Yixin Gao

I am currently an English Teacher at Bejing Zhongtian Hong'an Education Technology Co. 

What were your favourite classes? 

My favourite classes were LIN228 (Phonetics), LIN229 (Sound Patterns in Language, LIN232 (Syntactic Patterns in Language), LIN380 (Bilingualism and Multiple Language Acquisition), LIN486 (Teaching and Learning Cross-cultural Communication). 

What courses did you find most valuable?

As an international student, English is a second language to me. LIN228 (Phonetics) helped me correct the stubborn accent that had for many years. Courses like LIN380 (Bilingualism and Multiple Language Acquisition), LIN486 (Teaching and Learning Cross-cultural Communication) and LIN487 (Second Language Pedagogy) are also valuable that made me qualified to be an English teacher in China and consistently inspired me to apply new pedagogical approaches. 

How did UTM prepare you for your career?

The reputation of UTM first allowed me to stand on a good starting point in the job market. UTM has brought me valuable experience and skills, like multitasking, team playing, time and stress management, inquiry study, etc. It's hard to say that a specific skill contributed to my career development. However, when these skills integrate together, I understand that I will benefit from my UTM experience for my entire life. 

How did you de-stress as a student?

Photography is my biggest hobby. I found this could help me de-stress effectively and also cultivate my aesthetic sentiment. Besides, ensuring good sleeping quality is also important for stress management. Sometimes, I would like to take Melatonin to get asleep quickly, and it is also a good solution for international students to deal with jet lag. 

What was the biggest transitional issue you faced when you started at UTM? 

The first step is always the hardest. Before I entered university, I had not imagined such a big difference between high school life and university life. I even used my entire freshman year to get used to that change. Yes, there were hard times, but when you overcome them with your determination and double efforts, everything would get over it. 

How is your major/minor/specialist related to your current work? 

Linguistic Studies was one of my majors at UTM. Since my third year, I intentionally focused my study on language teaching by selecting relevant courses such as LIN380 (Bilingualism and Multiple Language Acquisition), LIN486 (Teaching and Learning Cross-cultural Communication) and LIN487 (Second Language Pedagogy). These courses differed me from other students and helped me quickly find my first teaching job after graduation in a non-English-speaking country. Besides, during my work, sometimes, I still consulted my previous notes for inspiration. 

What would be the top 3 skills needed to be the top performer in your industry?

In the English language education industry, I think high English proficiency, pedagogical knowledge and charisma are the three key factors to succeed. 

What time of year do employers in your field typically hire?

I can only give some tips about the Chinese job market. For new graduates, there are two rounds of recruitment fairs in a year, spring and autumn. The spring recruitment is from March to April, and the latter one is generally in September. Medium and small-sized companies do not have a very specific recruitment time, but post job offers on a rolling basis.