So we have been here about a month now with another three to go. After leaving China three years ago to begin my retirement in Chiang Mai, Thailand, I had no idea that I would be back teaching in this country again so soon! But there always seems to be a new surprise around the corner.

For anyone looking for an opportunity to travel the world, working for one of the many international schools that are scattered around the globe is a great choice. My six years working for MLIS in Wuhan was probably the best six years of my career. Not the most responsible way to spend the last few years of my teaching life (I should have continued to sock money away into the BC Teachers Pension Plan until I was 65) but a hell of a lot more fun! When I was invited to return to the Maple Leaf system a month ago for a short-term gig, it didn’t take long to accept.

Maple Leaf International School – Tianjin TEDA is one of over a dozen schools in the Maple Leaf system scattered throughout China. Unlike most international schools, the overwhelming majority of the students are Chinese. Yes, they are international schools but pretty much in name only. They are international more because they teach the British Columbia curriculum then because of the diversity of the student body.

Students graduate from the system with the same piece of paper that BC students end up with; the Dogwood certificate. They take the same courses, write the same provincial exams on the same days, and use the same textbooks. Only BC certified teachers are hired. A strict accreditation process is followed to ensure that everything is “tickety boo” when it comes to following BC offshore school regulations. Read More