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^ In China? Don't think so. A Chinese company is not going to pay your salary into a foreign bank. You have to use a local one.

ICBC have the best internet banking service. China Merchants Bank provide good all-round service but their internet banking is hopeless and their interest rate is miniscule.

Try The Alchemist. Very easy language and a compelling story about spirituality.

China is a big place. Who in thier right mind would wander off into a country that size. with no local language ability. People with a sense of adventure and a positive outlook. You could learn a lot, George. It seems rather odd that you have 15 years of teaching experience in Korea, yet no degree ...

'What do you call it when you borrow something but you pay for borrowing it?'

They're either going to say 'hire' or 'rent'.

There is a positive side to being a non-native speaker, and it's that they usually know more grammar than native speakers because they've been studying English for years. Does that include the errors they make? I think you'll find, Pete, that an educated native who has been teaching his/her own lan...

A degree is not a requirement for teaching in China, it's a requirement for obtaining a foreign experts certificate which is needed for a Z visa, sometimes called a work permit . A Z visa is different from a residence permit (there's no such things as a work permit). You need a degree to get a Fore...

There has been some good research on how stroke suffers can reacquire language. If you google 'neuroplasticity' you can learn a bit about it. Ultimately though I’m afraid it comes down to frequency and volume of repetition and active use of the material. There are no shortcuts really but there are p...

Firstly, entire is a French (Latin) based word whereas whole is Germanic (cf. hole). Therefore entire has a more formal, weighty and intellectual feel to it stylistically. Whole has a more natural, grounded, common connotation. There is a strong tendency among many English speakers to avoid the use ...

Yes, it's a bit of a minefield because there are so many variations and combinations of vowels just in the UK alone. Another interesting feature is the rhotic 'r' [ɹ] as in pronouncing the 'r' in 'water'. It is the biggest difference between the British and American accent. The rhotic 'r' is only fo...

Pete, are you Australian? I’m from the UK and I would change

your [ɑɪ] in ‘pie’ to [aɪ].
your [ʊə] in ‘pore’ to [ɔː]
your [e] in ‘bet’ to [ɛ]
your [eə] ‘hair’ to [ɛə]

Here are some old lecture notes I found (pre crisis): How Banks Work Warm Up (5-10minutes) Get students to shout out all the banks they know. Make a list covering the board. Ask the students what they know about banks and discuss any related points that are raised. If you are met with silence, pose ...

Edgar Allen Poe is good.
Hemingway is not bad.
Another good one is 'The Little Prince'

I have a list of suitable texts somewhere. Let me see if I can dig it out...

Securing a job before you arrive will allow you to do your research about the company before you commit to working for them. Still more risky than actually coming to China and talking to people. There is only so much you can find on the internet. It is easy to come to China on a tourist visa and ge...

margyf wrote:Learner style: Kinaesthetic

I don't believe in teaching towards multiple intelligences. I think it's a silly synthetic way of looking at language teaching. Plus there is no proper evidence to suggest it really works.

Make sure you quit after and not before payday. will the country not grant me a VISA because I "terminated" my previous contract therefor "terminating" my work visa prematurely? Don't worry. Unless you do something criminal, no school has that much influence with the immigration ...

Pretty informative website that, Pete. Especially the grammar part.

Search http://www.ft.com/ and http://www.janes.com/

Plenty of stuff there.

Why is Suzhou such a magnet for western wastrels, losers and criminals?


It's backpacker central, that's why....

Recommendations should be tailored to each individual, depending on their occupation / aspirations and biographies should constitute the core of that.

“Employ your time in improving yourself by other men's writings, so that you shall gain easily what others have laboured hard for.” Socrates