:quality(90)/f/86150/750x425/2dd4e53c9c/day-in-the-life-of-ef-teacher_.jpg)
:quality(90)/f/86150/483x483/467ce292e6/lexi-ward.jpg)
Cassandra Welch, a Kids & Teens teacher in Shanghai, China gave us a glimpse into her life and what's it's like to live and work in China.
If you are looking to start a new adventure, then watch the video below to learn more about working abroad. Cassandra will lead you on a day in her life and you can gain some insight into what it's like to teach in China. Make sure you subscribe to the EF's YouTube channel so that you can stay up to date with any changes, as well as learn more about living and working in China.
Breakfast Time
It's 11:30am and Cassandra is dressed, packed, and ready to go for the day. She walks out of her apartment complex, and down the road to get some breakfast buns. There's a lady on the side of the street selling baozi (or steamed buns). These buns will be filled with food like bean paste, veggies, meat, or custard. Typically, they will cost around 1.5-2.0 RMB each (that's about 25 cents!)
Commute to Work
It's about a 10-minute walk to the nearest metro station from Cassandra's apartment. Walking through the streets of Shanghai, it's not too crowded at this time of the day and the area that Cassandra's in. When she gets to the metro, it's full of life and hustle and bustle. We highly suggest buying a metro card, which only costs about 20 RMB (nearly 3 USD) and you can top it up every time your metro card balance gets low. An average train ride costs about 4 RMB (57 cents), which makes it the fastest and cheapest way to get around the city.
After her 50-minute metro ride, she finds a MoBike outside of the station to ride to work. In order to unlock the bike, Cassandra uses her iPhone to scan the QR code through the MoBike App, pays 0.5 RMB (7 cents) for the shared bike, and off she goes!
EF School Tour
It's about 2:15pm now, and Cassandra has changed into her Kids & Teens uniform. EF provides the navy blue short-sleeved polo shirts for the summer and the nave blue long-sleeved rugby shirts for the winter. Cassandra shows us around the school, where we follow her down the long corridors filled with brightly colored rooms with fun-sized tables and chairs. There's roughly 14 classrooms, each equipped with a Smart Board that completely touch-responsive so the teacher (and students) can use it to illustrate their ideas.
We pass by the front desk where the course consultants sit and greet the kids and parents, an iPad corner, and the demo and teachers' rooms filled with international and local teachers. In this particular center, there's a mix of 24 teachers that have their own computers and desk space.
Class Time
It's 4:45pm and Cassandra is about to start her first class. She brings a tool box filled with art supplies, stickers, and other necessities for the lesson to the classroom. For the next few hours, Cassandra will have 2 or 3 one-hour classes to teach. At 8:15pm, Cassandra has finished all her classes for the day. She heads out the door to meet with friends for dinner in Shanghai.
