Ningma Tamang's Report

After my first year at University, I decided to experience something completely out of my comfort zone and went to teach English at a summer school in China. This was organized by GOTOCO, a program which gives an opportunity to university students to teach in China during the summer holidays. I really wanted to push my abilities to the limit whilst involving myself in a completely different culture. With the money funded by Royal Holloway Travel grant I was able to accomplish my ambition of teaching overseas, which I am thoroughly grateful for! I would like to thank the Academic Awards Group, Santander Bank and the Royal Holloway Travel Grant Committee for allowing me to complete this volunteering trip.

My trip consisted of firstly flying to Hong Kong, where I met up with a few other volunteer teachers before taking a bus to Dongguan, in South China. We arrived in Dongguan during the late afternoon, so we spent the day getting to know the other volunteer teachers and getting used to the school. We were given a training session the next day, where we were also given our main teaching class. I was assigned with a main teaching class of Grade 2, who I would have a lesson with for at three lessons every day. Classes were held from 8:50am to 4:00pm every day, with five lessons and regular breaks.

The teaching experience wasn't easy; it was very challenging as the ability of the children varied in each class and occasionally it was difficult to maintain the attention of 30 children. However, I was able to overcome this challenge with the help of a native Chinese teacher that was available for assistance in each class. They assisted in translating certain words which students found difficult to understand, as well as helping to maintain class order in certain situations.

I taught using many different methods, such as by engaging the kids with different activities such as singing, dancing and sports. Most of my lessons were interactive and required students to either work in pairs or to contribute to the class, as younger children preferred this to simple worksheets. The students had great fun during the lessons while also being productive at the same time. The afternoons often consisted of fun activities that we would organize with school and host such as fashion shows where the kids made their own clothes to exhibit with the use of recycled waste, and shopping activities at the supermarket to learn basic knowledge of everyday life.

We were given an apartment to stay in during the course of the volunteering programme, which I shared with three other volunteers. We were also provided with three daily meals: breakfast, lunch and dinner. Generally, there was a wide range of food such as vegetables, a chicken dish and a pork dish. We were also given a western option at many times, such as fried chicken or chips if some people preferred western food. The kitchen staff were also very friendly and all of us became very good friends by the end of the trip.

After finishing the teaching programme, I was able to study for a Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) certificate, which was funded by the volunteering organisation, GOTOCO. The course involved a lot of reading and completing questions based on the text and personal teaching experience. This was a good way to build our knowledge on how to teach, as well as allowing us to gain a well known qualification!

As a whole, the volunteering experience was extremely enjoyable and also very rewarding. One of the greatest achievement from this trip was being able to help the students to develop their English language skills. It also gave me the opportunity to make new friends and also to experience different lifestyle in a different culture. I would love to visit China again in the future due to the beautiful culture and places there are to visit there!