 Alessia de Vito - Graduated from The University East London 2018. Went to China early 2019 Hi my name is Alessia and I’m an Anthropology graduate from UEL. Last year I went to a career fair organised by UEL and that’s where I came across Kandoo English which was looking for new grads to teach English in various locations in China. I must admit that moving to China was never my dream and the prospect to relocate on the other side of the world, in a place where I can’t speak the language nor able to read road/shops’ signs absolutely terrified me. But I have always been up for challenges and I decided to look at “getting out of my comfort zone” as an opportunity for self development. After Kandoo took me on board they immediately started sending my short self introduction clip to a wide range of schools across China and, after a few Skype interviews, I’ve decided to accept a job as a Kindergarten teacher in Hangzhou. This was ultimately my prime location of choice after a long research based on a range of factors such as pollution index (HZ is one of the least polluted city in China), beautiful scenery, standards of life and expats community. Once I got here it took me a couple of weeks to adapt to a whole new life and now I honestly couldn’t be happier. I have made a lot of new friends from all over the world who, like me, came to China to teach English. I have a one bedroom apartment all to myself, which is provided by the school. I only have to pay for the bills (around £20 per month). I also receive a very generous monthly salary that allows me to live a dignified life! About the job: Teaching English to little children is really fun and I don’t even feel like I’m working sometimes! My schedule is super relaxed and I’m off Mondays and Tuesday On my free time I go to the gym, go shopping, go out for dinner with my friends, go for massages (they’re so cheap here!!!), go to the cinema, go singing in KTV (Karaoke is really popular here!) and travel to new destinations all the time.. and I’m still able to save money each month!! With the high wages and low cost of living you can honestly live like royalty here in China. It’s funny how I didn’t want to leave London 7 months ago and now that my contract is heading for the end I don’t want to go back to the UK!! I am hoping that my school will renew my contract :) but if not I’ll find another job here or through KKANDOO ENGLISH since there are a lot of opportunities for English speaker (native and non). China has been a revelation and I’m planning to remain for the next three years!!! Moving to China was the craziest yet the wisest decision I’ve ever taken in my life and I recommend this experience to anyone who’s looking for a new adventure in life.  Alessia de Vito September 2019 Hangzhou, China |    Hangzhou      |
