Ohio’s Chinese Volunteer Teacher Program

Ohio’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Hanban (The Office of Chinese Language Council International of the People’s Republic of China) was created, in part, to address the critical shortage of qualified instructors of Mandarin Chinese in the state of Ohio.

Under this agreement, volunteer teachers can be brought to teach in Ohio schools for a period of up to three years, depending on the availability of each individual teacher and the willingness of his or her school in China to grant an extended leave of absence. Ohio schools may contract with a volunteer teacher in order to “jump start” a Mandarin program, incurring relatively low start-up costs with the understanding that a permanent means for funding the program and paying a teacher must be secured within three years. It is important that districts and school understand that this is a short-term program offered by the Chinese government which could be terminated at any time.

ODE’s obligations to districts wishing to avail to the volunteer teacher program are as follows:

  1. ODE will collaborate with the Hanban and participating districts to ensure the smooth coordination of the volunteer teacher program.
  2. ODE World Languages Consultants will work with districts and schools to assess their needs and, if appropriate, secure Chinese volunteer teachers.
  3. Based on the information gathered from the districts regarding the Chinese teaching positions they have created, a qualified ODE World Languages Consultant will interview and select teachers to fill district positions. These educators will meet the requirements of the Ohio Visiting Teacher License which recognizes their status as a Highly Qualified Teachers (HQT).
  4. ODE, as the official visa sponsor, will work with the U.S. Department of State and U.S. Homeland Security to expedite the processing of the teachers’ J-1 Exchange Visitor visas in a timely manner.
  5. Upon the arrival of the volunteer teachers in Ohio, ODE and the Ohio Foreign Language Association (OFLA) will provide them with a five day orientation on a variety of topics including, but not limited to, Ohio’s educational system, standards-based education and the Ohio Academic Content Standards, culturally-appropriate foreign language pedagogy, lesson-planning, differentiated instruction, class room management, assessment, record-keeping, and professional ethics.
  6. During orientation, ODE will facilitate the required state and federal background checks and have the teachers’ TB test results certified for district use.
  7. Over the course of the school year, ODE World Language Consultants will monitor visiting teacher placements and work with districts and schools to resolve any issues that might arise.
  8. ODE World Languages Consultants will provide additional formal training or intervention in the form of a fall professional development workshop.
  9. As long as the Chinese Volunteer Teacher Program exists, ODE will work with districts in an attempt to replace volunteer teachers who are unable to remain in the U.S. for more than a year or two. The maximum period any district can utilize the services of the Chinese volunteer teacher program is three years.

The conditions and requirements for district use of a volunteer Chinese teacher are as follows:

  1. Districts do NOT pay the volunteer teachers a salary. Instead, the Hanban provides each volunteer teacher with a modest living stipend which the teacher should use to further his or her cultural understanding of life in the United States through social interaction and travel.
  2. The school / district is required to pay the domestic portion of the volunteer teacher’s airfare* from China prior to the start of the school year and back to China at the conclusion of the school year. The Chinese government is responsible for paying the international portion of the volunteer teachers’ flights.

    *Note: In recent years, the Chinese government has been paying the total cost of the airfare; however, districts and schools should still budget for the domestic portion of their teacher’s airfare just in case the Chinese end this practice.

  3. The district is responsible for ensuring all of the volunteer teacher’s meals and his or her housing. The district or school is required to identify a suitable host family with whom the volunteer teacher can live. The family should be willing to provide meals and housing to the teacher and should additionally be willing to help the teacher become involved in the local community. The district might need to assist the host family with the expenses associated with hosting the volunteer teacher (e.g., food). It is strongly recommended that districts seek the assistance of local businesses or community service organizations to defray the cost of the volunteer teachers’ living expenses with their host families.
  4. The school / district must provide the volunteer teacher with the following insurance coverage* required by the U.S. Department of State, U.S. Homeland Security, and Ohio’s Memorandum of Understanding with the Chinese government:

    - Employee health insurance (minimum of $50,000 benefit per accident/illness)
    - Medical evacuation insurance (minimum of $10,000 coverage)
    - Repatriation of remains insurance (minimum of $7,500 coverage)

    *Note: the Chinese volunteer teacher’s coverage must be set up to go into effect on the day he or she arrives in the U.S. (early to mid August) and not the first day of school.

  5. The district must provide the volunteer teacher with some means of transportation. Each district is free to decide what would serve its teacher’s needs the best, but minimally the teacher’s transportation to and from school must be provided as well as transportation between schools if the teachers will be required to travel between buildings. The teacher should also minimally be provided with the means of taking care of his or her necessary errands (e.g., banking, shopping, an occasional visit with another Chinese teacher, etc.). Districts are encouraged to consider allowing their teachers to use a vehicle from the district’s fleet. Districts might also consider purchasing an inexpensive used vehicle and securing insurance through the district’s fleet policy.
  6. During the first few days the volunteer educator is in the community, the district or school will assist that teacher with the process of securing a social security number. Not only is having a SSN crucial for the administrative purposes of the school or district (e.g., insurance, etc.), but the visiting teacher will probably not be able to open a bank account or conduct other necessary business without this number. The social security number is also necessary for the teachers’ Ohio Visiting Teacher Licenses to be processed.
  7. The school(s) where the teacher will be assigned must identify suitable mentors to work regularly with the visiting teacher over the course of the school year. Regular classroom observations should be made by mentors and administrators, especially at the beginning of the school year, in order to provide the volunteer teachers with needed feedback and guidance. Volunteer teachers must also be enrolled in the district’s entry year mentoring program, even though they are not required to undergo formal Praxis III evaluation. The importance of strong, positive mentorship cannot be stressed enough in order to ensure the effectiveness of the volunteer teachers!
  8. In accordance with Ohio’s MOU with China, districts are requested to limit each volunteer teacher’s class schedule to no more than four standard (50 minute) class periods or two double-blocked class periods per day. Teachers working at the elementary and middle school levels should not be assigned to teach more than 200 total minutes of instruction per day. This will ensure that the teacher has time to plan lessons, visit other classrooms, collaborate with colleagues, and undertake other activities that will allow him to share his or her culture with the local community and learn more about U.S. culture.
  9. The district or school will provide adequate orientation for the volunteer teacher prior to the start of the school year. If a new teacher orientation is held or professional development is provided prior to the start of classes, the volunteer teacher should be included.
  10. The district or school will cover the expenses (i.e. hotel, meals, mileage and substitute coverage) for the volunteer teachers to attend a one-day professional development workshop provided by ODE during the fall. The content of this training will be based on site visits and observations of the volunteer teachers’ instructional and classroom management practices conducted by the ODE World Languages Consultants, feedback gathered from the volunteer teachers’ mentors and administrators, and the needs expressed by the volunteer teachers themselves.
  11. The district or school sponsor will cover the expenses (i.e., registration, hotel, meals, mileage and substitute coverage) associated with the visiting teacher’s participation in the Ohio Foreign Language Association’s three day annual conference held during the early spring of each school year.
Revised in November, 2007.