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China has gained a rapid development both socially and economically. As it participates in more and more regional and global affairs, China has developed increasingly extensive exchange with other countries, which produces a rapid increase in demand of learning Chinese. The Chinese language，which has been part of China’s rich history and culture, is becoming considered as a useful and valuable language, now playing an increasingly important role on the global stage and forges a bridge for the world to approach and understand China.

According to the related statistics, there are approximately 100 million people outside of China using and learning Chinese. Many kinds of educational institutes in about 100 countries open the course of Chinese and more and more middle schools and primary schools are including Chinese in their teaching plan. There emerges more and more institutes of Chinese teaching. Chinese Teaching develops rapidly in foreign countries with drastic increase in the number of people learning Chinese. However, due to the limited number of teachers of Chinese, they are not able to meet the demand. Therefore, many countries request China to dispatch teachers of Chinese to teach in their countries. As the native land of Chinese, we have the obligation and responsibility to strengthen the exchange and cooperation with the world in linguistic and cultural education.

Facing the large demand of Chinese teachers of Chinese in the world, China National Office for Teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language (hereinafter referred as “NOCFL”), after careful planning and complete substantiation, formulates ‘Chinese Volunteer Program for Teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language’ which gains highly attention and support from Ministry of Education since it is the first national program to dispatch volunteers to foreign countries to teach Chinese. As a very important part of ‘Project of Chinese Bridge’ of the NOCFL, Chinese Volunteer Program for Teachers of Chinese As a Foreign Language is one of the new efforts adopted by the NOCFL to keep up with the prosperous development of teaching Chinese in the world and provide teachers of Chinese to countries in need by utilizing the rich resources of teachers of Chinese.

The program aims at promoting Chinese and its culture abroad and improving its teaching in the world as well as strengthening mutual understanding, friendship and exchange between China and other countries, by which Chinese people will works together with the world to create a more splendid and bright future for human beings.

Authorized by Ministry of Education, “Volunteer Program for International Chinese Teachers” begins to be implemented from March 26th, 2004.

“The Implementation Guidelines for Volunteer Program for International Chinese Teachers”(Guideline) is a detailed description and stipulation of how to implement Chinese Volunteer Program for Teachers of Chinese As a Foreign Language. Under the principles of at-will application, selective recruitment, intensive training and contractual dispatch, the ‘Guidelines’ gives the clear stipulation on recruitment requirements, how to apply, selection, training, benefits, award and praise for Chinese volunteers as the teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language.

Meanwhile, the NOCFL particularly sets up Center for Chinese Volunteers of Teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language (hereinafter referred as “Volunteer Center” ) to insure a long-term, healthy and orderly development of this program. The Center takes charge of all matters related to Chinese volunteers for teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language, such as recruitment, selection, training, dispatch contracting, consultation, expense payment and other daily management. The NOCFL also designed logo, honorary certificate and volunteer brochures for the Program.

The Guidelines stipulates the following requirements to apply for Chinese volunteers of teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language: up to 65-year-old Chinese citizens with excellent health; devoted to and loving teaching of Chinese as a foreign language; enthusiastic in the volunteer activities; voluntary to teach Chinese in foreign countries; good standing without criminal and/or infraction record; associate degree or above in teaching Chinese as a Foreign Language, Chinese, history, philosophy, education, foreign languages, political science, psychology, laws, or social science; retired university teachers of Chinese; retired Chinese teachers with associate degree or above from high schools or primary schools; standard mandarin.

Volunteers will be recruited from the society. Chinese citizens who meet the requirements can apply on-line through the NOCFL’s website(www.hanban.edu.cn).The applicants can also download “The application form for Chinese volunteers of teachers of Chinese as a Foreign language ”and deliver the completed form to the Center together with the supporting documents.

The Center will select and recruit from the applicants. The newly recruited volunteer will receive intensive training on assignment and foreign affairs.

The Center will sign the volunteer service agreement with the volunteer who is chosen to be dispatched abroad under the national applicable laws and stipulations to define both parties’ rights and obligation. Both parties will define the assignment, terms of service, treatment and benefit, and other related issues during the service term according to the agreement.

The Center will give various awards and praise to the responsible and diligent volunteers who are devoted to promoting Chinese and Chinese culture with their good performance.

It bears great influence to develop the volunteer activities of Chinese volunteers of teachers of Chinese as a Foreign language to teach in the world, as it will help set up a peaceful and responsible international image of China as a power state in the world. Through those activities, the world can have a thorough and non-judgmental understanding and learning of China, Chinese language and culture so as to promote the friendship and exchange between countries.

In 2003, the NOCFL dispatched some volunteers as a trial. More than 40 volunteer were sent to Thailand and Philippine, producing positive and strong response from the local people. Through this trial, experiences are accumulated for the final and complete implementation of the program. Volunteers, with their excellent performance, represented a beautiful image among the local people and were called as the “Angels from China” by the local teachers and students.

With the further development of this program, the NOCFL will send more volunteers to more countries in need and gradually enlarge the volunteer dispatching scale.

The NOCFL is willing to enter the cooperation with the government educational sectors, organizations, institutes and associations of Teachers of Chinese in all the countries to implement the program.

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