Mian Yang is Sichuan's second city, located in the north of the province 100 km away from the capital Chengdu. Mian Yang province is home to over 5 million people, with around 600,000 living in the city itself. There is evidence of people living in the Mian Yang area for more than 2200 years, and it is famous within China as the birth place of a number of historical figures including Li Bai, a famous poet, Wen Tong an important painter, and Luo Zu, a mythological Chinese 'mother of silk'.
With over 90 million people Sichuan is China's most populated state and has been important both economically and culturally since ancient times. It was at the centre of a number of unique civilisations and the areas history can be traced back to the Shang Dynasty of 1500 BC. The area's fertile lands and rivers have learnt it the name 'The Land of Abundance' and it was an important centre during the Qin, Jin, Tang and Ming dynasty's, resulting in numerous remains and important archaeological sites scattered throughout the state.
The state is most famous for its tea production and Sichuan was the first area in the world to begin planting and exporting tea on a large scale. Other products include rice and wheat, citrus fruits, sugar canes, sweet potatoes, peaches, grape seeds and wine. More recently that area has become a centre for the Chinese software, electronics and space industries.
We work with 10 schools in Mian Yang City Centre so there are many things you can do. Our placements include:
Students are aged 12-15 years old. The Secondary Schools we work with have up to almost 3,000 students with 60-70 students per class. You also can teach Music, Art, Football or Basketball.
The children in the primary school are from 6 to 12 years old. The schools we work with have up to 2500 students with each class have about 60-70 students. There is also the option to teach in an award winning experimental primary school.
The children in our kindergartens are from 4 to 7 years old. There are about 600- 650 children in each kindergarten. You will assist in many areas including Music, Drawing, Dancing, PE and craft classes. There is also the option to teach in an award winning experimental kindergarten.
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Read how your fees are spent or compare our
prices with other volunteer organisations.
View our prices in other volunteer locations's or combine your stay in with stays in other locations as part of a combination stay.
Our application process typically takes two or three weeks, but can
be speeded up if there is a need for that. When we receive the initial application from you, we will send you our
full application form.
(1) Complete the Initial Application Form:
The first stage of the application process is to fill out the brief initial application form. Upon receiving this we will send you the full application form.
(2) Complete the Full Application Form:
Fill out the application form. After receiving this we will assess your suitability and place you on one of our programs.
(3) Placement info:
We will return detailed placement information and an invoice. If you accept the placement you should clikc the link to say so. The fee can be paid with credit card through PayPal or by bank transfer.
Once you have made your traveling arrangements you should mail your time of arrival and the means of transportation and we will confirm pickup.
You can join our Chinese programs for any amount of time between 4 weeks and 6 months. We recommend a trip of 3-6 months since it offers the best value. Regardless of the length of your stay, you will have time to get to know a new culture, come to know its people, and form relationships that will outlast the duration of your stay.
May: Fri 31
June: Fri 14, Fri 28
July: Fri 12, Fri 26
August: Fri 9, Fri 23
September: Fri 6, Fri 20
October: Fri 4, Fri 18
November: Fri 1, Fri 15, Fri 29
December: Fri 13, Fri 27
|January: Fri 10, Fri 24
February: Fri 7, Fri 21
March: Fri 7, Fri 21
April: Fri 4, Fri 18
|May: Fri 2, Fri 16, Fri 30
June: Fri 13, Fri 27
July: Fri 11, Fri 25
August: Fri 8, Fri 22
|September: Fri 5, Fri 19
October: Fri 3, Fri 17, Fri 31
November: Fri 14, Fri 28
December: Fri 12, Fri 26
All volunteers will live in one flat. At the moment the flat can hold four volunteers, 2 in each room. The flat has a washing machine, air conditioning, hot water, shower, TV. From the flat to it takes only 10 to 20 minutes to walk to most of the schools.
Sichuan is known as the home of the giant panda, and includes the famous Wolong Panda reserve. The reserve was founded in 1980 with the help of the World Wildlife Fund and covers over 200,000 hectares. It houses over 150 pandas both captive and wild, with one of the world's most successful breeding programs. As well as the giant panda the park is home to a number of other rare and endangered species including red pandas, golden monkeys, white-lipped deer and gnu.
Many of these species, including giant and red pandas are also found in Jiuzhaigou a narrow 400 kilometer valley in the Minshan mountain range in the west of Sichuan. Jiuzhaigou is famous for its spectacular senary, lakes and waterfalls and was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1992.
Other famous sites includes the Leshan Giant Buddha. The Buddha is the largest stone status in the world at 71 meters tall and was cut into a cliff face during the Tang Dynasty (618-907). For anyone with an interest in archaeology there are a huge number of sites both surrounding Mian Yang and throughout Sichuan province.
Volunteers will eat in School canteen. You will have 3 meals in the schools from Monday to Friday At the weekend you must pay for your own food. Mian Yang has many Chinese food options, however there is a limited selection of Western food. Cheng Du, which is located and hour away, has a wealth of Western food options.
The Sichuan basin has a subtropical monsoon climate with long summers and short winters. Summers are humid although not too hot with average temperatures between 25-29 degrees. Winters tend to be cool and cloudy.Sichuan Weather Chart
There are many of airlines which fly direct or with connections to Shanghai. You can arrive anytime from Friday through Monday before your start date, however we suggest that you arrive either on the Monday or the Friday preceding your start date.
Volunteers will be met in the Arrivals area of Pu Dong International Airport, Shanghai.
Transportation will be arranged to take you to Mian Yang, volunteers are expected to cover this cost.
Jessie Duanmu is the Director of Travel to Teach China. She obtained her Master's Degree in Education in the UK and has been teaching English and Mandarin in primary and secondary schools for 9 years. She has a great love for travel and has been to France, Holland, Germany, Switzerland, Italy, Spain, Canada, US, South Africa, Norway, Ireland, UK, Singapore, Thailand, Malaysia and Australia. In her spare time, she loves cooking, dancing, Chinese instrument, golf, table tennis and swimming.
You MUST obtain a 90 Day (3 Month) Class L Tourist Visa in order to enter the country.
If you are planning to work in Cambodia then you will need to obtain a police records background check before starting your placement. For details on the application procedure in your home country please take a look at: www.travel-to-teach.org/CRB-information.php
At all other locations you will be required to abide by the Travel to Teach Child Protection Policy.
Courses or boosters usually advised: hepatitis A and B, typhoid; tetanus-diptheria.
Vaccines sometimes advised:Japanese B encephalitis (if visiting rural farming areas), rabies, malaria.
There are no required vaccinations needed to enter the country but please consult your doctor before traveling. More information is available from the WHO's (World Health Organization) travelers health information site or CDC.gov traveler’s health information.
One of the conditions of entry onto our programs is that volunteers have travel insurance. Most importantly the insurance needs to include medical treatment and repatriation in case of unforeseen accidents or illnesses. Volunteers should purchase insurance independently and bring a copy of their insurance certificate with them for their local co-ordinator to check before starting their program. Read our terms and conditions.