Teach English or STEM at Summer Camps or Homestay Across Asia

I had a really fun time on the program for many reasons. Teaching lots of enthusiastic kids helped me develop my leadership skills and gain confidence which has been helpful elsewhere in my professional life. I also really enjoyed getting to know the kids and having them teach me Chinese and dance routines amongst other things. Aside from this there were a lot of extracurricular activities including a waterfight, and it was a lot of fun getting to know the other teachers with whom I went on trips including to central Beijing and the Ming tombs.

I had a great time in Shanghai!

You have so much support whilst preparing for the camp including visas, flights, preparation for class resources (chemicals, experimental apparatus etc.) etc. The other teachers and camp leaders were very welcoming and accommodative. One of the best perks was that I got to a tour around Shanghai and got to go to Disneyland!

It also gives you great experience for your CV - whether or not that's for future teaching roles (such as temporary supply agency work as I'm now doing) or the transferable skills gained.

I also had the opportunity to travel around some cities in China for a few weeks afterwards which allowed me to try a whole host of new foods, learn some Mandarin and meet some great people! As my flights to Asia had already been paid for, this meant that any onwards travel was significantly cheaper.

Would highly recommend to anyone!

I met some lifelong friends on this trip and learnt more than I could possibly imagine. Teaching and staying with a family in China helped me to get to know the culture on a level I otherwise would not have, it is an incredible place and as a student of History and Politics, this trip has done wonders for my degree! In fact, I loved it so much that my entire final year studied have been geared towards Chinese history and politics. Some highlights: getting caught in a monsoon walking back from a restaurant, hiking through the mountains in Outer Mongolia, and eating so many dumplings I thought I might explode!

My time in Shanghai was incredible. The experience of running my own classroom and of trying to instill in students a curiosity about economic ideas was extremely rewarding. The trip also made traveling around Asia financially viable when it would have otherwise been impossible. I'm thrilled that I had the opportunity to build relationships with people on the other side of the planet, surround myself with a different culture, develop my ability to communicate intricate concepts using simple language, and all while being paid. I recommend every student consider it.

This program was an amazing way to immerse myself in Chinese culture, meet new people and experience teaching in a completely new environment. Even though the school was located a bit of a way outside the center of Beijing, transport links were good and there was plenty of time outside of teaching to explore the local area and the city. Besides this, there were numerous cultural activities organised for us, from calligraphy to tea ceremonies, and all the participants lived together in the school which meant there was always things going on with which to fill your time. After the program, I took the opportunity to travel down through China to Hong Kong with a group of other participants which was an amazing way to see more of the country - would highly recommend!

We were based in a school just outside Huzhou. I wasn't entirely sure what I had signed up for as sometimes the guidance from the host school (not from Abridge) was a little unclear, but we learnt to work with it. On arrival we of course found out more and everyone was very welcoming!

It was cool to be in a 'less mainstream' area as I got to see some parts of China that many tourists may not see. Our lessons were flexible and so I ended up using a STEM theme for many of my lessons in the summer camp. The other activities were good fun and with the other 'foreign teachers' we were able to experience a great variety of food, local sights and cultural activities (including karaoke). After the camp I spent a week in the Beijing area before getting a train (so fast!) back to Shanghai to fly back.

Katie from Abridge Educamp was super helpful in organising things before summer and has made a conscious effort to keep in touch with us after - thanks Katie!

One thing I would say - water fights are a great ice breaker, regardless of age, language etc :)

I had the most incredible time on a 6 week homestay in Hangzhou. I was very nervous before going, but I was very warmly welcomed by my generous host family, and it was a huge boost to my Chinese language skills and confidence. As my first time going to China, it was also fascinating to discover such a different culture. The organisers of my trip were so fun and friendly, committed to me having a good time, and I always felt safe. I particularly loved the free language lessons. I would recommend this trip to anybody who loves adventure and is drawn by Chinese culture.

Honestly I had such an amazing time doing the homestay programme with during the summer of 2019. My summer spent in Shenzhen resulted in a lot of personal growth because I was placed in an unfamiliar environment but I still had a lot of support both in China and in the U.K. (From Katie - the creator of the program) which allowed me to really flourish.

Communication with Abridge Academy
The communication was seamless. Katie was super fast at replying and was always willing to give me advice and ideas on how to overcome any obstacles I might have been facing. For example, the 11 year old I was looking after, like the majority of kids his age, wouldn’t always want to study. I had expressed this to Katie and she was very quick to suggest some ideas for me to try out, and checked in with me a week later to see how things were going.

Host Family
The host family was amazingly generous and were really understanding of cultural differences. They were always excited to include me in all their activities and truly wanted me to have an amazing time in China. What I liked was that my family was very transparent. Like every family, no one is perfect all the time you have some good days and not so good days (the former more often than not) but I appreciated that they weren’t being fake. I truly felt like they treated me like I was a member of their family not just because of how kind they were to me but because they were authentically themselves but still tried to make sure I comfortable.

QiXing Au pair
Abridge Academy connected me with QiXing Au Pair so they were my liaisons whist I was in Shenzhen and where I went to do my chinese lessons and with whom I went on monthly cultural outings. The staff were all very friendly to me and are available pretty much 24/7 if you need to chat or ask a question. They were super vital in helping iron out any misunderstandings between Aupairs and their host families because they understood the cultural stand points of both. It’s been a year since I was in Shenzhen and I’m still in communication with some of the staff members because they were genuinely friendly people.

MAJOR POINT TO REMEMBER:
This isn’t a holiday, don’t get me wrong, I got to do lotssssssss of things thanks to the generosity of my host family and through QiXing Aupair. But it was also hard work because I wasn’t used to entertaining a child all day. But honestly you just have to be patient with the child and ask them to be patient with you too. Every child is different and like adults they have many layers to their personality which are influenced by what they been exposed to so far in life. Having the patience to try to learn and understand your child/children’s layers is a MAJOR KEY. This experience had challenging moments but honestly it was one of the greatest times for me.