Living in Haida

To share interesting daily life

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Before Haida’s new foreign teacher Sharon shared her traveling experience to Haida. Recently Haida interviewed her again to know here feelings after working here. 

Q1:Why did you decide to come to China? What attracts you here?

S: I wanted to come to China because it was a very different environment from what I was used to in the UK and there seemed be to a lot of interesting places that are very different. Also the language really interested me.

Q2:Before you came to China, did you know anything about the epidemic prevention and control policies of China?

S: Before coming to China I wasn’t fully aware of the epidemic prevention and control policies. It was very different to what I had seen in the UK but the agent I was working with helped me understand the different policies that had been put in place to slow and stop the spread of corona virus.

Q3:Did you meet any difficulties and what kind of help did Haida offer you after you arrived in China or during the quarantine?

S: There were only a few difficulties that I faced during my preparation and travel to China. Mainly, getting all the QR Codes needed to be able to travel around but again the agent at Haida was able to easily help sort this out. Also, during the quarantine period if I didn’t understand something the agent was able to help me communicate with the quarantine staff.

Q4:After you finished the quarantine, what kind of procedures did you go through before you were sent to your school?

S: After the quarantine, I had already been accepted to a school as I had done my short trail lesson online before arriving in China. I think that as the restrictions ease I think most teachers will be doing these face to face at the schools. Also, the main procedures that I had to go through were getting registered to the police of my area and getting my residents permit. These were not difficult as the Haida agents were all there to help in each process.

Q5:How do you feel now since you have already worked in your school for several weeks?

S: I think after spending the last month teaching at the school I’ve easily become accustomed to it all; this has been due to the school teachers helping me and also providing me with feedback on improvements but also giving me the time to improve. It has been only a little difficult because again it is a whole new experience.

Q6:Do you have any unforgettable experience want to share with us?

S: I think the one experience that I will not forget is when I first entered the classroom and was teaching them about tongue twisters and the children were all excited to try something that was intimidating to them and they were enjoying the lesson it made the preparation worth it all.

It's first time for Sharon to be in china, but she adapted quickly. Haida believes that her work and life in Hangzhou will be more and more smooth. May she have a wonderful experience here that she will never forget.

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Today we will share the final part of Haida’s foreign teacher, Tony’s traveling experience to China. 

Quarantine: 

Once arrived at the hotel, they will slowly assign people to their rooms. This will take a while. Unfortunately, all information is given in Chinese. I did feel a little lost, but after contacting Haida, they helped with all the necessary arrangements as making sure there was a room and that food was taken care off.While in quarantine, you will have to take and upload your temperature in the morning and in the afternoon. The hotel will provide a thermometer. Apart from the temperature, hotel staff will come by once a day/every 48h for a throat swab for COVID-testing. There is a breakfast delivered every morning between 08:00 and 08:30. This usually consists of 1 boiled egg, porridge, breads, some vegetables and either peanuts or corn. The lunch is delivered around 12:00 and the dinner will be delivered around 17:30. This will contain soup, a cup of white rice and different Chinese dishes (vegetables and meats/fish). It’s very comparable to the food that is served at schools during lunch time. You can leave thrash outside of your door and this will be picked up every morning. After the mandatory quarantine (7-days), there is still 3 days of home monitoring to do. For us this means that we have to stay in a different hotel for the home monitoring phase. The hotel will call you the day before at which time you can check-out. While checking out, the hotel will provide you with a release letter, this one is important, so make sure you pick it up. From here it was also possible to start collecting your regular health-codes through AliPay. The hotel will arrange transportation from one location to the other for all that need to do the home-monitoring. Here, once again Haida helped me out perfectly with the room and food arrangements. Same things apply. Food will be delivered at comparable times, temperature and covid checks will be done. After those 10 days, your health-code will be changed to Green and you should be free to do as you please. A huge thanks to Haida for their extended support, quickness and information during the whole quarantine period! They were always prepared to handle my questions and arranging things with the hotels when there were doubts/issues. I appreciate it a ton!

The quarantine policy in China is less strict now. Haida will help more and more foreign teachers enter China to work. If you are interested in teaching positions in China, feel free to contact Haida.

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Today we will share the second part of Haida’s foreign teacher, Tony’s entering experience to China here.

On arrival: 

The whole arrival process is pretty smooth. Leaving the airplane takes a little bit of time, since they empty the plane in batches. At the first checkpoint, the previously mentioned QR-code #2 will be scanned. As said before, there were some issues with my code, but the personnel helped me correct this on the spot. They will hand you a small sticker that you will have to take with you. The second checkpoint is a COVID-test. You will need to hand over the sticker you just received, this contains your personal information, so they know its your test. After the swabbing they will stamp the form that you filled in in the airplane, which needed to be handed over to the booth after the test-station. Checkpoint three; at this checkpoint they will scan previously mentioned QR-code #3. This is linked to a Covid Prevention badge, that you will need during the quarantine process. Checkpoint four is customs. Nothing out of the ordinary here. Pick up a small form and fill it out with standard information (contact information, address info, name, flight information, etc.) Checkpoint five, the last checkpoint at the airport. They will scan the badge you received earlier and assign you to a hotel. The airport provides bus transportation from the airport to the hotel, this happens in batches.

We will share the final part next week, which Tony shared the quarantine experience after his arrival. Haida will interview another foreign teacher who just arrived in Hangzhou later. And will share the information here, too. Feel free to contact Haida if you are interested in the teaching positions in China and have difficulty in entering China. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Last week, we shared experience of one foreign teacher’s travelling to China.  This week, we’d like to share another Haida foreign teacher’s experience. His name is Tony,  He traveled from Holland. You can read the first part below. 

Dear fellow travellers, Over the last few weeks I have prepared for and gone through the current quarantine process for arrivals in China, for another spell of working in Hangzhou. Honestly, the process does seem a bit daunting, but it is not all that bad at all! 

On departure: 

I have taken a flight from Schiphol Amsterdam Airport to Xiamen airport. Upon departure I was asked to prepare and show three different QR codes; 1. HDC QR-code for foreign passengers. You have to apply for this one through the embassy (information on your countries embassy website). You’ll have to provide your passport, visa, negative PCR-tests, etc. Once applied, it will take a few hours, in my case it took 2h, for the embassy to approve and hand you the HDC Green code. This one is purely needed to board the plane. 2. China Customs – Entry. At the gate, all passengers needed to scan a QRcode through WeChat and fill in some standard information (arrival date, flight number, seat, etc.) At contact information, they only accept Chinese phone numbers. The flight personnel told me to fill in the phone number of my contact person in China instead. There was a slight error in my own QR-code information, but no worries, upon arrival the airport personnel helped me correct it. 3. Epidemic Prevention Code. Pretty much the same information as the second QR-code. This information will be linked to a number that keeps track on your quarantine process (body temperature, covid-tests and such).

 On the plane: 

While in the plane, at some point the personnel will ask you to fill in a health document. This is completely in Chinese, however, through the airplanes speaker, they will provide an English translation. You will need this form for the first COVID-test.It might be wise to prepare snacks or eat beforehand! We got handed a bag with edibles (fruits, mini-breads, cookies and such), but meals were not provided due to contamination risk.

Next week we will share the rest part of his traveling experience to China. Haida hopes this will help more foreign teachers enter China to work. Feel free to contact Haida if are interested in the teaching positions in China. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida news!

Recently Haida has helped several foreign teachers abroad enter China successfully. Haida has asked those foreign teachers to share their experience during the travel in order to assist more foreign teachers to enter China safely. Here we will share the experience of one foreign  teacher first. Her name is Sharon. 

My experience travelling from England to Hangzhou

My whole journey began with trying to get my visa as without it booking a flight will be a little pointless, no? This visa process is straight forward if you do it with enough time and you have all your documents prepared otherwise you will have some delays.

Now that you have all the documents and visa, you can book your flights.

Flights straight to Hangzhou can be overwhelmingly expensive especially if you do not have much money saved up or are not getting any other financial help. I had saved money from my previous job but with all the expenses I incurred during this process I ended up booking two separate flights. The first flight being from England to Hong Kong and then Haida booked a flight for me from Hong Kong to Hangzhou. This made the journey a whole lot cheaper for me as it was close to the date of travel when I booked my tickets but if you have time try to book direct flights meaning less transits.

TIP: One word of advice I would give to everyone booking flights from the UK and even from other countries is to be careful with where you look for your flights. Try to stick actual airlines as the cheaper sites might not even have the flights available but still have then on the site.

I, as many other people do, arrived early to the airport to check-in my luggage and because security can be difficult to get through. However, there was not too many issues here and I was ready to board the plane for the first leg of the journey. The overall flight was good with transit in South Korea which gave me time to move around after 12 hours of sitting. Then I had my flight to Hong Kong. As Hong Kong still has quarantine rules in place, I had to book a hotel to quarantine in. This is straight forward because they have a website with all the hotels and two of them are the airport hotels around 5 to 7 minutes from the airport.

The airport staff provide transport to all the quarantine hotels unless you book a private taxi to take you.

TIP: Please pack all important things such as medicines, chargers, sanitary products and such in your hand luggage or your personal bag as you never know when you will need them.

After the quarantine in Hong Kong, I then went to the airport as the train was so close to the hotel I had booked. Mainland China still requires negative Covid-19 tests to fly, these are provided for free at the airport, but it needs to be booked in advance.

Beware the test takes 3 to 4 hours to get the results back, so I suggest arriving early at the airport.

After the results come back, I was able to check-in for my flight. It was only a short 3-hour flight but after landing everything was so fast-paced from getting another Covid test done, collecting luggage, going through immigration, and then being rushed onto a bus for quarantine again.

My overall experience travelling from the UK to Hangzhou was quite interesting, although a little fast paced and filled with forms to fill out most people were willing to help and were able to provide me with help.

Hope the experience of Sharon can be helpful if you are anxious about travelling to China recently. Haida will share more experience of foreign teachers. Feel free to contact Haida if you are interested in the teaching positions in China. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

As the new term begins and things get back on track, Haida in Shenzhen branch caught up with Sam, our new foreign teacher, to hear what he has to say about Shenzhen and Haida.

Q: What have been the positive experiences so far in Shenzhen?

A: I’ve been in Shenzhen for over a month now and have already had a lot of positive experiences. I love exploring new places, so I’ve really enjoyed walking around Shenzhen, especially the many parks which have some spectacular views over the city. Meeting new people has also been really cool. Shenzhen is a city full of people from all over China, and also all over the world, so it has been really interesting getting to know all different kinds of people. My Mandarin isn’t the best, but thankfully lots of people here are very helpful and willing to help me practice.

Q: How do you feel Haida have been when facing difficulties with the transition to China?

A: Before I found Haida, I was having trouble getting into China but the company was extremely helpful and efficient in assisting me getting a visa and other documents required to enter the country. They were with me every step of the way before I left the UK and continued to always be there to help me while I traveled via Hong Kong into Shenzhen. It was quite a stressful time for me but in the end everything went smoothly. While I was in quarantine in Shenzhen, the company helped me communicate with the hotel staff and were waiting for me after checkout. I can’t imagine how tough it would have been without Haida’s support. Since leaving quarantine, the staff at Haida have been really welcoming and supportive and, so far, I couldn’t be happier with my experience.

Q: What are your first impressions compared to life back home?

A: This is my second time in China so I had an idea of what to expect but there are still lots of things to get used to. Firstly, the size of the city is crazy and there are so many people. It’s a fantastic place for people who like the hustle and bustle of a lively city. It feels so alive when you go for a walk in the evening: there are people playing music, dancing on the street, eating, hanging out, and exercising. I can’t believe how safe it feels walking around late at night. And there are shops everywhere! It’s amazing how many places there are to eat, which makes it super difficult to decide where to go, but thankfully the food is really good at most of the places I’ve been to. Another thing is the bikes and mopeds absolutely everywhere!

Here is the first part of the interview with Sam. We will share the rest part next week. Haida works with schools in Shenzhen and Hangzhou. Feel free to contract Haida if you are interested in the teaching positions in Shenzhen or Hangzhou.

[haidadailylife]

Haida activity!

On Sep. 10th, when Mid Autumn Festival coincided with Teachers' Day, there were double blessings, like expectations for reunion, and gratitude for teachers. On this special day, Haida held an activity to celebrate the double festivals with our foreign teachers.

At the beginning of the activity, we listened to the legend of the origin of the Mid Autumn Festival. And then foreign teachers started to learn how to make moon cakes. In order to make this handmade work more memorable, we chose to use clay to make moon cakes and packed them in gift boxes. Each piece of work of foreign teachers was unique and so lifelike.You can check the pictures above. Besides,  foreign teachers have traveled thousands of miles to China to impart knowledge. Here, Haida once again thanks teachers for their hard work. Haida wish our teachers good luck, health and happiness in their teaching life in China.

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

With hope and vision, we have ushered in a new semester and a new beginning. Haida are ready to work enthusiastically and actively, busily carry on teaching training for new foreign teachers, and send them to schools upon the completion of the tailor-made training.

Haida trainer provided professional training and practical guidance for new foreign teachers one by one. From theoretical explanation of ESL teaching method to practical analysis of rich teaching cases, Haida trainer led new foreign teachers to master teaching skills quickly and effectively.After the training, Haida foreign teachers arrived at school according to school's opening time and began their first day of teaching with full spirit.

The clarion of the new semester has sounded. Haida dream seekers will work hard to realize their dreams! Feel free to contact Haida if you are interested in the teaching positions in China. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

The Mid-Autumn Festival in China this year is coming. All foreign teachers of Haida will have three-day holiday.The Mid-Autumn Festival is a festival for families to get together in China.Sadly that some foreign teachers can’t stay with their family during this time. In order to let foreign teachers of Haida know and experience more about this traditional festival, Haida will hold an activity out of Haida office to teach foreign teachers how to make moon cakes since eating moon cakes is one of the traditional customs. Besides, Haida also suggests foreign teachers admire the moon at night these days, which is also one of the traditional customs. The moon during the Mid-Autumn Festival is so beautiful. Admiring the full moon at night is also relaxing.  Haida hopes all foreign teachers can enjoy the atmosphere of this coming traditional festival. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

The summer heat gradually dissipated,

Summer lengthens into autumn,

And then the new school year comes as expected.

When the students and Haida foreign teachers came back to the long-time-no-see campus, everyone was filled with joy and expectation, it was the joy of meeting alumni, but also the expectation of the new school year.

Since 15 August, Haida foreign teachers started to returned to Hangzhou city. The school also held new staff orientation and training, teaching research activities to help new Haida foreign teachers know more about school regulations, curriculum and teaching in the school. They cannot wait to start decorating the classrooms in time for the children's arrival.

The students are looking forward to the new school year, the Haida foreign teachers are ready to impart knowledge and cultivate people, the new school year has started in the morning sunshine.

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Haida has been working on assisting signed foreign teachers come to China safely and smoothly and has quickened our pace as the new school year is around the corner. Considering the price of the flights, direct or with transits, with a destination in China mainland is still on the high side, Haida advises foreign teachers to firstly make a stop at Hong Kong and then come to mainland though Shenzhen Bay port to Shenzhen or by flight to Hangzhou. Haida foreign teachers who take this plan will now go through a 3 - day quarantine at designated hotels in Hong Kong and 10-day quarantine in mainland. To make it less stressful, Haida helps all the way through from pre-departure to Hong Kong to after-quarantine pick-up in Shenzhen or Hangzhou.

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

This week I will  introduce some more tourist attractions in Shenzhen. 

Gankeng Hakka Town

Predating the sprawling metropolis that is Shenzhen, you are presented with the ancient Hakka buildings during the day and get a glimpse of life in China before modernization. Rebuilt on the original site of Gankeng Hakka Town, the buildings retain the original style of the architecture and the surrounding land. In the evening, the town is brightly lit for some fantastic views. Amble along the alleys to take in and savor the history.

Shenzhen Talent Park

Shenzhen Talent Park is like a bright pearl by the bay. The lake reflects the blue sky, white clouds and high-rise buildings. The fitness track around the lake offer a pleasant evening walk and reflections of the moon and buildings for some dramatic shots.

Da Mei Sha Park

Set next to an open beach the park offers a variety of walks for those able or not of extended strolls, or a pleasant area to while away the time next to the sea where the blue waves with white spray continually roll up the beach. For a relaxing time, think Da Mei Sha time.

Yunli Dreamland

Yunli Dreamland is a compact play area primarily aimed at children and it is fortunate that it has all kinds of facilities. Children love the park, and for those of you with children, it's a day out they'll relish for some time. They will instantly love so many cartoon doll models and the neon lights. For the adults, we'll feel ourselves pulled back to our childhood.

Shenzhen Safari Park

One of the first zoos in China to uncage the 300 and more animals into a more natural habitat is an all day trip. All kinds of animals can move freely in the open area and guests are protected by the glass corridors. If the guests become tired with walking over such a large area, there is the option of taking the sightseeing bus within the park. The whole park is split into three main areas: Herbivorous Animals Zone, Beast Valley and performance areas. There is plenty to do in the park with a variety of different shows.

Though it’s summer holiday, Haida suggests all our foreign teachers in Shenzhen branch stay in Shenzhen and avoid unnecessary travel in this special period.It’s the same for foreign teachers in Haida Hangzhou branch. We will introduce some tourist attractions in Hangzhou next time. Hope all foreign teachers of Haida can enjoy the rest time of this summer holiday. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Haida has branches in Hangzhou and Shenzhen. Now all students and teachers in Hangzhou and Shenzhen are enjoying their summer holiday. Haida of Shenzhen branch has introduced some tourist attractions in Shenzhen to foreign teachers since foreign teachers can’t travel far away because of Covid-19 situation in Shenzhen. Here we will share some information about the tourist attractions in Shenzhen. 

OH Bay

OH Bay is a very popular spot in the central district of Bao'an. Online celebrities often come for the amazing views and photographic opportunities. Many tourists come because of the awesome Ferris Wheel and the sights over Shenzhen. The music fountain performance at night is amazing. Every time the fountain rises, it is always a "wow" moment.

Ocean Park

Ocean Park is in Yantian District, Shenzhen. It's set alongside a beautiful green sea. There is an amazing backdrop with colourful containers on the dock for those who enjoy vivid, colourful backgrounds to their photos and videos for friends and family back home. It is a place of peace and enchantment that allows you to get away from the loud noises and distractions of modern life.

OCT Wetland Park

A wetland park located in the city. Bird photographers often gather in the park. Patches of reeds ripple, and birds stop from time to time. Many places in the park provide telescopes to view the animals up close in their natural environment.

Dutch Flower Town

Walk into a town with a European Dutch style. The smell of tulips pervades in the air. The Dutch windmill turns slowly against the breeze. Soothing music floats in the music fountain square. It's a pleasant place with several cafes to sit and unwind from a busy schedule and life.

We will share some more tourist attractions in Shenzhen next week. Hope foreign teachers of Haida can enjoy their holiday. And hope more and more foreign teachers can join Haida family.

[haidadailylife]

Haida News! Last week, we shared the first part of the interview of one Haida’s sports teacher. Here we will share the rest part of the interview.

Q. What has impressed you most when you work in your current school?

U.The biggest impression for me in my current school is that more than 70 percent kids can speak English very well, that is the biggest surprise for me..Also the working system is amazing here, and the teachers are helping each other.

Q. What are you most proud of being a teacher?

U.I am generally proud to be a teacher, because i am helping youngsters to gain ability, to cooperate with each other also to be respectful to their friends, family and to love sports.

Q.What’s your first impression of Hangzhou?

U.Big city, a lot of natural landscapes, good people and delicious food.  

Q.Will you always stay in Hangzhou, or will you consider going to other cities after a few years?

U.For now i will stay in Hangzhou, i like this city, but who knows what will happen for couple of years, or even next year…I just wish that this virus will stop exiting very soon, so i can see and travel more around China.

Hope Covid-19 situation will get better soon. Haida is looking forward to helping more and more foreign teachers to work in China. Feel free to contact Haida if you want to start your teaching career in China. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Here I will share the interview of  another foreign teacher of Haida. His name is Uros Kostadinovic. He is a sports teacher and has been working with Haida for two years now. 

Q: When you first started to teach in China, what difficulties or challenges did you meet?

U:When I started to teach in China for the first time, the difficulty was language, also for me that was a challenge, even if my students and I didn’t spoke a common language, I managed to explain to my students, after that everything was easier for me in my further career.

Q: What is your most unforgettable experience during the past 2 years? Could you please share us something with details?

U: Since I came to China I wasn’t able to travel because of the pandemic, so I traveled around Hangzhou, visiting mountains, rivers, ponds etc..Hangzhou is a big and beautiful city, for now those are my unforgettable experience, and also wherever I go, people are kind and willing to spend time with each other.

Q: What do you think of schools, teachers and students in China?

U: I worked in two schools so far, and both of schools are good, teachers are respectful, willing to help and cooperate. Students are good. They behave well and want to learn through fun. Most of them like to speak English and have communication with me.

Next week we will share the rest part of the interview. Haida will interview more and more foreign teachers. Hope these interviews can help more foreign teachers learn more about Haida. 

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Here I will share another foreign teacher of Haida to share his working experience with Haida. His name is Daniel and he works as an English teacher here. 

I greatly enjoyed my time working for HAIDA. Before I started with them, I was new to Hangzhou and knew very little about the city. Tina and Miki were helpful and guided me through the necessary legal processes as well as giving me helpful tips on how to settle and make the most out of my time in Hangzhou. Because of the help I received from Tina and Miki, I felt welcomed from the beginning.

With regards to my employment, Tina was present at my school on the first day to introduce me to my new colleagues and answer any questions that I had. I found this to be especially reassuring as I know from previous experience that not all institutions care about their employees as much as HAIDA does. On top of this, Tina contacted the management in my school throughout the year and gave me timely updates about any changes or events that were taking place. I am very grateful that this was the case as it demonstrates to me that Tina and her colleagues conduct themselves with a high level of professionalism and take great pride in their work.

I received a number of formal observations from Tina where she watched my lessons and gave me very useful and practical tips on how I could improve, whilst also giving me constructive feedback on the aspects of my lessons that were most effective.

Overall, I would firmly recommend working for HAIDA as the staff are professional and willing to listen to any issues that you may face during your school year. Moreover, HAIDA works with many different schools across Hangzhou ranging from kindergarten all the way up to High School so they are able to accommodate all teachers, regardless of your age or subject preference.

Haida welcomes more and more foreign teachers to join us.   

[haidadailylife]

Haida News!

Today I will share another foreign teacher’s comment on Haida. His name is Alex and he is a music teacher in a primary school that Haida works with. Hope what he shared here can help more foreign teachers learn something more about Haida. 

My name is Alex. I have been working with HAIDA for three years. HAIDA can find you a good job and take care of all documents and schedule everything related so you can focus on your work. They provide competitive salary and payday never get delayed, always in time.  I wanna give my personal thanks for my case manager Autumn and school manager Tina for good communicative skill and positive attitude, for always being in touch with me, providing all necessary information. I wish best of luck to HAIDA and can recommend this agency for the one who wants to apply for job in China.

Haida is looking forward to working with more and more foreign teachers and helping them work here in China. Feel free to contract Haida if you are interested.