About The Authors

Author

• Gregory Mavrides, Ph.D.
  

  Gregory Mavrides is a native New Yorker who attended SUNY at Stony Brook for his B.A. degree in psychology and Columbia University for the M.S. and Ph.D. degrees in clinical social work with an additional six years of post-graduate training in psychoanalytic psychotherapy. He has over 30 years of combined experience as an academician, clinician, and healthcare administrator. Currently, Dr. Mavrides is a professor in psychology and sociology at ALHOSN University in Abu Dhabi, UAE where he serves as the chair of the Social Sciences Department.

  Prof. Mavrides worked in mainland China from 2003 to 2010 and began writing what would later become the Foreign Teachers Guide to Living and Working in China back in 2006 in response to what he saw as both a ubiquitous exploitation of foreign English teachers and the absence of any information written about teaching English in China other than from those who had a personal or financial interest in the industry, e.g., recruiters, all-in-one cultural exchange programs, and school owners. In addition to writing the Foreign Teachers Guide, he is the author of several professional articles, symposia presentations, and APA PsycCRITIQUES book reviews.

  Please note: I do not respond to questions and comments sent directly to me from anonymous sources. If you want to remain anonymous then you should post your question or comment on our Q&A Forums. Questions or comments sent directly to one of my e-mail addresses should include a real name and full contact information, i.e., your location and phone number.

• Contact Information

ALHOSN University
Delma Street, P.O. Box 38772
Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
Office: +9712-407-0574


Email: drgreg@middlekingdomlife.com

g.mavrides@alhosnu.ae

Consultants

Subject Area Consultants and Contributors

• Allan Kuang (匡晓文), M.A.
  Culture, society, and education
  

  Mr. Kuang holds a master's degree in linguistics and is currently a lecturer at Hainan University's College of Tourism. He teaches courses in English grammar, writing, intensive reading, and oral English related to tourism, as well as cross-cultural communication, translation, and interpretation. He serves as the guide's chief cultural, educational, and historical content editor. Every chapter in this guide has been proofread and verified by Mr. Kuang for its cultural and sociopolitical accuracy, and the guide is deeply indebted to him for his time, expertise and counsel. Allan can be contacted directly at AKuang@middlekingdomlife.com.

• Headmaster Ken, M.Ed.
  Contracts, Private School Employment
  

  Headmaster Ken is a former U.S. Army officer and professional educator who had a long and successful career working in corporate training, public education, and private sector management prior to moving to China several years ago. Ken is a frequent content contributor and consultant to the guide, and most of the information pertaining to employment, contracts, and SAFEA regulations is the direct result of Ken's expertise and his personal relationships with Chinese provincial government leaders. Ken can be contacted directly at Ken@middlekingdomlife.com.

• Gavin Xu (徐敬明), M.A.
  SAFEA rules and regulations
  

  Mr. Xu holds a bachelor's degree in education from Qufu Normal University and a master's degree in cognitive linguistics from Beihang University. Originally from Shandong Province, he has been working in the Department of International Cooperation and Exchange at the Beijing University of Civil Engineering and Architecture as of 2007. Mr. Xu serves as the Guide's technical consultant and advisor for all questions related to SAFEA rules and regulations affecting foreign experts in China. Gavin can be contacted directly at Gavin.Xu@middlekingdomlife.com.

City Guide Contributors (in ascending order of contribution)

• Joshua Davis
  

  Mr. Davis is a 23-year old American foreign English teacher in Tangshan, Hebei, China. He grew up in various places across Maryland and Delaware, and then attended Temple University in Philadelphia where he graduated with a major in actuarial science. While attending university, Joshua also studied Chinese independently with a private tutor and, shortly after graduation, decided to move to China to teach English as a way of continuing his Chinese language studies. Mr. Davis plans to return to the states in the summer of 2009 to find work as an actuary that would allow him to eventually return to one of China's major metropolitan centers, preferably Beijing. In addition to his Tangshan City Guide, Joshua has also contributed an article to our blog titled "On Being Jewish in China During Christmas." Joshua can be contacted directly at joshua.davis@middlekingdomlife.com.

• Raymond Allan Johnson
  

  Raymond Allan Johnson is a native of Detroit, Michigan. He came to China in 2005 as a Ford consultant to the Jiangling Motors Corp., Ltd, in their joint venture building the Ford Transit vehicle. By the time he’d reached the end of his contract, it was clear to him that Nanchang was to be his new home. Coinciding with the end of his employment at Jiangling Motors, Mr. Johnson was invited to teach in Nanchang University's College of Science and Technology, where he remains today. In April 2008, Mr. Johnson joined the Web International English Nanchang Training Center. This has afforded him the opportunity to enjoy an even wider range of new friends and colleagues. Raymond was kind enough to summarize his experiences for our readers by writing the Nanchang City Guide and can be contacted directly at raymond.johnson@middlekingdomlife.com.

• Christopher Albright
  

  Christopher Albright is a 24-year old native of Boston, Massachusetts who has travelled extensively around the world. He first visited China with his family at the age of 13 and made a point of returning to the Middle Kingdom shortly after graduating from Eastern Connecticut University with a bachelor's degree in economics. Chris has been teaching at the Hunan University of Science and Engineering since August 2009 and is the author of our Yongzhou City Guide. In response to our warm thanks for his efforts, Chris replied "My pleasure to help, your information on Chinese culture actually helped me to find a job paying almost twice what I make now." Mr. Albright can be contacted directly at calbright@middlekingdomlife.com.

• Alex Schofield
  

  Originally from Durham, England, Mr. Schofield graduated from the University of Leeds in 2006 with a bachelor's degree in social policy and politics. Thereafter he worked as a headhunter in the construction and electrical markets before growing disillusioned with corporate culture. In late 2008, he embarked on a round-the-world trip that included Africa, Australia, New Zealand, and Asia. Alex fell in love with Asia from the moment he first arrived in Thailand in May 2009 and decided then that expat life would be preferable to returning to the UK. After meeting several EFL teachers whilst travelling, he was inspired to try teaching as a profession and answered a job ad for a position in China. Alex has been living in Shenzhen since November 2009 where he has been working in a private kindergarten and as a private tutor. He is the author of our Shenzhen City Guide, articles on Freelance Teaching in China and Smartphone Applications for Western Expats in China, and, most recently, a personal story in which he explains who is best suited for succeeding as an foreign English teacher in China: Proud, Educated, and Working Class. Mr. Schofield can be contacted directly at a.schofield@middlekingdomlife.com.

• John Taylor
  

  Originally from Stockport, UK, John Taylor studied history and politics with Professors Brendan Evans and William Stafford at Huddersfield University in the early 1990s and then earned a P.G.C.E. (FE) at Holly Bank, Huddersfield University. In 1999 Mr. Taylor traveled to Nanchang, Jiangxi Province as an English teacher with the organization Voluntary Service Overseas. With the exception of a two-year break back in England, he has remained in China since and has taught English in Nanchang at several universities. He is currently teaching at one of four key experimental universities in Zhuhai, Guangdong Province, which has ties to Hong Kong. John has been married to a Chinese national for the past eight years and is the author of the personal story Am I Trapped in China? Mr. Taylor can be contacted directly at j.taylor@middlekingdomlife.com.