UPPER ELEMENTARY CHINESE HOMEROOM TEACHER (2024-2025)

Full-time, exempt position. Native-level Mandarin proficiency required

WELCOME

Join the vibrant community at the Chinese American International School’s Lower School as a lead Chinese Teacher for the academic year of 2024-2025. Become part of a team striving to be the world’s most innovative, inspiring, and influential Chinese English dual-language immersion school!

OPPORTUNITY

This position offers a unique opportunity for passionate Lower School educators to foster a joyful learning community that strikes a developmentally appropriate balance between deepening students’ academic skills and nurturing the curiosity and creativity of our learners. Consistent with its Strategic Vision 2020-2025, CAIS is committed to reimagining immersion to achieve greater student engagement and proficiency in Chinese and cultivate the cognitive, character and intercultural competencies that are the “CAIS Immersion Bonus.” We are seeking an Upper Elementary Chinese Homeroom Teacher who is eager to collaborate with our experienced faculty to continue implementing the best Chinese immersion pedagogy in the 2024-2025 school year.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE The ideal candidate finds resonance with CAIS’s mission to Embrace Chinese, Become Our Best Selves, and Contribute to a Better World. As CAIS aims to empower inquisitive, creative, and inspired learners, we look for a candidate adept at student-centered pedagogy such as differentiation, inquiry-driven learning, use of assessment to inform teaching, and a dynamic application of best practices in Chinese language and literacy instruction. This candidate can foster a joyful learning community that strikes a developmentally appropriate balance between deepening students’ academic skills and nurturing the curiosity and creativity of our learners. Our new team member will collaborate with cross grade level Chinese/grade level Chinese and English partner teachers and enjoy a wealth of professional development opportunities. Within the framework of a strong curricular vision supported by Chinese and English program directors, the candidate will enjoy considerable autonomy in developing the classroom curriculum. CAIS offers a dynamic dual culture setting in which faculty are immersed in a culture of language learners. We look for a candidate who will embrace CAIS’s work to create an equitable, inclusive environment where all faculty, students, and families are supported in their individual identities. We welcome all applicants who aim to actively support and participate in our diverse and inclusive community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Position responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

● Develop a positive intellectual, emotional, and social environment within the classroom and a class community in which all children feel valued and a sense of belonging.

● Demonstrate teaching excellence, a growth mindset, professionalism, and integrity.

● Support the educational program by challenging, supporting, and engaging students.

● Encompass a positive discipline approach in guiding student behavior.

● Developing engaging instructional strategies that are employed in the target language for each student

● Actively support and collaborate on school initiatives, such as events and committee work.

● Work with English partner teacher to develop and deliver integrated Social Studies and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion units.

● Work collaboratively and maintain standards of respect, courtesy, and mutual consideration with the school community, including students, staff, and parents.

● Communicate effectively, promptly, and proactively with families.

● Prepare assessments, grades, and progress reports according to school procedures.

● Attending Teacher Collaboration Time (TCT) meetings to plan and discuss pedagogies in all aspects with the Chinese Program Director and division meetings during the term of employment.

● Engage in school-wide cultural events and collaborate with cross division grade level teams

● Progress toward and eventual certification to administer and rate the ACTFL OPI and WPT assessment

● Working collaboratively with Chinese Language Support (CLS) teachers to monitor how students progress in Chinese and set individual academic goals

● Supervision on student field trips and occasionally chaperoning global programs to either China or Taiwan

● Other duties and responsibilities as determined by the Head of Lower School and the Chinese Program Director

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

● Native or near native proficiency in Mandarin

● Experience teaching upper elementary Mandarin in an immersion program

● Minimum of bachelor’s degree

● Ability to work with colleagues from different backgrounds and cultures

● Strong communications skills in English and Mandarin

● Desire to ability to work collaboratively

● Motivation to seek and implement innovative teaching practices

● Commitment to the school’s mission, core values, vision, and annual strategic objectives

● Commitment to the school’s diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging

● Excellent work ethic

● Flexibility, patience, resilience, and good humor

● Technical/Computer skills as required for job performance

ABOUT CAIS

As the nation’s first Mandarin immersion Preschool through 8th grade school, CAIS embodies our mission by working continuously to maintain our role as a leader in immersion education, whether through our signature Global Programs for 5th, 7th, and 8th graders, our creation of the annual Early Childhood Chinese Immersion Forum, or our long-standing history of presentations and panel participation at the National Chinese Language Conference. In addition to our full time, dedicated Chinese Program Director, our faculty includes educators who have pioneered the field of Chinese language support and an impressive cadre of OPI and WPT assessors. We are known as an ambitious school, and are implementing our multi-year vision to reimagine immersion, reimagine our culture of learning, reimagine our community connectedness, and reimagine our learning spaces. In 2021 we purchased a 5.4 acre, 120,000 sq ft campus with top tier theater, dance, arts, athletic, science, and tech facilities plus extensive outdoor space on 19th Avenue in San Francisco. This will more than double our program space and allow all divisions to be together on one spectacular campus beginning in the 2024-2025 school year. For more information, visit our 19th Avenue Campus homepage.

CAIS as a Workplace Chinese American International School is dedicated to attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining world-class employees and ensuring that this is a great place to work. We put a high priority on advances in compensation, benefits, and work climate with a 2024–2025 benefits package and perks including: Distinctively CAIS Benefits

● Commuter benefits (up to $315/month)

● Trips to China and Taiwan

● Chaperone student trips to Taiwan (Taipei) and China (Guilin)

● Dynamic, dual culture setting valuing honest self assessment, thoughtful self reflection, intentional planning, and focused implementation Financial Benefits

● CAIS contributes 5% of your earnings immediately in a 403(B) retirement plan (no contribution required on your part)

● Salary scale benchmarked to the Bay Area’s competitive standards, including annual cost-of-living adjustments ● Consideration for relocation costs

● Approximately 90% adjustment to tuition for exempt employees Professional Development

● Robust opportunities for conferences, workshops, and courses

● Membership in California Teacher Development Collaborative — https://catdc.org/ Health Benefits

● CAIS pays 100% of the premium for medical, dental, vision, acupuncture, chiropractic, short-term disability and long-term disability, and life insurance for you (along with competitive rates for spouse and family coverage)

● Employer-funded Health Savings Account (HSA) and Pre-tax HSA employee contribution

● Pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for medical and dependent care Vacation / Holiday / Paid Time Off

● Thanksgiving Break – 1 week

● Winter Break (December/January) – 2 weeks

● Winter Break (February) – 1 week

● Spring Break (April) – 1 week

● Summer Break – 9 weeks of summer from mid-June to mid-August

● Paid school holidays according to the school calendar

● Up to 2 additional days off for religious holidays

● Accrue 11.5 days of Sick Time annually

● Accrue 3 days of Personal Time annually Quality of Life and Appreciation

● Monthly appreciation lunches

● Twice-yearly Faculty/Staff Appreciation Events

● Annual milestones luncheon

● Free tickets to annual dinner/dance gala

● Lunar New Year luncheon

● Birthday gift card

COMPENSATION

CAIS has an established salary scale that recognizes experience and other qualifications including (but not limited to) education and training, leadership, and bilinguality. The salary range for this position is: $78,800 – $126,800.

TO APPLY

CAIS’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is central to our mission. People of color and LGBTQIA candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Email cover letter, resume, and list of references to lower_school_jobs@cais.org. In the subject line please indicate “Upper Elementary Chinese Homeroom Teacher.” In your cover letter, please reference how you learned of this opening. Please no calls.