Implementation Plan for the “Confucius Institute Head Teacher Position”

With the purpose of further strengthening the building of Confucius Institutes’ teachers team，improving the teaching quality and level of Confucius Institutes and ensuring their sustainable development, the Confucius Institute Headquarters/ Hanban of China( hereinafter referred to as “Hanban”) has decided to cooperate with host universities of Confucius Institutes to set up the Head Teacher Position.

I) Responsibilities of the Head Teacher

A Head Teacher is a full-time employee who takes full responsibility for organizing and managing Chinese language teaching of Confucius Institutes under the leadership of the Institute Directors. Main responsibilities of the Head Teacher are as follows: to develop teaching plans based on the Chinese language needs of the host country, the host university and local community; to select teaching materials and formulate teaching outline based on actual needs; to train and guide teachers and volunteers of the Confucius Institute and carry out teaching assessments; to conduct Chinese language teaching; and to establish and manage the teaching archives of the Confucius Institute.

II) Application for the Head Teacher Position

The Head Teacher Position shall be set up by host universities on a voluntary basis. Each Institute can apply to set up one Head Teacher Position. The Institute that applies for such a position shall be running for at least two years, and have more than 200 registered students.

Application process: 1.The host university of Confucius Institutes that meet the requirements shall submit to the Confucius Institute Headquarters the Application Form for the Confucius Institute Head Teacher Position; 2.Confucius Institute Headquarters organizes experts to review and decide whether to approve the application; 3.Confucius Institute Headquarters signs the Agreement to Jointly Set Up the Confucius Institute Head Teacher Position with the approved universities.

III) Requirements for the Head Teacher

The Head Teacher shall meet the following requirements: the Head Teacher shall be passionate about working in Confucius Institutes and abide by the laws of the host country and China, as well as the Constitution and By-Laws of the Confucius Institutes. The Head Teacher shall hold at least a master’s degree, be proficient in Chinese and the language of the host country, and possess strong overall capacities such as cross-cultural communication and organizational skills. For Head Teachers who are native Chinese speakers, they shall attain at least Grade A (Level 2) in the Mandarin test held by China's State Language Work Committee. For Head Teachers who are non-native Chinese speakers, they shall attain new HSK level 6 in the Mandarin test. The Head Teacher shall have at least five years of Chinese language teaching experience or have taught for more than two years in Confucius Institutes. The Head Teacher shall meet relevant legal requirements of the host country; meet the health requirements as set out by the university hiring process; be citizens of the host country or have permanent residency, or shall at least have a work permit.

IV) Process for the selection and recruitment of the Head Teacher

Head Teachers will be selected based on open recruitment, expert review by Hanban and university appointment. The specific procedures are as follows: 1. The host university will conduct open recruitment around the world based on the requirements put forth in Section III of this plan. 2. The host university shall submit the Recommendation Form for the Confucius Institute Head Teacher Position along with the application letter of the candidate to Hanban. 3. Hanban reviews the application and gives an official response.

Hanban shall reserve the right to recommend outstanding graduates of the Master's degree scholarship program in Teaching Chinese to Speakers of Other Languages (MTCSOL), and under the same condition, these candidates will be given priority in the recruitment.

V) Funding

In principle, the salary of the Head Teacher shall be set in reference to the salary standard of teachers in local universities of the same condition. In case the standard is lower than that of Hanban sent teachers, the salary of the Head Teacher can apply Hanban’s standard. There are two modes of funding, from which one should be selected：

1. Hanban shall be responsible for the full salary of the Head Teacher over the first 5-year period and 50% of the salary over the second 5-year period. The host university shall be responsible for 50% of the salary over the second 5-year period, and the full salary starting from the third 5-year period.

2. Hanban and the host university shall each be responsible for 50% of the Head Teacher’ salary over the first, second and third 5-year period.

Hanban will fund the training of the Head Teacher in China or in the host country, and provide necessary teaching materials, reference books and teaching aid.

VI) Program Management

1. The host university should integrate the Head Teacher Position into the university’s employment position system, and pledge to maintain this position over the long-term. The host university, according to relevant university regulations, should provide the Head Teacher with benefits, medical insurance, pension and necessary office space and equipments.

2. The host university, according to its relevant regulations, shall sign an employment contract with the Head Teacher With a trial period of one year. If the Head Teacher passes the annual assessment, his/her employment contract can be renewed.

3. The host university is responsible for conducting the annual assessment of the Head Teacher based on the assessment criteria for Head Teachers and taking into account Hanban’s comments. For Head Teachers who fail the assessment, the host university may decide to terminate the employment contract, and immediately notify Hanban of such decision.

4. Over the program’s implementation period, if the host university undergoes one of the following situations, Hanban shall reserve the right to terminate the contract and put an end to funding:

- Violation of the laws of the host country (region) or China;

- Failure to fulfill the obligations as stipulated in the agreement or violation of the agreement terms;

- The Head Teacher Position being vacant for one year or more;

- The usage of funds for the Head Teacher Position violates the terms of the agreement.

5. Over the program’s implementation period, if any program-related issue arises, both parties shall settle the issues through friendly consultations; and in case of failure to reach a consensus, neither party can unilaterally terminate the agreement. Either party, if it wishes to terminate the agreement, must notify the other in writing 3 months before the end of the agreement, and the agreement shall be terminated once a consensus is reached between the two parties.