Chinese Language Assistants - Bringing China to the UK

Dear All,

The British Council Language Assistants department are now accepting requests for Chinese Language Assistants for the 2010-2011 academic year. 

The Chinese Language Assistant programme aims to support the teaching of Chinese language and culture in UK schools. It is managed by the British Council and funded by the Department for Children, Schools and Families, HSBC and Hanban. Schools hosting a Chinese Language Assistant pay a monthly allowance at a rate determined by the DCSF.

This year (2009 - 10) there are 86 Chinese Language Assistants hosted by secondary schools, primary schools and colleges across the UK.

Chinese Language Assistants (CLAs) can work in a wide range of ways to bring the language alive in a classroom. Depending on the current provision of Mandarin in your school, they are able to:

o       work with Chinese teachers in the classroom if Chinese is already formally taught at your school;
o       work on their own with groups of pupils if they are introducing Mandarin Chinese to your school;
o       work across the curriculum, contributing a Chinese perspective to other subjects like art and design, technology, geography and history etc, or

o       run lunchtime Chinese clubs where the focus is mainly on Chinese culture.

They can also help set up links with schools in China and help contribute to international projects. All CLAs are qualified teachers in China and return to their Chinese schools at the end of the year. If you already have an established link, you may be able to request a CLA from your partner school.

 
The British Council provides pastoral and professional support for the CLAs throughout their year in the UK. The CLAs receive a 3 day induction course upon arrival plus 2 additional training days in November and February.

More information, including how much it costs to employ a CLA and how they can be shared between up to 3 schools, can be found on our website: http://www.languageassistant.co.uk. The deadline for applying for a CLA in the academic year 2010-11 is 5th March 2010. The application form can be downloaded from here: http://www.britishcouncil.org/languageassistants-schools-chinese-language-assistants.htm

Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any questions relating to this programme.
Best wishes,
James

James Bishop
Project Delivery Officer (China, Japan, Russia, Oman)
Language Assistants Team
Contracts and Projects
British Council, 10 Spring Gardens, London, SW1A 2BN
T +44 (0)207 389 4215
F +44 (0)207 389 4594
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