About the Host School

Shenzhen Foreign Languages School is celebrating its 20th anniversary this winter. We currently have 2700 students.

SFLS is the elite academic school in Shenzhen and draws students from across the city. It has a strong academic focus, the atmosphere is orderly and conservative but not strict, and students in general respect the school and are aware of their opportunity to attend such a high level institution.

The spacious, well landscaped campus is located at one end of Shenzhen and is somewhat removed from the noise and traffic of the city. It is set at the base of a green mountain range. The classrooms have basic technology, but the science labs are well equipped. All classrooms are air conditioned and the school is kept clean and in good repair. Every year all of SFLS’s graduates are accepted in universities in China and abroad.

The AP Centre

The center was established in March of 2010 and presently has 150 students. The 2010-11 school year was our first full year. There are 6 teachers and a center principal who teaches half time. All are American. There is a full time American college counselor and 3 Chinese college counselors. 

The center teaches year 2 and 3 students; in other words, juniors and seniors. The AP classes taught are: Economics, Physics, Calculus, Statistics, and Chemistry. Academic English is also taught to all students. For the 2010-11 school year AP tests 62% of the scores were 5’s, 22% were 4’s and 9% were 3’s. 

The center has a shared computer lab, a self-study room, a large classroom for each of the classes of students, and well equipped science labs that are shared with the main school. There are many after school clubs run by the main school. Also the center has clubs for newspaper, Toastmasters, and student council.

 The biggest challenge is being a small part of a large Chinese high school. Adapting to the main school's policies, schedules and procedures require patience and flexibility. However, usually one's daily teaching isn't greatly affected. Moreover, the main school principal is supportive of the AP center. 

The students are generally very polite and friendly and will work hard for a competent and motivating teacher. Their English ranges from adequate to excellent. All want to attend college abroad; almost all in the US. The greatest benefit is working with intelligent and motivated students. If you plan challenging and interesting lessons and show you care about their learning, they will work hard and be appreciative.

Lifestyle

Presently teachers all live within a large apartment complex about a 20 minute bus ride from one of the city centers and a 35 minute school bus ride from the school. The apartments are fairly modern, the buildings are clean and the apartment grounds are well landscaped. Singles need to supplement the housing allowance by about 1000RMB/month to live in these decent but small apartments. The allowance for a teaching couple will get a spacious apartment of very good standard.

There is a large shopping mall with very fashionable stores and half a dozen good quality restaurants adjoining the apartment complex. There is also a very good grocery store within the complex. Taxis from the apartments are easy to get and there is a larger bus station 10 minutes walk away that will get one to many parts of town. One bus line that goes right to one of the town’s centers stops right in from of the apartments. Next year a subway stop will open in front of the apartments. One can get to Hong Kong in less than three hours by public transportation

There is a very good quality forested park a 10 minute walk from teacher housing. Obviously Hong Kong is a weekend option. Shenzhen is stretched out over many miles so there isn’t a single downtown. There are modern high quality shopping malls in the city along with a range of western restaurants.

Shenzhen is one of China’s most modern, clean and green cities; however, there are no important tourist sites. Air pollution is noticeable by US standards but good by Chinese overall standards.

Come with enough cash to carry you over until the end of September payday. You can buy most everything you need for living here unless you were very large clothes sizes. If you want to live and play like a westerner it will cost almost as much as in the west. However, if you live modestly or at a regular Chinese level most of the time, you will be able to travel and still save money.

Teacher Case Study

Steve March - Physics

After 5 years in publishing, I have spent the last 4 years teaching in a public high school in Brooklyn, New York. Since September 2010 I have been an academic English teacher for both year 2 and 3 students.

The benefits of working here are experiencing, to me, a different school culture featuring curious and thoughtful students who are eager to learn. The salary and benefits package is very satisfactory, and working in China and so near the Hong Kong airport gives me the opportunity to explore all of Asia. We make enough to live well here. There are many cheap and tasty restaurants. There is lots of work but enough free time to enjoy the city, nightlife etc., and we are enjoying our good quality high rise apartment.

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Student Case Study

I joined last February. Of course the biggest difference was now English was my school language, but that is a positive challenge. The teachers are patient, humorous and able to explain things clearly and briefly. They give us personalized help as we need it. We can still participate in whole school activities and our class is quite close.

There are certainly benefits in the AP content and theories that I’m learning. Also, I’m learning to think independently and to ask questions without hesitating. I’m also learning to be a more active learner and to organize my time more efficiently.

The biggest challenge must be the transition form the traditional Chinese “to be taught” mode to the western “to learn” mode.

My aim is to further my study in one of the most prestigious liberal arts universities in the United States. I am open to a wide range of subjects such as history, political science or mathematics. Besides studying hard I plan to join the college radio station and other school clubs

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