Tuesday 12 October 2004

Applications called for sister-city teaching experience

Christchurch and Canterbury teachers are being given the opportunity to experience China first hand, through two teaching positions made available through the Christchurch-Gansu sister city relationship.

The three month positions in Lanzhou (the capital city of Gansu Province) include all expenses paid, a modest salary and accommodation provided in a new apartment. Successful applicants will be required to teach English for about 12 hours each week to the equivalent of years 11 and 13. Applications must be made by 31 October 2004 and chosen teachers must be able to start in Lanzhou on 15 February 2005.

Christchurch City Council International Affairs coordinator Dave Adamson said, the opportunity to teach in Lanzhou has become an annual event, providing local teachers with a unique opportunity to be fully supported while they live and work in a different culture. “To make the most of their experience, applicants need to be flexible and prepared to immerse themselves in Chinese culture while they are away,” he said.

Lanzhou is a city of more than two million people in the interior province of Gansu, far from China’s more westernised cities on the coast. Gansu’s sister city relationship with Christchurch developed due to Cantabrian Rewi Alley’s eight years of work in the province.

Next year’s teaching positions are being partially funded by the Christchurch- Gansu Friendly Relations Committee and the school in Lanzhou. Letters of application including personal details, qualifications and experience should be sent to Dave Adamson, International Affairs Coordinator, Christchurch City Council, P.O.Box 237, Christchurch.

ENDS

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