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Teaching English in China | How Summer Camp is an Indirect but Great Way to Do This

Ever thought about being a teacher? Working at a summer camp in China is a great way to practise your teaching skills and combine your love of travel and working with children.

Author: Abi Buller
04 Dec 12:09

Unlike most traditional camps in the USA or Canada, summer camps in China come with the added challenge of dealing with language barriers. While this can seem initially overwhelming, it’s an extremely rewarding addition to being a summer camp counselor, whether you’re hoping to be a future teacher or not.

Teaching English in China is also a really fun way of exchanging language knowledge. And you might even pick up some Chinese phrases along the way! The good thing is that being at summer camp is all about making sure the children are enjoying themselves. Much less formal than a school setting, there’s no such thing as homework and you don’t really have to worry about leading overly structured lessons. Offering English language advice is something that will come really naturally as part of everyday camp life. Whether you’re a pro at football or you’re a passionate painter, teaching English in China is all part of the process.

An important yet informal part of camp, Chinese children who come to international summer camps will likely already be familiar with some basic words and phrases in English, or at least be keen to learn some more.

The best camp counsellors will also inspire Chinese children to practise their English, since they’ll look up to you as someone they admire.

International summer camps in China really encourage as much English to be spoken as possible, so while it’s always helpful to learn some Chinese phrases, don’t fret about trying to become a fluent speaker!

You’ll be able to lead all activities in English, as well as have daily conversations with your Chinese co-counsellors and campers.

Both in activities and during cabin time, you’ll find that your interactions with Chinese children and staff often leads into comparing each others native language. Perhaps without even realising, you’ll find yourself answering to many curious minds who ask, ‘what’s the word for…. in English?’. Also during spare moments and evening reflection, you could make a point of testing children on certain words and making sure to explain the meanings to them.

While some of these language-based conversations will happen without planning, if you’re keen to specifically gain experience of teaching English in China, you could also bring your own games and suggestions of language activities to really fuel your passion.

Happy teaching!

Abi Buller
Abi Buller is a freelance writer with a love for adventure and trying new things. Having worked as a camp counsellor in both China and America, Abi enjoys sharing travel tips and summer camp memories with the hope of inspiring others to explore as much as possible!

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