All posts by Ben Noon

TEFL teacher and proud president of ChinaTEFLer.com.

How money works in China

Preparation, Teaching English in China June 6, 2016 Ben Noon Leave a comment

All about that dollar…. *Yuan Currency The Chinese currency is the Ren Min Bi (lit. people’s currency). However people also refer to the currency as the Chinese Yuan. To complicate things further, in China, you will often hear the word ‘Kuai’, meaning ‘piece’ used to refer to money. Kuai is a colloquial expression used in the same way we say ‘quid’ in the U.K or ‘bucks’ in the U.S. The note denominations are 100, 50, 20, 10, 5 & 1 RMB notes. There are also 1 RMB coins along with 5 mao and 1 mao coins. 10 mao makes 1…

5 Mistakes You will probably make during your first day teaching in China

Preparation, Teaching English in China June 5, 2016 Ben Noon Leave a comment

China is a challenge and the first time you find yourself standing at the front of a classroom filled with bright eyed Chinese students is a definite character builder. As new teachers it takes a little time and practice to refine our teaching methods and many of us will make a number of common mistakes. Here’s a look at those mistakes along with suggestions for addressing them. Speak too fast As native speakers of English if we are not used to teaching english we tend to misjudge the speed at which we are projecting our words. Even a slow speed…

9 things you’re gonna feel hard during your first week in China

Inspiration, Preparation June 4, 2016 Ben Noon Leave a comment

Teaching in China takes you on long both real and emotional journey and the first week of China is commonly known as the most difficult part of the whole experience. Here are 9 things other teachers identified as being very real during their first week and why you will feel it. Anxiety Before landing in China you’re gonna be anxious to get started. You’re gonna feel eager to get stuck in and curious about all the new sights, sounds and smells that await you. Tiredness When you first arrive your body clock is going to be running behind and Jet-lag…

7 Cool things to do in China on your day off

Teaching English in China June 3, 2016 Ben Noon Leave a comment

With so many new things to see and do in China there are no excuses for feeling bored. Here are seven ideas to get you started. Play badminton in the park Badminton is a popular past time in China and in he parks there are almost always numerous badminton courts marked out and waiting for your patronage. Many parks charge a modest entry fee for admission usually around 2 rmb (20 pence/ 30 cents) and once you are in the park playing badminton on the courts will be free. Badminton is great exercise and often you will make new friends…