As always these notes are based on my own experience of China and should not be taken as an official statement of Buckland's position.
Not Getting Into Trouble
Mostly staying out of trouble is just a
matter of using some common sense, but in this document, just to be
sure, I'll mention a few things that could potentially lead to
difficulties. If it all seems a bit obvious, that's good because it
means that you already have the right idea. You would be surprised at
how often people come with the wrong idea.
Visitors on Campus
Your apartment may be on campus. This
is quite common and it has some advantages and some disadvantages.
One of the disadvantages is a lack of privacy. If you have come to
China as a couple then you will be sharing an apartment but should
still be aware that students are always about -
behave accordingly. It's very different if you are here alone.
You may well form a relationship while you are here. It happens. You
must be discrete. Remember that visitors to apartments on campus,
even just having a friend over for coffee, ought to be cleared with
the school first. As with any country, schools don't like strangers
wandering about. Having someone stay overnight may not be allowed at
all so check out with other teachers what the rules are and follow
them. Just remember that it's all about the safety and the security
of the students. The plus side is that it also gives you safety and
security.
PDA
Some places, like Yangshuo, are a
little more relaxed and western than others because of the number of
foreigners but away from those places, in cities with fewer visitors,
you may well notice that public displays of affection are rarely
seen. This is cultural and should be respected and copied. Hugging
and kissing, even holding hands, isn't commonly seen. It isn't likely
that anyone will actually say anything but it might get people
looking at you.
Inappropriate Dress
How you dress in the classroom is quite
important. The simplest advice is to start out in your most formal
clothes for the first week and look at how the other teachers there
dress. From the second week you can adopt the same dress style that
they do. Remember that it's easy to go to a less formal dress code
from a more formal one but hard the other way. If you go in to school
in jeans and a T-shirt in the first week but find that every other
teacher is in a suit, then you have already made a bad impression
that will be difficult to recover.
Generally schools expect you to dress
smartly and professionally. You don't usually need to be very formal
but proper trousers and a good shirt give a good impression.
It is possible, though not likely, that
some schools will have specific dress codes or even ask teachers to
wear a provided uniform. (I have only once come across this.) There
isn't a lot you can do about this except follow their regulations.
They may be prepared to make an exception for you, but they may not.
Drunkenness or Drugs
These are two very big issues that will
cause problems. No one will mind you going out and
having a drink outside school hours. China has a very social culture
and you will probably be invited to eat and drink with other
teachers. You will also want to go out with your friends. However,
it's important to never turn up drunk or hung-over to class. This
should be obvious but when you are out of your own culture it's easy
to get caught up in the moment and drink too much. Most of us have
done it. Just be careful when you have school tomorrow.
As for drugs, all I can say is “don't.”
At best it would get you into trouble with the school and depending
on the situation it could get you thrown out of China or even into
jail. The Chinese authorities have very strict laws about drugs.
Smoking
It's less of a problem now than it once
was but there is something of a double standard when it comes to
smoking in public. As with the PDAs, you shouldn't judge by what you
see in Yangshuo because it isn't typical. Typically, elsewhere, you
will see that men smoke at anytime and anywhere but you won't often
see women smoking in public. Nowadays, among younger adults, in bars or coffee shops, you
will see it but in public buildings or in the street, it is rare. It
won't cause any problems but it is against the social norm. Smoking
is allowed in most places and I sometimes see male teachers smoking
in school offices but I have literally never seen a woman teacher
smoking at school.
Lateness
The school expects you to be in class
before the start of each lesson. If you live on campus this isn't a
problem as the time from your apartment to the classroom is a couple
of minutes. However one of the disadvantages of living off campus is
that you could be quite a distance from the school. I was a forty
minute bus ride from one of my schools. You are still expected to be
on time. Clearly there might be something unexpected that delays you
and you should inform the school by phone if that happens but if you
are regularly late, even by a couple of minutes, then you will get in
trouble.
Inappropriate classroom behaviour
China doesn't have the strict
regulations that England or America have regarding teacher student
interactions. (Remember in England a teacher cannot give a student a
pat on the back for work well done or even be alone in a classroom
with a student. Touching a student in any way at all is only allowed
in order to prevent immediate physical danger – for example if he
is about to fall from a window. America has, I believe, similar
laws.) It's not as strict here but it's better to act as if it were.
It's hard to pin down exactly what kind
of classroom behaviour is inappropriate. As a general rule of thumb
work on the principle that if it would get you in trouble at home, it
could get you in trouble here, and always try to behave as
professionally as you can.
Lack of Preparation
The school can ask to see your lesson
plans. If your lessons are going well and everything is fine they
probably won't but if you are struggling or they feel your classes
are not up to standard, they might. If you can't show them a lesson
plan they will, possibly rightly, assume that it's because you didn't
make one. If you have been a teacher before, or have been working
here for some time, you may well be able to walk into a classroom
with your plan just in your head and teach a great lesson. I have a
number of lessons that I have taught so often I could do them without
a moment's thought before the lesson begins. I still print them out
and take them to school with me. There is always the chance that
someone will want to see them.
Also keep them filed. They might ask to see the ones for lessons that have already been done. Again they probably won't but they might.
Unless you do already have a lot of experience,
don't try to teach without preparing. There will be more about how to
prepare and the documents you need during orientation but at the
absolute minimum you should write out a running order for your lesson
and details of any tasks or activities that you want to use.
Bad Language or Rudeness
We all have bad days but in China, even
more than at home, it's important to maintain your politeness when
dealing with others, no matter how frustrating you find it. Losing
your temper and swearing or being rude, even shouting or just raising
your voice, causes a loss of face both for you and for the person you
are dealing with. You may feel that your voice isn't being heard,
that no one is understanding your point. It may even be true. There
are often cross-cultural misunderstandings. However, you need to just
keep on trying to explain your point of view calmly.
As I said at the start, most of this
should be obvious and it can all be summed up as being professional
in your attitude and behaviour. We have a saying in England for
telling someone things they already know. We say (and I have no idea
why) that it is “teaching your grandmother to suck eggs”.
Apologies if this has sounded like that, but all these things do
occasionally bear repeating.