E-mail and instant messenging are the most reliable and easy methods in communicating with family and friends at home.
Most schools provide a computer with internet in the teacher’s apartment. Those teachers who do not have access to internet in the apartment will be provided with a computer on the school campus where they can e-mail and search the internet.
Teachers should be aware that the reliability of the internet access in China can vary from school to school and it is not uncommon for the server to be “down” from time to time. Teachers should contact China Horizons should this problem persist longer than five consecutive days.
Each teacher will be provided the contact information for the China Horizons native Chinese coordinator. This coordinator is available everyday to assist in such problems as communication between China and the teacher’s home country. Teachers can purchase a China phone card to call domestically within China.
China Horizons strongly recommends that teachers sign up for an internet phone service account such as SKYPE. This is a 100% free service and teachers can call around the world to anyone at a computer that is also signed up with SKYPE. Computers using SKYPE require a microphone and speakers, both of which can be purchased inexpensively in China.
Other than the free internet phone calling mentioned above, phone cards can be purchased online that allow for USA-China calling for as low as 2.4 cents a minute. A five dollar phonecard will provide 3.5 hours of call time. We recommend a reliable phone card store such as www.uniontelecard.com. The “Mega Clean and Stable” card is a great option. Not all apartments are equipped with phone service, so this option would only be applicable tothose teachers with phone access in their apartment.
