English Trainers needed at HyLite School in Wuxi starting immediately, 8500 RMB / Month.

Required

*Native speakers from Australia, Britain, Canada, New Zealand and USA. 

*Age: 25 – 60

*1-2 years experience.

*Bachelors degree or higher

*Teaching qualification(TESOL or TEFL), preferably to diploma or Masters level

*Sound understanding of SLA theory and modern language teaching methodology 

*Excellent communication and organizational skills 

*A high degree of professionalism

*A high degree of enthusiasm for quality education.

Benefits

*Two weeks paid vacation and national holidays.

* Monthly salary 7500RMB plus 1000RMB living allowance. For first year trainers, there is a 500RMB Holdback which is paid at the end of the contract.  As well, the first month for a new trainer is probationary.

* Return airfare at the end of the contract. 

* All Visa costs will be reimbursed with receipts. Residency permits and working permits will be arranged by the school. 

*Airport pick up 

* Accommodation provided in an excellent hotel while you are assisted in finding a suitable living location. 

The job is 5 days per week comprising 25 fifty-five minute classes and 15 hours prep. time with optional overtime classes. The trainer has 2 consecutive days off each week. The teaching materials are all supplied to which trainers add their own ideas to enhance the learning experience of both students and themselves.

At Hylite, you will teach a wide variety of class sizes from 1 to 50.  The majority of classes you teach will be private classes (max. 4) and salon classes (max 8).  We are teaching more and more corporate classes so those teachers with business experience are especially needed. As well, you will have the opportunity to teach an occasional primary and middle school class.

HyLite School is located in downtown Wuxi close to McDonalds, KFC , Starbucks and major shopping areas.  The school has modern classrooms, a library full of foreign books,  a table-tennis table  and a snack bar selling drinks and snacks.

The foreign trainers come from a variety of backgrounds and experiences, but they are qualified, experienced and dedicated to teaching.  You will never feel like you are alone in a foreign country.  Currently, we have  trainers from Australia, Canada, Ireland and England.

 

The students are motivated adults (the youngest students are 15) and they will surprise you with their tenacity and eagerness to learn. Trainers are also expected to join in the fun of such off-campus events like day trips to visit local sights (Lake Taihu, The Ling Shan Bhudda-88 meters high!) and all kinds of parks and festivals that happen year round.

Most trainers now live less than a 5 minute walk from the school.

The city of Wuxi is s mall bustling city of 4.5 million people located in Jiangsu province about 70 minutes by train from Shanghai. There is excellent public transportation, the city is clean and on the whole it is a friendly and well-off community with many things to see and do. There are several large Western-owned super markets so if you like to cook you will find all the "home cookin" foodstuffs you need. There are Western restaurants and all kinds of different styles of Chinese restaurants such as Cantonese, Sechuan, Peking etc. A plate full of noodles with vegetables, very tasty, is about 7rmb.There are local Gyms to keep fit and other sports centers to play basketball, volleyball, table tennis and even a summer softball league.

We are looking for teachers who want to begin their ESL career as well as those who are enjoying the beginning of a 2nd career. Age isn't a factor, however, attitude certainly is. If you work and play well with others, enjoy the team approach to work, enjoy laughing and learning then this may be the place for you. We are a diverse group by age and nationality and welcome your interest in joining our school.

We hope to hear from you soon.

All applications should be submitted in MS Word, and the must contain COPIES OF: 

1.a valid passport with photo 

2.a TESOL, CELTA ETC. diploma 

3.a minimum college diploma 

4.a MAXIMUM 2 page resume 

5.a letter of reference with e-mail contact 

6.a phone number where you can be reached 

Mail all applications to akaulins@gmail.com   attention: Andis Kaulins

FMLB24 Season Four

This season's results gave me a perfect narrative.  The Cubs, who haven't won a FMLB World Series or a pennant, won a division title.  The Cubs then had a League Championship Series result that mirrored their real MLB experience -- they blew a three games to one lead.  They heroically forced a ninth and deciding game only to experience typical Cub heartbreak.  No Cubs - Indians World Series.

Instead, the Padres  beat the Indians in an anti-climatic World Series.

American League West

Team Wins Losses pct. GB

A's 102 60  .630

Royals 91 71  .562 11

Twins 89 73  .549 13

White Sox 69 93 .426 33

Angels 68 94 .420 34

Pilots 65 97 .401 37

American League East

Team Wins  Losses pct. GB

Indians 97 65 .599

Orioles 96 66 .593 1

Tigers 88 74 .543 9

Red Sox 79 83 .488 18

Senators 65 97 .401 32

Yankees 63 99 .389 34

National League West

Team Wins  Losses pct. GB

Padres 97 65 .599

Astros 92 70 .568 5

Braves 91 71 .562 6

Reds 78 84 .481 19

Dodgers 64 98 .395 33

Giants 58 104 .358 39

National League East

Team Wins   Losses pct GB

Cubs 91 71 .562

Mets 87 75 .537 4

Expos 84 78 .519 7

Cardinals 81 81 .500 10

Phillies 78 84 .481 13

Pirates 71 91 .438 20

FMLB24-4 Playoffs

American League Championship Series

Game

1 A's 2 Indians 3

2 A's 7 Indians 6

3 A's 1 Indians 8

4 A's 0 Indians 3

5 A's 6 Indians 7

6 A's 2 Indians 4

Indians win five games to one

National League Championship Series

Game

1 Padres 0 Cubs 10

2 Padres 6 Cubs 10

3 Padres 7 Cubs 0

4 Padres 0 Cubs 6

5 Padres 9 Cubs 3

6 Padres 9 Cubs 1

7 Padres 8 Cubs 4

8 Padres 1 Cubs 3

9 Padres 5 Cubs 2

Padres win five games to four

World Series

Game

1 Indians 9 Padres 3

2 Indians 6 Padres 7

3 Indians 4 Padres 5

4 Indians 2 Padres 8

5 Indians 8 Padres 5

6 Indians 10 Padres 2

7 Indians 4 Padres 6

8 Indians 2 Padres 5

Padres win five games to three

The Contrast

The Photo above shows a brand new restaurant next to a building being renovated.

Why I love China: Days with sights like this!

Thursday morning, I saw the following things:

• I saw a man pulling a cart in front of the bus I was in, slowing the bus down.  This happened because subway construction had forced buses to ride in what was normally the bike lane.  The bus had no choice but to wait till the cart got to a spot where another lane opened up.
• Subway construction.  The columns supporting the track were slowly being erected.
• Boat traffic.  You never see this in the part of Canada where I come from.
• On-the-street massages.
• Staff standing in rank in front of their hair salon.  In Canada, hair salon personnel would be the last possible people you would expect to adopt military posture.
• Street argument between a security guard and a civilian.  The civilian and guard had to be restrained from each other.  A crowd gathered including the guard's colleagues, the civilian's companions, and numerous onlookers.
• A man taking morning nap in park.  What kind of life scenario leads to a person doing that?
• Someone gave me a "Wow!  You are a foreigner" friendly smile.

FMLB20 Season 5

The Senators swept the Reds in a FLMB20 World Series.  The win gave the Senators their second ever FMLB20 World Series Title (They previously won in Season Two).  For the Reds, it was their FMLB World Series appearance and their second time to be swept (They had been swept in five games by the Red Sox in FMLB16 Season 8).  The Sens outscored the Reds 41 to 21.

FMLB20-5

American League

Team Wins  Losses PCT GB

Senators 97 65 .599

A's 91 71 .562 6

Twins 91 71 .562 6

Red Sox 88 74 .543 9

Angels 86 76 .531 11

Yankees 81 81 .500 16

White Sox 77 85 .475 20

Tigers 76 86 .469 21

Orioles 66 96 .407 31

Indians 57           105 .352 40

National League

Team Wins  Losses PCT GB

Reds    104 58 .642

Braves 103 59 .636 1

Dodgers 89 73 .549 15

Giants 82 80 .506 22

Pirates 80 82 .494 24

Mets 78 84 .481 26

Cubs 73 89 .451 31

Phillies 69 93 .426 35

Colt 45s 67 95 .414 37

Cardinals 65 97 .401 39

World Series (Best of Nine)

Game

1 Reds 5 Senators 9

2 Reds   2 Senators 8

3 Reds 2 Senators 8

4 Reds    5 Senators 7

5 Reds    7 Senators 9

Senators win five games to nothing

Visions of Randy from the Trailer Park Boys and other thoughts, observations

Shirtlessness  Shopping in Tesco, Monday evening, I had chance to observe a man standing, shirtless, in a checkout lineup.  He had nice glasses on, and a woman with him, who had to be his wife, was dressed well enough.  But, they both had the swarthy looks of primitives from the farthest reaches of the Chinese countryside -- at least to my Canadian attitude that regards going shirtless as low class (a comedic character in a popular Canadian t.v. show goes shirtless year-round -- Randy is his name.).  

 

But to be fair and apologetic to the couple, I was quite the strange sight myself, as I struggled with Tony who didn't want to take our basket of purchases to an available register. 

 

Anyway, irregardless of my strangeness to them (a one in a thousand freak in a Wuxi suburban supermarket) and theirs to me, I suppose there is something to be said for men going shirtless in public.  It probably saves on resources for the fabric as well as laundry supplies.  So I encourage Wuxi Expatriates, who wish to transcend being arrivistes and to become authentic Wuxiren,  to conform to and to embrace this local custom.  I still don't have the courage of my convictions to do it.

 

New Glasses  I was at the Qingyang Road Carrefour not just for taking a video of Tony running about.  My principle purpose was to buy new reading glasses -- I had lost my other pair.  I got the new pair in about twenty minutes.  I wasn't so fussy about the glasses I choose, just wanting plain frames that didn't contain any embellishments. It then took the glasses store staff ten minutes to put my custom lenses in the frame -- or did they do something to the lenses that were already in the frames?  Thankfully, it is not my job to know these things. 

 

But now I can go back to happily reading TLOR and Flannery O'Connor, and studying Chinese characters

 

Slate Podcasts  The Slate website calls their podcasts "gabfests".  I will listen to them to contrast with  my more right-wing libertarian conservative fare of Radio Derb, Riccochet, and Econtalk.  Since the gabfest comes from the left of the political spectrum, the best I can say for it is that it will offer a few challenges to my beliefs, but when push comes to shove, the show's pundits fall back on the race card and crude caractitures of Conservatives (e.g. Palin is a moron.  Mentioning Rangel's ethical violations is racist.  The tea-partiers are racist. Et Cetra).  And so in doing so, they just  conform so much to my stereotypes about Lefties that I can't be convinced by them of anything.

 

Redemption  I act too much like someone who has achieved it.  Truth is, I have sought it, and I have gotten the opportunity to achieve it, but I have fumbled it -- too easy, to hold back, than to make a true stand.

 

Someone got stuck in the rain.  I took a photo of the person, who I saw from my apartment balcony.  The photo was blurry and you can see it in this blog.  Soaked thoroughly, the girl walked resigned to the fact that the rain had engulfed her.  She seemed in no hurry to seek shelter.

 

Conservatives ought really to be anti-capitalists  The person who wrote the article boldly stating this did not define exactly what he meant by Conservativism or Capitalism.  So he had an easy time of it cherrypicking things to back his fuzzy point.

Fulfilling a rare request from a rare reader

Here is a video I took of a Wuxi Rainstorm yesterday.  A request I can fulfill. 

 

I can't change my beliefs about things without convincing arguments to go with the requests or insults.

Latvian flag at Tony's Kindergarten

September 1 was Tony's first day at kindergarten. I accompanied my wife Jenny and Tony to the school this morning.

I was surprised to see a Latvian flag hung in the lobby of the school so I took a photo of it.

You will be able to follow Tony's progress at kindergarten here.

Where students are going to study

This summer I have had students who will, in the fall, study at:

• Beijing
• Shanghai
• Tianjin
• Korea
• Nanjing Economic University
• Nantong
• Singapore
• Saskatoon, Saskatchewan
• University of Manitoba in Winnipeg, Canada
• A High School in Boston
• A High School in Toronto
• A school in Hubei province
• Chang Sha, Hunan province
• Jiangsu Xi Shan High School, Yanqiao.
• Hong Kong
• Wu Zhen
• #1 Middle School, Wuxi, China
• Big Bridge School, Wuxi
• Nanjing Forestry School
• Jiangsu University, Zheng Jiang
• Zheng Zhou

Caught in the Rain

This forlorn and blurry figure was caught in a heavy downpour without an umbrella in the Hui Shan District of Wuxi, China.

Wuxi Tony Update #595: A Chase

The New Nanchang Market

I don't like it. I don't like it one bit.

Construction in Wuxi

There are lots of these green canopied buildings under construction in Wuxi. It is stimulus but the buildings are mostly unoccupied.

Photos of Wuxi, China taken from the #81 Bus

Mordor, Isengard, or the Shire? Where am I?

TLOR  I am working my way through the novel.  I am now in the midst of the second part.

 

Mad Men  is a tv series, set in the early sixties on Madison Avenue, that I am watching on DVD.  Everyone sleeps with everyone.  All the characters seem to have been teleported from 2008.  One character said "what is wrong with you?"  An expression that I am sure has become over -used only recently.

Creative Destruction  Wanting things on the cheap - failing of Liberalism.  You cannot find the proper solution without failed experimentation -- sometimes you stumble on things that you wouldn't have thought to look for.  They also want peace w/o willingness to fight and no fault gravity.

Purgatory  At first seems like heaven but then the others there start to grate on you -- people won't shut up about what they did on earth.

Ms. Allocation  a good name for a feminist economics minister.

Coincidence almost, I meet a woman with a son exactly one month older than Tony.  And then I meet someone who son was born a month after Tony.

Henan Province.  I have two students from this province in the same class.  "Lots of Chairman Mao slept signs here?" I asked.

Ants  China has 1.3 billion people.  I wonder how many ants?

Rubble next to newness  A brand spanking restaurant next to a pile of rubble and garbage.

The Pail on the Bus... is for vomit!  I had thought it was for garbage but then two days in a row, I saw some sick passengers run from their seat and head straight for it.  All buses have a pail near the rear exit door.

Incentives!   That's what it's all about.

You can lead a horse to water but....  you can't get your wife to do anything.  (as completed by a student Vitas)

Two's company....  Three's a family (as completed by a student)

What?!?  "I want to own a bar!" said a slim pretty girl, about 22 years old, at an English Corner.  I exclaimed What?!?  She corrected herself and said "a coffee bar!".  What a relief, I thought.  

A What?!? from the past.  After being asked if she would cheat on her husband, a young girl said yes, but only in the first year.  After being corrected, she became very red faced.

An another What?!? from the past.  A student said you can tell if someone is in love with you by the sound of their accent.

Miles or Casey?  When I go into a class, I like to think I will teach like Miles Davis, putting out all the vibes, the riffs, with the students responding in kind -- the class is a sort of English Jamming session.  But in truth, I often feel like Casey Stengel, manager of the woeful 1962 New York Mets (losers of 120 games).  Can anybody......!?!

 

Sisters of Charity in China?  It was something prayed for by Mother Teresa.

Incredible and Astounding News from Wuxi, China!

Tell the President!

 

Inform her majesty, the Queen of England (and of Canada too!)!

 

Tony can pee by himself without his parents assistance!

 

Tonight, he walked into the bathroom, lifted the toilet seat, pulled down his pants and underwear, leaned against and over the rim of the bowl, and directed a shaft of green harmlessly into the bowl's center.  He then pulled his pants up and entered the history books.

 

If the Queen doesn't reward him with a medal or a commendation, I'll be a monkey's uncle!

Cooling Down.

It feels like it has been cooling down here in Wuxi, temperature-wise.  I was thinking the temps were getting down into the twenties, but the students told me that the high on Sunday was thirty-two!

FMLB Season Eleven

The Yankees won their their third ever FMLB Championship by defeating the Phillies in nine games in a wild FMLB World Series.  The Yankees had a 3-1 lead only to have the Phillies win three in a row.  Down 4-3, the Yankees rallied to take the series by pasting the Phillies in games eight and nine.

National League

Team wins losses pct. G.B.

Phillies 108 46 .701

Cards 90 64 .584 18

Reds 83 71 .539 25

Dodgers 81 73 .526 27

Giants 72 82 .468 36

Pirates 70 84 .455 38

Cubs      59 95 .383 49

Braves 53 101 .344 55

American League

Team wins losses pct. G.B.

Yankees 92 62 .597

Senators 90 64 .584 2

A's 88 66 .571 4

Browns 80 74 .519 12

White Sox 75 79 .487 17

Indians 72 82 .468 20

Red Sox 63 91 .409 29

Tigers 56 98 .364 36

World Series (Best of Nine)

Game

1 Yankees 9 Phillies 2

2 Yankees 10 Phillies 3

3 Yankees 2 Phillies 6

4 Yankees 6 Phillies 0

5 Yankees 5 Phillies 8

6 Yankees 5 Phillies 6

7 Yankees 5 Phillies 9

8 Yankees 7 Phillies 0

9 Yankees 5 Phillies 1

Yankees win five games to four

For What It's Worth: AKIC's Top Ten Beatles Songs

In response to this link and this Rolling Stone link, I present to you my top ten favorite Beatles songs (in no particular order):

Revolution

Eleanor Rigby

In My Life

A Day in the Life

Hello-Goodbye

Magical Mystery Tour

Help!

Hey Jude

I am the walrus

Old Brown Shoe

Here is the Rolling Stone's Top Ten:

1. A Day in the Life

2. I wanna hold your hand

3. Strawberry Fields Forever

4. Yesterday

5. In My Life

6. Something

7. Hey Jude

8. Let it be

9. Come together

10. While my guitar gently weeps

Tony sleeps

Tony was asleep when his father came home from work Friday evening and was still asleep when his father returned to work on Saturday morning.  

Tony asleep, his parents will tell you, is angelic.

Tony seemed to have behaved relatively better on Friday than he did on Thursday.  On the Thursday, his father returned home to see a great mess.  On Friday, the mess looked almost neat.

Links to the entire t.v. show on which Tony appeared

You can go to my other blog or you can watch here (our appearance starts at 27:50).

English names the students have given themselves

Summer winds down today at my school.  Next week, the summer kids start going back to their regular middle schools, vocational schools, high schools, and universities. 

 

Below is the final list of the English names they have given themselves.

• Adonis
• Aili
• Aki
• Alien
• Alina
• Alladin
• Anakin
• Angel
• Anton
• Aran
• Ariel
• Aurora
• Ava
• Barbarosa
• Bessie
• Betsy
• Bob
• Bone
• Boris
• Brant
• Brent
• Bria
• Che
• Cherry
• Coco
• Daisy
• Duffy
• Flyer
• Haine
• Hugh
• James Bond
• Jelliceoe
• Jerrisca
• Jinson
• Joe (This was a girl.  She didn't like Jo.  Then, She wanted Jo-e.  Spell it Joey! I said.)
• Jordan
• Jordge
• Josh
• Journey
• Joy
• Juana
• Juice
• Kaiser
• Kant
• Kelsi
• Kiki
• Kin
• Kitty
• Lance
• Libra
• Lichen
• Lincoln
• Little Bear
• Mandy
• Marder
• Mexy
• Mickey
• Neons
• Olive
• Peel
• Poplar
• Rain
• Randy
• Sephiroth
• Serena
• Seven
• Smile
• Tiffy
• Tiscy
• Tommy
• Vikky
• Vinson
• Watermelon
• Wolf
• Xanxus
• Yao Dong
  
• Yao Yao
• Yvette
• Zoey

Brothers of Famous People

Bill Clinton:  Wife of U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.

Bobby Hood:  Brother of Robin.

Matty and Jesus Alou:  Brothers of Felipe

Matty and Felipe Christ:  Brothers of Jesus

Wilhelm Tell:  Unlike William, he was the apple of his parents' eyes because he was German.

O.K. Simpson:  Brother of O.J.

Lyndon Baines Johnson:  Brother of First Lady Lady Bird Johnson

Peter Mahovlolich:  Brother of Frank.

Peter Sinatra: Brother of Frank.

Jimmy Carter: Brother of First Lady Rosalyn.

Pierre Trudeau: This brother of the Doonesbury Cartoonist Gary Trudeau toiled in obscurity as Canadian Prime Minister.

Grouch, Harpo, Zeppo, and Chico Marx:  Brothers of Karl

Dom DiMaggio:  Brother of Joe DiMaggio

Dom Stalin:  Brother of Joe Stalin

Joe Deluise:  Brother of Dom Deluise.

George Eliot:  Brother of TS Eliot.

Pat Waugh:  Brother of Evelyn Waugh.

 

Ron Kaulins in Canada:  Brother of AKIC