I work in a mall

The view from work.

During the first few days I arrived in Shanghai, I already started getting the hint that, among westerners here, those of us who teach English (especially at the private language schools) are at the bottom of the expat food chain.

When asked what I do by various expat architects, bankers, engineers and art dealers I’ve gotten the eye roll and the “Of course” when I tell them I teach English. (As in: Eye roll, “Of course you teach English, everyone teaches English.”)

“I teach English” is apparently code for “I have a liberal arts degree and I wanted to live abroad.” 

And maybe some people don’t like that. But me – I have a liberal arts degree. And I wanted to live abroad. It’s sort of supply and demand. I can give the kind of instruction they’re looking for, and in return, they gave me the opportunity to live in China. I can’t help you with your banking investments. 

I don’t want to start an “import/export” business. I traded on the marketable talents I had.

I went to see a musician last week and he opened with a song about a guy who comes to Shanghai with a desire to soak up the culture, but things seemingly fall apart. In the song, he fails to learn Chinese and ends up “teaching English in a mall” before he packs up and moves back to America.

I teach English in a mall.

It’s true.

A good chunk of the private language schools are housed in malls. In fact, on the floor I work on there are at least two other private language schools.

So, I teach English. In a mall. It’s a job. But even in the short time I’ve been here, it’s a job that’s given me the opportunity to be somewhere I never actually thought I’d be.

Plus, look at the view from the teacher’s office at my school! 

As an added bonus, my school is just around the corner from this doner kebab place where I get these little pieces of heaven for 6 yuan -- which is less than a buck in USD!