Achiever of the week: Emily Boitumelo Mogoai

This week’s feature is Emily Boitumelo Mogoai. Emily is from South Africa, Joburg. She holds a Bachelor of Commerce in Accounting from Wits University. Emily is an ESL Teacher at Frobrel International Kindergarten in Beijing city, China. She has been living and working in China for 2 years. Before moving to China Emily worked as a banker for one of South Africa’s digital banks and ran her cake business, Taste Lykke. Emily enjoys living in Beijing because it gives her the same fast paced life that she experienced in Joburg. When she's not working she likes going out to good places to eat, creating content for her Youtube channel and also baking/cooking.

Emily shares her TEFL experience, her preparation process, how she found her job, how she managed to settle in, pros and cons of being an expat in China, tips for adapting to a new country and future plans.

What were you doing before you moved to China?

I was working as a banker for one of South Africa’s digital banks and running my cake business Taste Lykke (formerly known and Nik Muffins).

What motivated you to teach English abroad? And why did you choose to move to China?

Teaching English abroad was never a part of my plan. The opportunity was presented to me and I found it interesting. I didn’t even know that something like this existed until I got an email from a recruiter offering me the job. I took the job because I wanted the experience. And honestly, the salary was too good for me to pass, so that’s why I moved to China.

How long are you planning to live and work abroad?

Initially it was gonna be just for 1 year, I’m in my second year now and already planning to stay for another year. I don’t have a specific number of years but for now, it’s gonna be for as long as it’s still good to me.

Moving abroad can be quite expensive, did you pay for all the costs yourself? How long did it take you to save for this big move?

I paid for all my moving expenses myself with the help of family and friends. It was a very stressful time because I didn’t have much time to save up for the move. I was offered the job in June and had to move in September. My family and friends were really supportive, they made sure that I had everything I needed.

Do you live in a bachelor apartment or shared your space? And do you pay for rent and the bills or are they covered by the school?

I live in a bachelor apartment and my school gives me a monthly housing allowance to cover my rent. I cover all the other bills (water and electricity) myself.

How much did you have to budget when you were moving to China for the first time and was it enough to sustain you until your payday arrived?

When I moved to China I had R10 000 (5 000RMB) in my South African bank account and 1 500RMB (R3 500) in cash. I had to use this money to get an apartment, new sim card, food and all the other essentials to move into the new apartment. The money was obviously not enough because just to get the apartment alone I needed almost R23 000 (11 000RMB). My agency was nice enough to loan some money so that I can get all the things I needed and still have some money left to sustain me until I got my first salary.

How does your day and week look like as an ESL Teacher in China?

• I work Monday to Friday from 08:00 till 17:00

• I wake up at 06:00 and leave my house at 07:00

• I take the subway for 20 minutes then take the bus for 5 minutes or the bike for 10 minutes

• I’m usually at school by at least 07:50

• I have 3 classes everyday (1 hr each) 2 in the morning and 1 in the afternoon. I use the time when I’m not teaching to do my lesson plans and finding resources for my next classes.

• We have a 2hr lunch break from 12:00 till 14:00

Where did you apply for your TEFL job?

• I did my TELF with Teach TEFL Academy through a deal that I bought on Daddy’s Deals for R500 https://daddysdeals.co.za/deals/johannesburg-cape-town-durban-pretoria-port-elizabeth/vouchers/trade-your-8-5-desk-job-adventure-overseas-teaching-english

• The agency that recruited me is called Pioneer and Beyond www.pioneerbeyond.com and their service is free. They were really good to me, they helped me through out the process with regular check ins even after I moved to China and started working.

What do you do to avoid job scams in China and what makes a contract good and satisfactory for you?

I’ve been with the same agency since I’ve been in China. I haven’t had a reason to leave them cause they’ve been good to me, so I don’t have experience with other agencies and recruiters. I’ve had people who’ve offered me jobs but the conversation never goes anywhere because I wasn’t interested.

A good contract for me includes over and above the salary, paid holidays, medical insurance, housing allowance/ free housing, contract completion bonus and flight allowance.

How many cities have you visited in China so far? What did you like or dislike about them?

I’m not much of a traveller so I haven’t really been anywhere. I live in Beijing but I’ve recently been to Shanghai. My trip to Shanghai was a very short one so I didn’t experience much of the city. The one thing I like though about Shanghai is their variety of restaurants. The one thing I always look for is a good place to go to and eat. Beijing is a great city to live in, as a Joburg girl it gives me the same fast paced life that I experienced in Joburg. It’s classic city living, everyone is here to work and live their best lives. I love it.

What do you wish you knew before moving to China?

I went into my moving to China quite blindly and this for me made the experience even better. I had no expectations because I didn’t know what to expect. I guess sometimes not knowing is a gift.

You have been using your Youtube channel to share helpful tips to people interested to move to China. What is your YouTube channel’s name and where can people follow you on social media?

• Emily Boitumelo on Youtube

• @emilyboitumelo_ on instagram

Which APPs have been valuable to you when navigating life in China?

• Apple Maps for navigations ( works for wonders for public transport navigation).

• Apple Translate for translation ( A translation App is very important in China).

• JD and Taobao for Shopping ( this is where all my money goes lol).

• Dining City Asia for finding my fine dining experiences.

• WeChat. Everything in China happens on WeChat.

• Meituan for food delivery.

How do you overcome homesickness and loneliness?

• One thing I do the most is cry. Crying is my therapy.

• I try to keep in contact as much as I can with my friends and family back home. This helps a lot.

• I also try to make food that remind me of home.

What would you recommend as the best hacks for surviving in China as an expat?

• Being open minded and not taking most things personally. There’s some weird things that will happen to you and around you, especially if you’re black. I personally just ignore them and move on. Develop some thick skin.

• Learning Chinese is definitely beneficial, it makes navigating everyday life a bit easier. My first year in China I spent most days in my apartment because I was avoiding human interaction at all costs, I didn’t understand any Chinese beyond “Ni hao” so I never wanted to go anywhere to avoid being spoken to and not knowing what’s going on.

What are your future plans?

I find this question a bit difficult to answer because from past experiences I’ve learned that a lot things can happen between now and what we call the future and I as a person I’m changing throughout this whole process. As I change my plans change with me so I’ve kind of stopped planning and just take life as it comes and make adjustments as I go.