Olah's selection of diaries about his interactions with students at CUP was published in September.

That was a very fresh idea for Olah. He was inspired.

The friend also told Olah that there was a strong demand for English teachers in China.

At that time, Olah had retired from the trade commission and was still doing some casual consulting work around Canberra.

Unlike overseas expats who are curious about China but have never visited, the Olahs had spent three years in China from 1983 to 1986, during which time Alex worked in the Australian Embassy in Beijing.

Life in Beijing was pretty hard in those days compared with today, he recalls, and "cabbage was the only vegetable through winter".

Olah never visited China during the 22 years in between but found a different country upon his return.

"We were amazed at the changes that took place in China in the past two decades," he recalls. "It was as if we were in a completely different country."

After the couple finished the TESOL course in 2009, it was the China University of Petroleum that provided them with the best offer.