School: Shuangjiang Municipal High School, Shuangjiang, Yunnan
Benefits: 2000rmb per month, plus furnished apartment on campus
Workload: 16 classes per week (45 minute classes)
When to Start: Early September, 2004
Where: 80 miles from the Burmese (Myanmar) border in southwest Yunnan province

Your Qualifications:
1. Bachelor’s Degree and/or TESOL certification.
2. Experience teaching English (teaching students aged 14-17 a plus)
3. One year living abroad
4. Mature and able to adapt to living in a small town

The Town: Shuangjiang "Twin Rivers", (population 20,000), is the county seat.
The People: Friendly. There are Chinese and large representations of four minority peoples (Dai, Bulang, Wa, Lahu)
Climate: Mild, the hottest summer day in the last 40 years hit 93 degrees Fahrenheit/34 Celcius. Summer days are usually below 86F/30C. Winters are cold, but not freezing.
Natural Environment: Green valley surrounded by mountain ridges that extend into Burma and Laos
Environmental Quality: Clean air and water. The town has one factory (sugar processing), a good number of motorcycles, a few cars, and one traffic light.
Remoteness: We are a stone’s throw from Burma and another stone’s throw to the next county seat and its airport (on the tip of a mountain ridge overlooking the largest ocean valley of yellow flowering rapeseed you will ever see). From there it’s a 40-minute plane ride or eleven-hour bus ride to Kunming, the capital of Yunnan.
Food: Chinese food and local specialties abound.
MacDonalds, Wal-Mart, Carrefour, Starbucks: A long way away

Why we want you: Everywhere in China people want to learn English, or they want their children to learn it. In cities throughout China people have both the means (money) and opportunity (to learn from native English speakers in population centers). However, in Twin Rivers, Shuangjiang county seat, the people have little money, and there are no foreigners.

This job is not for the unadventurous. But it is neither bewildering nor insecure. Here, the people are friendly and law-abiding, and the school administration is set to take care of you and your needs. We hope you will fall in love with the people and the beautiful mountain country in this remote corner of China.

Undoubtedly, the ability to speak Chinese would be greatly advantageous, but even without advanced language skills, this adventure, entered into with patience, as well as mutual respect and appreciation, will certainly result in a high degree of understanding and success.

Living among the peoples of this region will bring rewards not widely experienced by foreign English teachers in metropolitan areas. The people here whose lives you touch will love you—unreservedly.

If this kind of opportunity appeals to you, write me with questions or concerns, and I will get right back to you. I’ve studied, taught, and worked in China for a total of ten years, and I will respond to your queries.

Sincerely,
Ray Cooprider, a friend of Shuangjiang Municipal High School