The First Week

Your first week in Shanghai will be extremely busy. You will definitely be visiting the school, meeting the Senior Leadership Team (SLT), fixing up a bank account, taking orientation tours of Shanghai, buying the basics for your new home and meeting some of the returning staff. There will be a chance for you to email or phone home, visit some of Shanghai’s tourist attractions and enjoy several meals out with members of the SLT and several of our teachers.

You will have opportunities to visit the school. This first week will be about getting to know each other, the SLT and setting up some basic things, including your bank accounts. You will also have an introductory Mandarin lesson. This is very useful for teaching you some essential language for your first week. You will not need to worry about setting up classrooms or planning. There are plenty of opportunities for this built into the inset week when all staff start work.

The members of SLT will have put together a week of activities to help you settle in. Not all of the things that they plan will be compulsory and you will receive a timetable of your first week which clearly states the things you are expected to attend and those that are optional. Some examples of trips out that have been provided in the past are: Trips to IKEA to buy a few necessities for your accommodation; a trip to Carrefour to stock up on food, the purchase of mobile SIM cards. You will also have the opportunity take a late-night cycle tour of Old Shanghai and the French Concession, test your bargaining skills at the local markets and maybe even get some clothes made to measure at the fabric market.