U.S.-China Teachers Exchange Program


The National Committee on United States-China Relations seeks applications for an exchange program for teachers in American and Chinese schools. This is an unusual opportunity for schools and districts wishing to begin or to strengthen Chinese language and culture programs and for teachers wishing to live and teach in China.

Since the beginning of the program during the 1996-97 school year, we have had American teachers from across the country in “key” (selective) secondary schools throughout China--in Beijing; Chengdu (Sichuan); Dalian (Liaoning); Anqing, Hefei, and Tongling (Anhui); Hohhot (Inner Mongolia); Luoyang (Henan); and Changzhou, Jiangdu, Nanjing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou (Jiangsu). We anticipate continuing to work in some of these cities, and possibly to add Xi’an (Shaanxi) in 2008.

The American teachers in China teach English as a foreign language. The Chinese teachers, all of whom teach English as a foreign language in China, may teach Chinese history, language, and culture, and/or English as a second language at participating American schools.

The National Committee sponsors orientation programs in the United States and in China during the summer before the exchange year. For American teachers this covers “survival” Chinese, the teaching of English as a foreign language, and an introduction to China and its schools. The orientation session for Chinese teachers covers the teaching of Chinese as a foreign language, instruction on American teaching methodology, and an introduction to the United States and its schools.

Those interested in the exchange should write to tep@ncuscr.org or send a letter to the Teachers Exchange Program, National Committee on U.S.-China Relations, 71 West 23rd Street, Suite 1901, New York, NY 10010, for more information and an application package. The application deadline for the 2008-2009 school year is February 29, 2008.

The U.S.-China Teachers Exchange Program is funded by a major grant from the Freeman Foundation.