Side Hustle · Chinese Teaching
My Chinese Teaching Journey
By Rebecca Yener ·
An unexpected beginning
I didn’t enjoy my experiences with most of my teachers growing up, so I never had that spark of thinking, “One day, I’ll become a teacher and inspire someone.” Yet when I moved to Türkiye in 2010, teaching Chinese seemed like one of the few options available to me.
By chance, I came across a Facebook post from someone looking for an at-home tutor for a child. His name was Kaan, and he was such a remarkable boy! I found that I liked the work. I wanted to take it seriously and become more professional, and I was also trying to find a way to support myself.
Going back to learn
In 2011, I returned to China to get certified. But after I went back to Türkiye, I found a better job, and I didn’t get the chance to move into a formal teaching role.
Back in the classroom
Then, about ten years later, teaching came back into my life. I started as a substitute at the Chinese School of CAACF, teaching children singing and dancing. After a semester, I became a regular teacher working with teenagers.
The work beyond the lesson
That experience gave me a much deeper appreciation for teachers in America and how much of their work goes unseen. A class might last only two hours, but there is preparation, review, research, and a presentation to put together. For me, a two-hour class often meant another two hours of preparation.
Eventually, I had to step away from teaching because my main job became busier. But I found teaching meaningful. The personal fulfillment was different from what I felt in other work, and it’s something I still value about that chapter of my life.