I recommended a position at GXUN’s Sino-Brit College to a friend but after some research, he told me he wasn't keen and mentioned this thread to me.

I'm sorry that you had a bit of a nightmare in Nanning Fatty and from your post, understandably so. This post is not meant to belittle any of your experiences but just to provide a different view for those who are considering a teaching position here (or Nanning). Teaching in China is challenging, no doubt and I had a tough time adjusting to China. So main advice: be prepared. Know a bit of the language (basic terms), how the Chinese work (pragmatic, ad-hoc and non-confrontational) and come armed with a sense of humour 'cause ... you will be needing it. But in all it's craziness, the Chinese culture is fascinating and historically so rich that once you've accustomed yourself to all her craziness, you will begin to love being here. Like I have. Hence, get ready - it's going to be a long one.

1. Nanning as a city
Nanning can be very dusty (as most developing cities are in China), humid and yes, has a very small expat community. But in hindsight, I feel it is also an excellent place to start one's teaching experience in China. It is relatively much cheaper to live in (6 yuan aka 60p for a huge bowl of yummy rice noodles on campus), less crowded and less polluted (blue skies abound outside the mild winter months) than in the north. Granted that Nanning is no Shanghai, Guangzhou or Hangzhou but it is one of the fastest developing cities in the south and as such, has higher living standards (relative to cost) - I watched some pretty high quality classical concerts for as cheap as 8 pounds! - and is more accessible than other cities/large towns. To me, that makes it a pretty good base for travelling in the South – you will be near Guilin (the world famous lime caves in Yangshuo county), Guangzhou (dim sum), Beihai (the beach!), Yunnan (a 1.5 hr direct flight away) and Vietnam (half a day bus travel down south). Nanning has also recently added some new fancy malls (my mates and I get our cheese from the grocery store in MixC Mall – a very upscale mall in the East) and a brand new subway which I’ve just tested and it has proven to be quite tourist friendly (‘English’ option available at ticket machines). Not all lines are fully operational but the station right outside GXUN is said to be open by the end of this year.

You will also find (besides the low living cost and a good travel base) that Nanning folk are really welcoming and keen to connect. I didn’t love Nanning when I first came but after making a few friends and travelling a bit, I have to say – Nanning’s local folk are one of the warmest in China. In other parts of China I’m always on the lookout for scam artists, but in Nanning the local folk tend to feel proud that you’ve selected their city to work in. They will try their best to introduce their culture to you and accommodate you. So yes, Nanning is less developed than some of the cities up north but considering the cost of living, the accessibility and the smaller crowds, it’s quite a good base to begin exploring/understanding Chinese culture.

2. GXUN
Do be aware: Guangxi University for Nationalities is most definitely not a first tier university. This means students that enter the Sino-British programme are not those who scored highly on the university entrance exam (‘gaokao’) and that means you start off with a pretty challenging cohort. So I agree with Fatty: you get some entitled rich bratty kids who are expecting to get a degree just based solely on the fact that they paid for one. However, there are also students who did not do well in their gaokao because they feel tired or out of place with the rote memory learning system they grew up with. As such, they are actually looking to find a different avenue to channel their intellectual efforts creatively. These students are the ones that make it worth your while. To see them independently conceptualise a research study in their final years when they weren’t even able to even critically evaluate information in the beginning is an incredibly rewarding experience.

Note: The foundation programme is an intensive English-centred course to prepare the students (language-wise and their soft skills as well e.g. critical reasoning) for the subsequent 3 year undergraduate accounting & finance degree which is completely conducted in English.

3. Accommodation
GXUN is situated in the Xixiangtang district which is quite a bit away from the city centre but the plus point would be that the air is fresher, the environment quieter and more peaceful. The campus is actually quite beautiful – very green and has a beautiful lake. Great for walks and nearing summer, abundant tropical fruits make their appearance. If you’re lucky, the Ah Yis (female caretakers) will pass you some of their ‘harvest’. As Fatty mentioned, you can opt to stay on campus (everything is free but the actual building is pretty dingy) or with a small allowance, outside. Most of us at this point opt to stay out and my apartment is near the university - clean and comfortable. Perhaps the management has improved since Fatty’s time as I did not have to find the apartment myself – I only needed to be briefed on how to pay for utility fees and setting up the wifi which the staff were helpful in assisting.

Note: Do watch out though for the landlords and/or the building management. I have heard stories from other lecturers that the landlords and/or building management have attempted to collect extra ‘charges’ without the approval of GXUN management. My advice would be to always check with GXUN management before paying anything and if you have to pay anything, demand for a receipt or take a picture or something.

4. Management
Dealing with the management can be trying at times. They run the place old-school and this means a pretty strict 8 – 5pm office hours rule and old-school Chinese can be quite ad-hoc so anticipate last minute emails without clear explanations at times. Yes, you have to report back to the police station (a staff accompanies you to help with translation) if you have travelled out of China though I don’t think it’s an issue of micro-control with GXUN – this is more of a regulation dictated by the regional immigration department that GXUN has to abide by. However, the reporting bit is explained to you early on and the office hours are clearly stated in your contract so I came into this position with my eyes wide open. I did find the longer you work with her and have proven to be reliable, Katherine actually doesn’t mind you coming in slightly later or leaving earlier when you do not have classes. A lot of it has to do with negotiating with her your responsibilities and coming through on your end when you said you will.

Now, Katherine is no angel - she can be inconsistent with her orders, impulsive, confrontational and extremely blunt at times. But with all these qualities, she has also proven herself to be passionate in her work, protective of the lecturers and compensates you according to the work you have put in. She doesn’t stand for bullshit and lets you know that right away. Couple that will some bull-headedness and impulsivity, will almost certainly rub you the wrong way during the initial adjusting period. However, over the last 2 years I’ve come to appreciate her no-nonsense attitude and directness especially when we had staff who were doing some gas-lighting amongst us or who were gossiping about other lecturers to the students or over-protective parents unhappy with us failing their children. And I do not think it is easy to manage GXUN, students, parents and the UK university academic board all in one go so some inconsistency is bound to happen. She isn’t perfect but I’ve not known her to cheat anyone out of a pay check or fees. She's always abided by my contract and when there are changes, have informed me about it. In fact, she’s a stickler for trying to get our wages in on time and have seen her blow up at GXUN management for nonchalantly being a day late in arranging payment. When our pay wasn’t in on time due to that, she even offered to loan a colleague some money to cover her living expenses. Not to say that there never are issues. When things are run in an ad-hoc manner, there is a lot of potential for some serious miscommunication (refer to my note regarding landlords under ‘3. Accommodation’). I do not think it’s solely one person’s fault – I largely see it as a structural issue due to poorly regulated procedures. It is easy to blame Katherine as she is the most vocal, most unlikeable and is at the frontline of things but she actually has little to do with finances (GXUN handles all of it). So always remember to insist on a receipt after paying and/or send an email to confirm whatever it is you’re paying for as proof. No proof, no reimbursement/deposit (I learnt this the hard way).

I've enjoyed my time here and a lot of my colleagues are continuing on into their 3rd year here. I've also heard from a few who would like to return. They mentioned the students, the quiet and peaceful living environment and cheaper living costs as the primary attractions. Sure, management isn't perfect but very few workplaces have perfect management (especially in China). All my experiences have taught me some valuable lessons on how to navigate my work life more effectively and I can say assuredly that I'm very happy with where I am right now.

It is unfortunate Fatty had such a negative experience but I think management has perhaps realised a lot of what they were doing wrong and made some marked improvements. So I would say to those checking this out to give Sino-British College a chance - who knows, you might stay longer than you thought.

Best,
June