Life in Beijing

Anthony Ryan lives in Beijing, where he works as an EFL teacher at Aihua English Academy. Here he gives a brief insight into what it's like living and working in one of the world's biggest cities.

When I first came to Beijing, I expected to find a city packed with people and choking on the pollutant fumes of its own success; in fact when I think of it like this I wonder why I came at all. However coming here has opened my eyes to the wonders of Chinese culture and the joys of Mega city living. Yes, there is smog (although it’s not nearly as bad as you think), it is crowded and the incessant beeping of car horns could push you over the edge if you were having a particularly bad day; but, the city is charming, it worms its way into a place in your heart and it never leaves.

Anthony (back right), with fellow Aihua teachers

Beijing is the setting for a war between history and modernity, a city fixated on the goal of progress but anchored in the past. It has ultra-modern, Westernised areas such as Sanlitun and areas which would not look out of place 500 years ago. In the centre of the city there is a sprawling network of shanty houses called Hutongs which are the heart of Beijing’s character and charm, here one can wander for hours constantly discovering new places to eat and drink.

The people match this description also; it is not uncommon to encounter an elderly man or woman staring into the screen of a brand new IPhone or a young couple playing Mah-jong on the street. Perception is a dangerous thing here as what you perceive to be the truth is not often the case and city life moves along guided by subtle societal norms which only become apparent after living here for some time.

One example is the oft overcrowded but amazingly efficient subway system, from the outside looking in it is difficult to imagine how the Chinese can fit so many people onto their mass transit systems, but once you get used to it, you realise that everybody on the carriage needs to get somewhere and to do this in a timely manner they collectively sacrifice some of their personal space (something which is already at a premium in Beijing), this idea of collective sacrifice for the greater good is almost wiped out in the West but here in Beijing it’s second nature.

Day to day living in Beijing is like living in a pantomime where none of the actors know they are actors and the audience is uninterested anyway. Right next to a bastion of western culture like McDonald’s, it is likely you can find a farmer selling fruit or a vendor selling delicious street food.

It is a different world to back home, a city which runs on its own time and to its own unique beat. If you are the type of person who enjoys a challenge in life you will love Beijing, it is an amazing place with all the creature comforts of home, plus a few new ones to discover.

English classes at Aihua

To find out more about positions at Aihua then take a look their website and Facebook page.

Five Famous EFL Teachers

Many of you may be wondering where taking a TEFL course will lead you. Well for some people it might just be something short term, others will end up spending the rest of their career in teaching and a select few might just go on to become household names! You may be surprised to hear that a number of famous people have tried their hand at EFL teaching. Here we take a look at five people who have taught English overseas and gained fame or fortune for a variety of reasons.

1. Ranald MacDonald (1824-1894)

Not to be confused with the fast food clown, with whom he shares a spookily similar name, Ranald was a true pioneer and one of the very first EFL teachers. Ever since he was a boy he had the urge to travel and in true adventurer spirit he quit his job at a bank and set sail for Japan, despite knowing that any foreigner who set foot on Japanese soil faced imprisonment or execution. He came ashore on Rishiri Island where he was caught and eventually sent to Nagasaki to teach English to Samurai warriors. These men would go on to become diplomatic interpreters who would help cool East-West tensions and bring a halt to Japan's isolationist policy. Although he received little recognition during his lifetime, there is now a memorial to Ranald in his Oregon birthplace, as well as two in his adopted homeland of Japan.

2. Anna Leonowens (1831-1915)

When she accepted an offer from the King of Siam (now known as Thailand) to be governess to his children, Anna Leonowens probably had no idea that she was about to embark on a journey that would be committed to print, stage and screen. In 1859 her life had been thrown into turmoil when her husband Thomas died of a haemorrhage while working at a hotel in Penang, Malaysia. She sent her daughter back to England to be educated and travelled to Singapore with her son where she received an invitation to work in the royal household of Siam. King Mongut wanted Anna to give his many wives and children a Western education, although they frequently clashed over what should and shouldn't be taught . She spent more than five years in Siam which were immortalised in the novel Anna and the King of Siam and the hit Rodgers and Hammerstein musical The King and I, which was later turned into a Hollywood film starring Yul Brynner and Deborah Kerr.

3. Wilfred Owen (1893-1918)

Dulce et Decorum Est is a poem that you will often hear recited on Remembrance Day or in tribute to any fallen servicemen. It was written by poet Wilfred Owen in 1917 as a way of expressing his anger at the cruelty of war. Owen had seen the horrors of the battlefield first hand while serving on the Western Front during World War One. Before fighting broke out however, he had been working in Bordeaux as a tutor at the Berlitz School of Languages. Owen died in battle at the age of just 25 but his poems live on as a reminder of the sacrifice made by those who lost their life to war.

4. J.K. Rowling (1965-)

J.K. Rowling is one of the world's best-known authors. She is responsible for creating the Harry Potter series, which has sold more than 400 million books, spawned a series of hit films and turned Rowling into a multi-millionaire. Before she got the inspiration for the boy wizard however, she taught English in Portugal. Working in the city of Porto, she taught in the evenings while writing in the day. It was here that she met her husband, the Portuguese journalist Jorges Arantes, although they later divorced.

5. Ed Norton (1969-)

You will no doubt recognise the award-winning actor from his star turns in Fight Club, The Incredible Hulk and American History X. But what you may not know is that after graduating from Yale University he worked for his grandfather's company, Enterprise Community Partners, in Osaka, Japan. While there he appeared in an EFL textbook, Only in America, which was used by Nova English language school. He also gained one of his first acting credits by appearing in the company's hilarious instructional videos, an image from which can be seen below.