Hebei University, in Baoding, Hebei Province, is an excellent place for those who are seeking a position in English Teaching at Chinese Universities.

For those who care more about a rewarding, and actual teaching position, Hebei University is the place to go. Generally, student discipline is good, with motivated students who are English majors and will fulfil most requirements a teacher sets them. There are some students on dual degree programs, but these are much better than the general trend of dual degree program students in Chinese universities. My colleagues generally had positive experiences of such students.

The academic staff of Hebei University are a pleasure to work for. They are not in anyway overbearing, and give you much freedom in your lesson planning. During my whole year at Hebei University I never had any quibbles or conflicts with the academic staff over my teaching.

The international co-operation staff are very efficient. Almost any teacher in China, aside from the very experienced or fluent Chinese speakers require help with certain bureaucratic hurdles, and the administrative staff always get the job done and are very reliable.

If one is considering a decent teaching position in China, Hebei University is wholeheartedly recommended. However, for those who have little China experience, I must say a few words about the location, Baoding.

Baoding is located an hour away from Beijing via fast train, and is close to other places worth a visit, such as Tianjin, Taiyuan and Pingyao. It has a very pleasant old town, and and interesting commercial centre at Wanbo plaza. Additionally, the Route 66 Pizzeria and Bar has become an excellent hangout place for expats, run by friendly and helpful staff. Although I know few other expat hangouts, Route 66 is the one that is definitely worth knowing.

However, Baoding may be rather difficult for those with little China experience. Baoding has high air pollution, and can be tricky to navigate. In addition, the bureaucracy in Baoding, particularly the PSB, can be quite zealous and overbearing, requiring you to register every time you return to the city (please follow this, they really will throw their chopsticks down if you don’t) and have an overzealous habit of dotting every I and crossing every T. But if one can tolerate Baoding’s pedantic PSB, and the fact that Baoding is not a Tier 1 Chinese City, your experince at Hebei University can be a very rewarding one.

On the whole, I have worked in China for over 4 years, and Hebei University was one of the best places to work during all my time. I wholeheartedly recommend it for both experienced and newcoming teachers alike.