'll usually be
supervised by a local English language teacher.
We provide you
with a Teaching Suggestions Booklet which has ideas for teaching English
and will help you in how to put together your lesson plans.
WHAT YOU'LL GAIN FROM DOING THIS PROJECT:
ABOUT THE SCHOOL
Beijing school for the Blind was founded in 1874
and is located near a beautiful river called the Kunyu River. It covers an
area of 4 hectares and the building area is 31,000 square meters .It is not
only the earliest special educational school in China but also the only
special educational school for the visually impaired in Beijing .It has now
developed into a comprehensive school for visually impaired students, which
includes kindergarten, special-needs classes, primary and secondary schools.
It also has a high school section (including senior high, intermediate
vocational school for acupuncture and massage and piano tuning vocational
high school), as well as a teachers’ training programme.
The school also undertakes the responsibility of guiding
those visually impaired children in normal schools, information counselling
and early intervention for visually impaired children aged 1 to 3. The
school campus is and beautiful and is equipped with modern facilities that
meet the needs of visually impaired students. As the school says, it is a
paradise both in living and studying for the visually impaired students.
Over the years, the school has highlighted the idea of "scientific
development" "people-oriented" and "multiple intelligences". The school art
troupe and sports teams have won many awards in international and domestic
competitions .It was one of the earliest schools to carry out research on of
computer-aided teaching, thus building a bridge for visually impaired
students to step into the information society by using modern technology.
The school vigorously strengthens ideological and political education and
encourages the students to study hard and use their knowledge to improve
their future. The students are trained to be eager for knowledge, sensible,
caring and strong, aiming to become optimistic and independent .
Nervous about teaching?
As one volunteer recalls, although
it is natural to be nervous initially, you will soon begin to find teaching
second nature: "The teaching was
brilliant, the students were so interested and really funny, and they were
always eager and attentive. I was very nervous but then after a few lessons it
was a piece of cake and the students helped me to relax,"
Weekends are free
and you'll also have spare time during the evenings to experience the many
festivals, holidays, cultural events, and not forgetting the unique Chinese
cuisine!.
GENERAL INFORMATION
ABOUT THE CHINESE EDUCATION SYSTEM
The Chinese education system has been
described by the Chinese themselves as a ‘rat race’. Students take frequent
exams, competing for limited places, and those who don’t measure up are not able
to continue their education. This difficult and competitive system results in
the students working extremely long hours (often from 5am to 9pm Monday to
Saturday! - don't worry, you don't to work all these hours too...) and the
students place great importance upon success in all areas.
In fact, they will frequently ask you for extra lessons ... and more extra
lessons ... and more extra lessons! It’s also very likely that you'll walk into
a class to a round of applause and a big grins all round, which is extremely
welcome when you’re a little nervous on your first day!
A great deal of the students’ time is
spent in very formal class situations, and so your classes, which focus on
Spoken English and can include games etc, will be a really welcome break. There
is a huge sense of fascination with Western culture.
There has been a
major drive by the government in recent years to improve the standard of English
around the country, as it is of absolutely immense importance for anyone who
wants to build a successful career for themselves. Because of this, your
presence will really be appreciated and you will most likely be thoroughly
spoilt by your school during your placement!
National Holidays in China
All projects will break for Chinese National Holidays. The main events
are:
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Chinese New Year - usually
sometime in late January or early February. All projects will break for
1 or 2 weeks for New Year
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May Holiday – usually the first
week of May. Most projects break for 3-7 days
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October Holiday – usually the
first week of October. Most projects break for 3-7 days
There are also a number of shorter holidays throughout the year where
some projects will be closed. You are very welcome to join a project
during holiday time, however you will not be able to work if your
project is closed.
Teaching Projects run all year round, including during the summer
holidays. However they will still close for the holidays mentioned above . |
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
OPTIONAL ADD-ONS
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