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SEP moves a week later - for those who can stay on for the Olympics!
After an extremely successful Amity Summer English Programme in 2007 - adjudged the best yet by the Amity organizers - it has been decided to start the 2008 programme a week later in case anyone wishes to - and can afford to!- stay on for the Olympics. The programme will therefore start on Monday 7th July in Nanjing and conclude on August 4th, probably in Shanghai. Perhaps this will enable some teachers to negotiate rather less time off at the end of term with their Heads and Governing bodies so our teams can be enriched by their experience.

You do not need to be a qualified teacher for this programme

The Amity Foundation is a Chinese NGVO (Non Governmental Voluntary Organisation), one of the first in China, established by the China Christian Council in partnership with Local and National Government. Since 1984 it has established a high reputation in work in Education, Health, Community Development, Crisis Relief and Rural Development programmes.

The Summer English Programme was established in the mid 1990s in partnership with Baptist and Lutheran churches in the USA. Its purpose is to help selected teachers of English in Middle Schools in rather out of the way cities to improve their listening and speaking skills. Most of these teachers will never have met a native English speaker and will have learned their pronunciation mostly from phonetics (at which they are very good!) and from teachers in their colleges who themselves probably learnt from phonetics. Their pronunciation is based on 1960s, SE England, BBC English, so Directors of Education in cities all over China are clamouring for English people to go to join the programme along with the Americans! What's the difference between English and American ? is a most popular question!

The Programme is just under five weeks - a four day orientation period in Nanjing, almost four weeks teaching (you may be sent anywhere in China!), and then a couple of days debriefing session which for the last two years has been in Beijing rather than Nanjing.

It is possible to add further holiday to this programme , but it will be easier to do this at the end rather than before the programme. Visa regulations have changed recently, so this needs to be dealt with on an individual basis.

The cost:Your return fare to Shanghai plus train Shanghai/ Nanjing - in total approx £450 plus $US 1200 (just over £630 at current exchange rates) towards costs - so for a basic £1,100 (plus hard but enjoyable work) you will have a wonderful experience in China.
Although you are working, it is a wonderful experience, and relatively little to pay for nearly 5 weeks in China. It is demanding work, and no ordinary holiday!

If you are interested at all then please contact
Canon Simon Brown
Seagulls.
Pin Mill,
Chelmondiston,
Ipswich
Suffolk IP9 1JN
Tel; 01473 780051

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