Join Us Today! Crane House depends on members for support of its educational programs. Learn more about the benefits.Teaching in Asia
An Experience of a Lifetime!
Crane House offers an excellent opportunity for American teachers to visit Asia and learn about the people and culture while providing a valuable experience for Asian teachers and students.
Background
Crane House has sponsored a summer teaching program in Asia since 1988. In cooperation with Asian educational institutions, Crane House provides a short-term, intense program of conversational English training for Asian teachers and students. The main purposes of the program are to:
- Provide opportunities for Asian teachers and students to improve their listening and speaking skills in English
- Demonstrate techniques in language teaching
- Share the cultures of America and Asia
- Promote better understanding between Asians and Americans
Program
The program lasts three weeks during the month of July. American teachers conduct classes for Asian teachers and students. The focus is on conversational English. Classes usually meet five days a week, mornings and afternoons, with a schedule set by the local Asian institution. This intensity allows the Asian teachers and students to experience an immersion in English and to gain confidence in using the language in their classes.
Asian locations vary from year to year; in 2006 teachers traveled to Funan, Fuzhou, Jiujiang, Shaoguan, Urumqi and Xi’an in China and Hanoi and Ho Chi Minh City in Vietnam.
Shared Responsibilities and Costs
- Crane House staff coordinates the American teachers: recruitment, selection, orientation, educational materials, and travel arrangements.
- The cooperating Asian institution provides room, board, and local transportation. The local host also provides some local weekend touring and other cultural experiences for the American teachers. The Asian host establishes the classes and administers the program at the site.
- The American teachers pay expenses associated with the travel to and from Asia. They attend orientation sessions at Crane House in the months before the program begins. Costs for China are usually under $2,000; for Vietnam, slightly higher. Grant subsidies may be available for those who qualify. (Example: in 2001, the cost for teachers in China was as low as $800.) Extra travel in Asia is optional and is arranged and paid in advance. Teachers who participate in the program must become members of Crane House.
Qualifications
Only experienced classroom teachers should apply.Candidates may apply any time during the year, but decisions are made in February, when orientation sessions begin. Candidates should be interested in other cultures, able to work as a team, willing to accept “non-traditional” classroom situations, able to be “followers,” respectful of the hosts’ customs and expectations, and able to adapt to a variety of circumstances. Participants must be flexible, congenial, non-complaining, and in good health. Knowledge of an Asian language is not necessary. Click here for an application.