British Council Scotland can offer schools the skills of young Chinese people as an official part of the Foreign Language Assistants programme.

The four assistants, who have worked in Scotland, are qualified teachers of English at home, but while here they taught their own language and culture for 12 hours per week.

Dunbar Grammar School in East Lothian decided to take an assistant as a follow-up to pupils’ participation in an immersion course in China. Lingwei was able to build on the Mandarin skills gained by the pupils involved, and extend the knowledge to other pupils, which helped with the school link . Knox Academy, also in East Lothian, followed a similar path with the help of their assistant George.

At St George's School in Edinburgh, Richard and Liu supported a full-time teacher of Chinese. Both worked with the whole range of pupils from age 5 to 18, starting with teaching simple greetings and fun activities at a Chinese club for the very youngest.  

Older pupils learn Chinese in much the same way as French or German. A 13 year old pupil who started learning the language was awarded second prize in the British Council/HSBC Chinese-speaking competition for schools.

The role of the Chinese assistant differs from that for other languages in being much broader. Assistants can work not only in language classes but also in other subjects such as art, sport, drama or cookery. As an example, Lingwei, George, Richard and Liu have been able to teach tai chi, traditional paper cutting, calligraphy and how to make the perfect spring roll!

Lively, enthusiastic, fun, professional and knowledgeable, the assistants made a great impact in their schools across the curriculum. As experienced teachers, the assistants have also been very interested to gain an insight into the Scottish education system, and to help with developing resources for Mandarin in their schools.

There has been an increasing recognition from teachers, parents and pupils that language skills in Chinese will be invaluable in the future career market. The added benefit of cultural insight through contact with young native speakers from the country is a major bonus for all concerned.

If you would like to host a Chinese language assistant in 2007-08, contact sarah.montgomery@britishcouncil.org or telephone +44 (0)131 524 5735.

Read more about opportunities with China for schools or contact Fiona.Fisher@britishcouncil.org, telephone +44 (0)131 524 5747