SINETHEMBA MAGWAZA

Achiever of the week: Sinethemba Magwaza 

May 19, 2021 | By Nqobile Mdima 

This week’s feature is Sinethemba Magwaza. Sinethemba is from South Africa, Empangeni. She holds a Bachelor of Psychology, Bachelor commerce (Honours) and a Postgraduate Certificate In Education from The University of KwaZulu-Natal. She also has a TEFL certificate from Teach TEFL. Before Sinethemba graduated for her PGCE, she started a small hair & make-up business. She sold weaves, treated them and also made wigs. After graduating she continued with her small business to survive. Her business helped her a lot with the preparations to move to china. She decided to move to China because of China's competitive salary and also her future business plans. Sinethemba is an ESL teacher in DeMay kindergarten. She has been working and living in China for almost 2 years, 20 months. So far Sinethemba has travelled to Nanjing, Shanghai, Xuzhou, Zhenjiang, Wuxi and Suzhou. 

Sinethemba shares with us her TEFL journey, expat life hacks, her lowlights and highlights, what she wishes she knew before moving to China, her likes and dislikes about living abroad and her future plans. 

What were you doing before moving to China?

Before I graduated for my PGCE, I decided to hustle and started a small hair & make- up business. I was selling weaves, treating them and also making wigs. When I graduated for my PGCE I continued with the hustle to survive. That helped me a lot with the preparations to come to china.

What made you decide to work abroad and why did you choose to move to China?

I won’t even lie and make it that deep, it is unemployment and the situation at home. I came to china because of the competitive salary. I had to choose between South Korea and China, because that is the information I was exposed to. I also chose China because of my future business plans.

Where did you apply for jobs? (Please share website links, agencies contacts ect.)

I applied on different websites and agencies but I ended up choosing the recruiter called Jack Wei. I got him from the website called “Daves Esl Café”

Moving abroad can be quite expensive, did you pay for all the costs yourself? 

I only paid for the small things like paperwork preparations. The rest of the money I was rescued by my lovely cousin (best friend) who lived in the USA that time.

How long did it take you to adjust to the new environment? 

Luckily I can say I was a bit mentally prepared for it because I knew people who were this side already. They told me what to expect but you cannot be fully prepared. It took few months but the language barrier is still the main issue.

What do you wish you knew before moving to China? 

I wish they told me how hard it is to learn Chinese and how to work with Chinese. The working environment culture.

How do you overcome homesickness and loneliness? 

I actually do lot of things. I always watch YouTube videos of people back home, cook south African food, party, travel, video call my family & social media.

How many cities have you visited in China so far? 

I haven’t been to many cities as I wish to be because of covid 19 and type of school I was working for. I have been to Nanjing, Shanghai, Xuzhou, Zhenjiang, Wuxi and Suzhou.

What do you do for fun in your city? 

I party, chill with friends and explore hidden gems.

What would you recommend as the best hack(s) that have been helpful to you as an expat in China? 

Have a local native friend, try to learn the basics of the language at least and have foreign friends, especially those who have been in the country for longer.

When did you start your YouTube channel and what is it about? 

I started my YouTube channel last year and it’s honestly all things China. I don’t have a niche yet but it's meant to help people who want to join the ESL journey in China and make things a bit easier for them.

Which APPs have been valuable to you ever since you moved to China? 

-Wechat is the main Guru in china, you can literally do almost everything you need there. 

-VPN. This will help you with commucating with your family since google apps are blocked.

-Also the translator. Honestly this is the main form of communication if you are new in the country and you don’t know Chinese.

What do you like and dislike about teaching abroad?

I like that teachers are valued and respected compared to back home. I hate that I don’t know the language, so I can’t fully communicate with my students.

What have been your highlights and lowlights?

My lowlights is during the lockdown period. I was kind of depressed about everything happening in the world plus my boss wasn’t paying us. My highlight was when I finally paid off my student debts and also helping my family.

What advice would you give to someone considering to move abroad, especially in China?

Be ready for culture shock as almost everything is different. You need to be open minded and create your own fun. 

Please list 3 advantages and 3 disadvantages about living in your city?

I live in the outskirts of Suzhou in the district called Zhangjiagang. The disadvantages are the following:

- There isn’t lot of foreigners and foreign brands. 

-The locals are not used to black foreigners. 

The advantages are the following:

-Affordable cost of living. 

- Clean air. 

-Less competition.

What are your future plans?

Honestly only God knows about that one especially now that we are in Covid 19 era. My concept in life is that everything that is meant to be will happen at the right time, God will place me. But I’m still planning to live abroad for a while. Not necessarily China though.