Achiever of the week: Zimaseka Msindwana

This week’s feature is Zimaseka Msindwana. Zimaseka is from South Africa. She holds a B.com degree in Supply Chain Management from the University of Pretoria. Zimaseka is an ESL Teacher at Kid Castle in Xi'an city. She has been living and working in China for 2 years. Zimseka was working in Johannesburg South Africa in procurement and logistics functions before moving abroad.

Working in China was an opportunity for Zimaseka to work on her career goals as she planned to pursue a different career. Zimaseka's favourite benefit from her job is teaching young learners because she enjoys teaching this age group. When she is not teaching she enjoys exploring her city, traveling to other cities, reading books, dancing, working out and going out with her friends. So far she has travelled to Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya (x2), Guilin and Zhangjiejie. Zimaseka's favourite City is Sanya. Sanya reminds her a lot about her home as she grew up on the coast.

Zimaseka 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, her travel experiences and tips for people who plan to change careers.

Where were you working before moving to China?

I was working in Johannesburg South Africa in procurement and logistics functions.

What made you decide to work abroad and why did you choose to work in China?

Working in China came to me as an opportunity to work on my next step. More like a career gap to pursue another industry. China happened to be the country I had a lot of knowledge about and presented a lot of advantages as the route to my goals. I knew people who had worked in China or were in China at the moment I made my decision. Everything happened extremely fast so I didn’t really give myself a chance to explore other countries.

Did you move to China alone or with friends/family? And what were the challenges or advantages of moving alone/ with company?

I moved alone. I can’t say there was a major challenge that stuck out for me when I was making the move. The biggest challenge over time is missing your loved ones back home which is a challenge for most expats in any country. But I can imagine it being a little more comfortable coming into a totally new unfamiliar environment with family/friends.

How long did it take you to adjust to the new environment when you first moved to China?

Wow. I can’t even quantify it because I adapt very quickly to new environments. I had also been filled in by people who were in China already. I have to say though there were a few surprises here and there. You can never be fully prepared for culture shock. I was also exposed to amazing people who helped make my transition smooth.

Was it always your dream/goal to move abroad?

Yes, with the major I studied I knew there were endless opportunities abroad. Working for a global company and being exposed to working with people from different countries also made me more confident that it’s something that will happen early in my career.

What do you like and dislike about teaching English in China?

I like the fact that there are many different teaching environments to choose from. The opportunities to teach English are in abundance, so I’ve found that I am able to decide without a lot of pressure which environment will best suit my needs and wants. What I dislike is the lack of HR department structure. The function is very different to what I’m used to. It is not as defined therefore most of the time you don’t really know who to speak to about certain matters that require that level of attention.

Where do you apply for jobs?

Before coming to China I only applied on EF’s website and got the job. So I never explored other platforms. Here in China I used multiple agents as well as being referred by friends.

Do you have an assistant teacher helping you during your lessons?

Yes there are other teachers in the classroom (the homeroom teachers). Having experienced not having an assistant teacher before I would say the advantages are: There’s someone to help watch the rest of the class while you are paying attention to individual students’ production. If there are problems during the class the other teachers take care of it e.g a sick student. Currently I have big classes of 30+ young learners, so it’s not easy to keep an eye on everything at all times and that’s where having other teachers in class comes with a big advantage. Also the teaching time is very short so if I had to deal with every possible occurrence it would reduce learning significantly.

How many classes do you teach in a day and how long is each lesson?

I teach 8 classes a day. Each lesson is 20 minutes long.

What are your favourite benefits from your job?

My favourite benefit is the teaching materials. The curriculum is there for you to follow. You just need to use what you get, add your own style and creativity; and effectively transfer the information to your students. I love teaching young learners therefore only teaching that age group at the moment is a benefit for me.

Do you speak Chinese? And is it possible to survive in China if you are not fluent in Mandarin?

No I do not speak Chinese but I am currently learning. Yes you can survive in China without being fluent in Chinese. However I would highly recommend learning as it will make life more convenient. In my experience, it’s a hard language to learn but once you get into the momentum you start enjoying the learning process.

How many cities have you travelled to in China (please name them)? Which one is your favourite? And why?

Beijing, Shanghai, Sanya x2, Guilin, Zhangjiejie. My favourite City is Sanya. Sanya reminds me a lot about home as I grew up on the coast. It feels like home away from home. For me it’s a beautiful escape from the hustle and bustle of the city. When I am there I’m in complete relaxation mode while enjoying the beach/water activities the city has to offer. Sanya is also full of friendly people.

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?

Yes I paid for all the costs. I did not need to save up for the big move. I was working so I simply used money from my salary to do everything.

What are the advantages and disadvantages about living and working in China?

The advantages are public transport is easily accessible and cheap, the environment is quite safe and a lot of services are available until late in the night. Of coarse there are more advantages. The disadvantages is the language barrier and the fact that foreign brands are more expensive or not so easily accessible.

I explore my city, travel, read, dance, workout and go out with my friends for fun. I don’t eat spicy food so it’s been difficult for me to put so much effort into trying the local food. I do enjoy green noodles from one of the Chinese restaurants I went to frequently. I can’t think of another dish that stands out for me.

What advice would you give to someone who is confused about making a decision to leave the corporate and teach English abroad?

I can’t really speak for everyone’s situation, as I was actually happy in corporate. I didn’t hate it but I also knew I wanted something else more. That’s when I decided to take the leap and be on the path to pursue what I want. I guess I could say know your why, do your research, speak to people who are already there, be prepared and trust yourself. Trusting myself was very important because many didn’t understand my sudden decision and I was in a good position career wise.