Need advice
nfrench2008
January 01, 2009, 12:45 AM posted in General DiscussionHello (ni hao!) I want to teach English in China starting Sept. 2009, but I only know a couple of words in Chinese (maybe 75 words with which I can make some sentences). Could anyone give me insight into whether or not this is going to work out for me? Will I be able to work and also learn Chinese?I am taking a class this spring in Chinese at my University and I am using Chinesepod of course. Thanks
pretzellogic
January 15, 2009, 03:22 PMMy wife took 2 yrs of University level Chinese, and was still having a tough time for the first 6 months she was in China trying to speak Mandarin to the locals. But I also know a guy that left for China about 2 years ago, and he only had time for an online Mandarin course before he left to teach English in a Lanzhou university.
Based on their experiences, you can definitely make do with the mandarin you are learning. Just be aware that you won't be as fluent as you'd like to be before you get there. But before you head to China this september, make sure that you're putting multiple hours per day into practicing Mandarin. Speak mandarin with as many mandarin speakers as you can, and learn as many new words as you can, and make them a part of your working mandarin vocabulary. IMHO, The really hard part isn't learning the words, it's learning to listen to the natives speak it at normal speed, and that's really tough.
qingdaodragon
October 30, 2009, 05:50 AMQuoting:
IMHO, The really hard part isn't learning the words, it's learning to listen to the natives speak it at normal speed, and that's really tough.
I can not agree more!!!
lovveu
January 15, 2009, 06:57 AMHi welcome to china. You can learn chinese much faster in china than in other country. I know some school send a chinese teacher who knows English to help foreign teacher to work. so you don't need to worry about it at all.