BA (Hons), iPGCE
Shortly after graduating with a BA (Hons) in Philosophy from Lancaster University, James decided to try teaching overseas. He began his teaching career in Jinan, Shandong, where he worked as an ESL teacher for a local university. Coming from a family of teachers, it didn’t take long for him feel comfortable in the classroom.
In order gain a greater insight into pedagogy related to younger learners, James chose to transition from teaching at university to a young learners training centre. Within a year, he was promoted to Head of Foreign Department where he led a team international teachers, delivered training and assisted leadership with decision making. During this time, he was invited to work for a bilingual school in Beijing on the condition that he could simultaneously study a Post Graduate Certificate of Education (International). James eventually received his iPGCE (Distinction) from the University of Sheffield. After several years of experience working as a homeroom teacher in the capital, he decided to aim for a job at BSB Shunyi, a school which values the importance of rigor and the whole child in education.
James considers himself a kind and compassionate person who relishes new challenges and self-development. He enjoys travelling and experiencing new cultures, as he believes there is much to gain from exchanging perspectives. He has a particularly keen interest in Chinese culture, a driving factor to teaching himself Mandarin Chinese (albeit to a conversational level), which helped him better assimilate into his surroundings. Aside from travel, he also enjoys hiking, badminton, open discussion and science fiction movies.
