Minnie is from Huainan in Anhui Province, however, her family is from Beijing. As a child, she was always interested in learning English, and it eventually became her passion.
Through middle school, high school, and college, gaining a command of the English language became her priority. After college, she became an English teacher which gave her the opportunity to share her passion and what she had learned with other English learners.
Now, working for Endeavor, she is able to help foreign teachers accomplish their goals of teaching English in China.
What is your favorite travel memory?
My favorite travel memory is traveling to a mountain close to my hometown in Anhui Province called Mt. Huashan. If you have never heard of it, you should search for it.
It has the most amazing scenery I have ever seen. I was able to sleep on the mountain for the night. For me, the epic part of the trip was seeing the sunrise the next morning. At that moment I knew it was the most amazing thing I had ever seen and still is to this day.
How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?
I have been able to grow tremendously with my current company. I have been able to see all aspects of the education system here in China. From public elementary schools, high schools, private schools, colleges, and training centers.
I have had the opportunity gain a wealth of knowledge about the English language and English language training. I have also become very familiar with foreign teacher requirements, their wants and needs, and those of the schools which we work with as well.
What is the best story you've heard from a return student?
Most teachers who come to China, are here just for one, maybe two years at most. Others, though very few, intend to stay here long term.
It was the most rewarding thing seeing a teacher find her true calling while here in China. She wasn't sure what she wanted to do in life, and decided to give teaching English a try. In doing so, she decided to make a career out of it because she ended up loving it much more than she expected. She returned to her home country and continued teaching English and is still an English teacher to this day.
If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?
I would teach at one of our private high schools.
In my experience, private schools tend to have a better understanding of and place priority in making the teacher happy. In doing so, the teacher is then able to teach free of boundaries and much pressure. Not to mention the salary is much higher with private schools or international programs as well.
Ideally, this would be the kind of program where I could see myself teaching for long term.
What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?
We at Endeavor group are a unique mix of Chinese and foreign staff. We understand the entire process from both a foreign and Chinese point of view.
Cultural barriers can be a huge problem for a foreigner especially when they are picking up their life to move to a foreign country. Understanding that foreigners are making a move that can be extremely intimidating can be difficult to relate to.
Our foreign staff members are always on top of making sure that the foreign teacher is as comfortable a possible. On the same token, our Chinese staff understands the schools, and their requirements. Together we have the unique ability to come to solutions that both sides can agree on within just our office.
What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?
The biggest factor in being a successful company is gaining the trust of the candidates. Time and time again we get inquiries about our company, legitimacy, and process because candidates are afraid of being scammed (rightfully so).
If a company can be trusted, whether it's through reviews, word of mouth, etc., then that company has a high chance of being a very successful one.
