After graduating from Louisiana State University I worked at a few different jobs that weren’t a great fit for me.  The market wasn’t exactly ideal for a guy with only a bachelor’s degree in economics.  I wanted out of the service industry and I didn’t want to be stuck behind a desk either.  I knew of a few people who had taught English abroad and after seeing their photos and posts on Facebook I decided it was time for a change of scenery.  I also wanted to try something different.  I chose Beijing because it was exotic and it’s the capitol of the number one growing country in the world. 
YiBo made the move to China a breeze.  They supplied me with the visa I needed, a Chinese assistant that would help me with any problems that might arise, an excellent private kindergarten to teach in and a western style apartment near my school.  When I arrived in Beijing I began orientation with 66 other English instructors from a handful of different countries.  Immediately I formed many friendships, some of which I still enjoy today.  Teaching and living in China was exactly the life experience I hoped it would be and I often regret that I didn’t stay a second year. 
I’m back in Louisiana now and I am working in oil and gas as a lease broker, or “landman”.  The people skills that I developed while working in China in education have lent themselves tremendously to my current line of work.  Whereas I used to explain English concepts to students now I communicate legal language to property owners.  Instead of conferencing with parents or other staff now I conference with project managers and lessor’s legal representation.  In Beijing I would submit weekly reports that illustrated the material my class was covering.  Today I turn in weekly reports that demonstrate my progress in negotiating leases.
When I was job hunting I went on three different interviews.  On all three interviews the person giving the interview led with, “So, you did a year China.  That must have been an awesome experience.”  Being able to include that on my resume has certainly helped me stand out in a positive fashion.  I believe it lets people know that you are a certain type of person and I believe it helped me land the job I have today.

YiBoAfter graduating college, I decided I needed to get out of my hometown/college area and really see something different. I needed a year to see Asia and take a shot at learning Mandarin. After arriving, everything was so much fun and thrilling. I made very significant progress on learning Mandarin and learned so much about the Chinese system and business culture. China is really such a different place than our western countries. Even though there are many differences in government and business culture, you can tell from the civility and culture that this place has a 5,000 year history, and that there is a deep sense of stability and a strong drive for upward mobility there. I never felt in danger there, and actually Beijing is one of the safest places in the world. My time was spent well there and I had a lot of fun. During my year in China, I applied to lots of different law schools and ended up getting into one of my top 3 choices.
Since coming back to the States, my time at YiBo has helped me out, because there are some law school programs that look for people who specifically have international work experience. I would recommend most people in the US gain this kind of experience because of how much you can learn by going to Beijing and working with a company like YiBo. Thank you YiBo for all of your help while I was there!