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A much more productive week in terms of videos published. This week covers teaching English abroad, living in China, and some of the everyday experiences at a university campus. Whether you're interested about how much you can earn teaching English in a country such as China, how much grammar you need to know, or just want to see what life looks like in a university cafeteria, this is but a snapshot of what my first week back was like.

This Week’s Videos

1. 💰 How Much Can You Make Teaching English Overseas? – A look at salaries, extra income opportunities, and cost of living considerations, with special focus on China. Watch here
2. 🏨 Living in a Hotel in China – A look inside a university-provided apartment in Beijing. Watch here
3. 📚 How Much Grammar Do You Need to Know as an English Teacher? – Thinking about teaching ESL overseas and how much you need to know about the English language? This video looks at how much formal grammar knowledge is really needed in the classroom. Watch here
4. 🍚 A University Cafeteria in China – A look at student dining and how payments work on campus. Watch here
5. 🌹 From China: Happy International Women’s Day! – A look at how March 8 is recognized on campus. Watch here

How Much Can You Make Teaching English Overseas?

As with most jobs and career considerations, if you're looking to travel overseas and fund your travels by teaching English as a Second Language, you're probably also interested in how much you can actually earn and save.

Salaries for English teachers abroad have remained fairly stable over the past 10–15 years, typically ranging from:

• $2,000–$3,000 CAD per month
• $1,600–$2,200 USD per month

Additional work, such as private tutoring, online teaching, or academic proofreading, can increase earnings. While salaries may not be high compared to Western standards, the cost of living in many countries is lower, allowing teachers to save money while traveling.

📹 Watch here: YouTube Link

Living in a Hotel in China

Some English teaching contracts in China include housing as part of the agreement. In this case, I've been given an apartment inside of a hotel residence for the next three months (ie, just for the duration of the semester).

The apartment comes with:

• A washing machine and fridge
• A decent view outside
• An air purifier (useful in Beijing)
• A basic but functional setup

Is it missing anything? Yea, I'm thinking of bringing in a pull up bar and maybe some kettlebells so I can workout on my own time rather than between the operational hours of the hotel gym (7:00 am to 9:00 pm).

📹 Watch here: YouTube Link

How Much Grammar Do You Need to Know as an English Teacher?

Many new teachers worry about not knowing enough grammar to teach English, but in most cases:

• Schools provide a textbook, which guides the lessons.
• Grammar resources are widely available online (e.g., englishpage.com).
• Native speakers often can't explain why words are pronounced or structured a certain way—yet they speak fluently.

Grammar is an important topic to learn and know about, but it shouldn’t stop anyone from considering teaching English abroad.

📹 Watch here: YouTube Link

A University Cafeteria in China

A look inside the canteen at Zhongyang Caijing Daxue, one of many university cafeterias on campus. Spread across multiple floors, each offers a variety of food choices:

• Served with rice and a variety of side dishes
• Fried chicken
• Sichuan-style noodles, and others
• Hamburgers and pizza (haven't tried these yet!)
• Dumplings

Be aware that many campus cafeterias require you to have a student card (学生卡, xuéshēng kǎ) in order to purchase, so if you don't have one you'll have to flag down one of the students to help you out.

📹 Watch here: YouTube Link

From China: Happy International Women’s Day!

March 8 is International Women’s Day, and at this university, female students received roses to mark the occasion.

While Women’s Day is not widely celebrated in Canada or the U.S., it is a significant day in Ukraine, China, and other countries, where companies and schools often distribute flowers or small gifts.

📹 Watch here: YouTube Link

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Best,

Steve