Help A Family In China Learn English

We recommend focusing on family interviews and choosing your location based on the host family that you really “connect with.” Let the family connection guide your decision on where you will live.

All host families are in and around Chongqing, China.

Before you depart, we connect you via email, phone and Zoom with your new host family. You’ll have all the details you want before you ever leave home.  GeoVisions spends a great deal of time on match-making. It is the only way the program will be successful. There needs to be a “connection” between you and your host family.

But after you arrive if you’re having issues, we have a way to start the process to fix things or, change your placement, if necessary. This is extremely rare, but we’ve done this long enough to know things can come up on all sides.

Unfortunately, host families needing a Homestay Tutor only have room for one extra person in the home.  So we are unable to provide a homestay for anyone except one Homestay Tutor per household. If you want to apply with someone else, they would be placed with another family. We would try hard to find a host family so you would be close to one another, but we could not guarantee that. We are successful most of the time.

Some of our Homestay Tutors tell us the bond they form with their host family can last a lifetime.  We know some tutors who actually fly back a few years later for a reunion or to attend a milestone event for one of the children they tutored.

You will participate in family activities, share cultures, make friends in your new community and with other Homestay Tutuors in the area.

Becoming a Homestay Tutor is a serious position … and while you do get paid to travel … your main responsibilities are the children you're tutoring.  While you might consider yourself patient, fun-loving and perfect for a job like this … think about how responsible you are and your previous experience with children.  If you’re ready … we have incredible families who need you right away, living in amazing locations.  It's an amazing cultural exchange!

Here are examples of what it’s like to be a Homestay Tutor, written by our participants from our GeoVisions Blog.

By being aware of some of the cultural differences you lessen the impact of culture shock and you make your life considerably easier. Here is a list of some of the more overt cultural differences of Western culture in relation to Chinese culture:

Food Etiquette

Food etiquette in China is different from other cultures. Watch what they do. You will be amazed. Slurping and reaching for food is totally acceptable as is removing food from one’s mouth and putting it on the table. Note that playing with chopsticks and making faces at the food (no matter how disgusted you might be) is not acceptable. Showing this emotion is considered a loss of face. Also note that going “dutch” is seen as unfriendly. If you offer to pay for everyone’s meal it will develop your relationship with him or her or them, even though they may not let you actually pay.

Crowds

We might as well address the one thing you HAVE to get used to. People. And lots of them. If you choose to travel or go out you will be exposed to crowds. On public holidays the masses of people will become readily apparent as you shop with 1.5 billion Chinese. Don’t expect people to wait in line. There is very little sense of personal space.

Visiting a Person’s House

If you are invited to a Chinese person’s house, which will happen, always take a gift of fruit or flowers. A pre-made basket of fruit costs about $5.00. A bag of oranges or a bunch of flowers only costs a couple of dollars.

Red flowers are good to take. White flowers are only used at funerals. Indian candy or smoked salmon as a “gift from home” always goes over really well.

Smoking

Smoking is seen as a masculine activity and very few think of it as a health threat or as offensive. Often people will smoke in restaurants with little or no regard for smoking or non-smoking sections. Chinese men constantly offer cigarettes and alcohol to other men. The type of cigarettes a person smokes establishes a class system. To decline an offer of a cigarette or alcohol say gently, “Wo bu hui. Xie xie.”

Tipping

Today, attitudes towards tipping are changing in China. Although the practice is not officially recognized, tips are now frequently offered to and accepted by travel guides, tour bus drivers, porters and waiters in top-class hotels and restaurants. However, tipping is still not expected in most restaurants and hotels. Consumer taxes are included in price tags on goods but big hotels and fine restaurants may include a service charge of 10% or more.

Physical Contact/Holding Hands in Public

Chinese are not big on public displays of affection. You will rarely if ever see couples kissing in public. Shake hands but refrain from hugging, kissing, winking, patting or making physical contact.
 As a “friend,” you will find that men will hold hands with men and women will hold hands with women and walk on the street. This may be “weird” in the west, but it is a common friendly practice for young people/adults in China. You may even have a friend of the same sex try to hold your hand at some point.

Eye Contact

In Western countries one expects to maintain eye contact when we talk with people. This is a norm we consider basic and essential. This is not the case among the Chinese. On the contrary, because of the more authoritarian nature of the Chinese society, steady eye contact is viewed as inappropriate, especially when subordinates talk with their superiors.

Chinese students are not brought up to maintain constant eye contact with their teachers. Eye contact is sometimes viewed as a gesture of challenge or defiance. When people get angry, they tend to maintain steady eye contact. Otherwise, they keep talking looking elsewhere or nonchalant. Also, try to avoid physical content and eye contact with the opposite sex.

Bowing

Bowing or nodding is the common greeting; however, you may be offered a handshake. Wait for the Chinese to offer their hand first.

Inviting People Home

You are definitely welcome to invite Chinese people to your home. Expect that if you invite them that you will be required to supply everything, just the same as if you invite them to dinner in a restaurant.

Age

Be prepared to be asked your age, or why you are not married or don’t have any children. This is not considered prying but rather friendly and expressing interest in your life.

Chinese Hosts Offering Something

Usually when a Chinese host offers a guest refreshments, if the guest declines, the host will ask again twice. Remember this if you entertain at your place. If someone declines they may really want something so you should really ask a couple more times. It makes it look like you are really concerned with their comfort.