Thank you for your interest in the SEP 2010!
With the help of willing English speakers like you, Amity is able to provide oral English training for Chinese middle school and primary school teachers of English in rural and minority areas throughout China. (If you are brand new to our program, you may also want to view the general introduction to the SEP.)
As always, we appreciate the support of sending agencies and former participants who help us recruit volunteer teachers for this program, and we look forward to working with you to make the 2010 program our best yet. Individuals not affiliated with a denomination or sending agency may also apply to serve by contacting the Amity Foundation directly.
Our contact information is as follows:
Ruhong Liu
Director, Education and International Exchange Division
The Amity Foundation
71 Hankou Road
Nanjing, Jiangsu 210008
Tel: 86 (= country code) 25 (= area code) 8326-0836 (= phone #)
Fax: 86 – 25 – 8326-0909
E-mail: liuruhong@amity.org.cn
Robert Ji
SEP Program Coordinator
Education and International Exchange Division
The Amity Foundation
(Same postal address)
Tel: 86-25-8326-0838
Fax: 86-25-8326-0909
E-mail: jixiaodong@amity.org.cn
Time
The 2010 program will run from July 5 to August 2, 2010. The timetable is as follows:
| July 5 (Mon.) | Registration for orientation in Nanjing |
| July 6 (Tue.) – July 8 (Thu.) | Orientation |
| July 9 (Fri.) | Depart Nanjing for host schools |
| July 10 (Sat.) | Settle at host school, meet school officials |
| July 11 (Sun.) | AM = Worship at local church PM = Opening ceremony and placement interviews at school |
| July 12-16, 19-23, 26-30 | Teaching (no weekend classes) |
| July 30 (Fri.) | AM = Half-day teaching PM = Closing ceremony |
| July 31 (Sat.) | Depart to Shanghai for debriefing |
| August 1 (Sun.) | Worship and debriefing |
| August 2 (Mon.) | Departure for home |
Costs
Sending agencies or individual volunteers are responsible for arranging and paying for transportation from the volunteers’ home countries to Nanjing before the program. They are also responsible for arrangements and cost of transportation from Shanghai back to their home countries after the program has finished.
In addition, each volunteer is responsible for payment of a block grant of USD 1200 to cover orientation costs, domestic travel, and other program costs. The payment should be forwarded to Amity before the Nanjing Orientation, and a breakdown of the block grant is offered below (in US dollars):
| 1 | Nanjing Orientation | $290 |
| 2 | Travel ( Nanjing – teaching sites – Shanghai) | $300 |
| 3 | Subsidy for Chinese host schools in less developed areas (to help cover volunteers’ room/board) |
$160 |
| 4 | Teaching Materials | $50 |
| 5 | Debriefing in Shanghai | $140 |
| 6 | Orientation conference for host schools | $140 |
| 7 | Administration Fees | $120 |
Total costs (including block grant, international airfare, visa, spending money, etc) tend to run close to USD$ 2700, but there may be fairly wide variations depending on the individual travel arrangements.
Application Deadlines
Amity needs finalized information for all teams by mid-April 2010. This means that approval of individual applications should be processed well in advance of that date. It is recommended that sending agencies and independent volunteers submit individual applications on or before April 1, 2010. Early applications are appreciated and encouraged. Copies of passport ID pages will be needed for the host schools to process Letters of Invitation. Applicants can send the passport copies along with the application forms or send them separately after their applications have been approved by Amity.
See the “How to Apply” portion of our website to download our SEP application and check for further details and requirements related to sending agencies.
Team Member Requirements
- Observe the laws and ordinances of the Chinese government and refrain from any activity of a proselytizing nature.
- Have a college degree. If most members of a team are experienced teachers, the team can include one person that does not have a degree to act as a teaching assistant. This person is expected to teach conversation classes.
- Good health and willingness to work in tough conditions. The summer in China can be very demanding and the temperature is often between 36 – 40 Centigrade (95-105 F). The classrooms are often not air-conditioned, and the teachers are expected to teach 4-6 hours a day. Sending agencies should be aware of the physical capability of their applicants during the recruitment process. Our Health Form is a required part of the SEP application, and it is designed to help applicants assess their own physical ability.
- Each individual teacher should make sure that their trip to China is properly covered by medical insurance
- The age limit for the volunteer teachers is 70 for new teachers and 75 for those who have taught with the Amity Summer Program before.
- Independent volunteers who have not worked with Amity before are expected to submit two letters of reference along with the application form.
** Volunteers should contact Amity concerning any proposal of service that includes the accompaniment of a child.
Recruitment and Team Formation
Sending agencies are responsible for the screening, selection and preparation of their respective volunteers. Approved applicants are to be grouped in teams of 4-6, and one of these should be chosen to serve as the team leader.
Amity will be responsible for recruiting and grouping independent teachers and for selecting their team leaders. Independent teachers will be informed about acceptance and team assignment by mid-April 2010.
Visa
Amity will take care of securing a “Visa Notification Form (informally called Letter of Invitation)” from the related host schools for each volunteer. This document will guarantee that teachers will be able to arrange a 60-day Business (F) Visa (informally called “Visitor’s” visa) so it will be legal for the teacher to stay the duration of the summer program. (Note: This is different from a Tourist (L) Visa.)
Travel
Volunteers are personally responsible for arranging all travel before and after the program. Amity covers travel costs from arrival in Nanjing for orientation through to the debriefing in Shanghai. All other travel expenses are the responsibility of the volunteers. In the past Amity has been able to offer some help with logistical arrangements for budget accommodations in Shanghai and travel from Shanghai to Nanjing for the orientation, and we expect this to still hold true for 2010.
Debriefing
At the end of the program, volunteers gather in Shanghai for a one-day debriefing. This allows Amity to hear how the program went in each location and to facilitate evaluation of the program. It is also an opportunity for volunteers to see friends, share experiences and get a broader perspective on the SEP experience.
Teaching Materials
Click here to view/download the teaching materials used in the Summer English Program.
FOR MORE INFORMATION
For further details about the program, see “How it works“.
