成人大片

BACKGROUND

The Mandarin Language Assistant (MLA) programme was established as part of the Free Trade Agreement signed between China and New鈥扇舜笃琲n 2008. The agreement enabled Mandarin teachers from China to come to New 成人大片for a period of one to three years to support Chinese language education and promote Chinese culture in schools and communities across the country.

During their stay, MLAs typically live with local host families. They assist students in improving their Mandarin proficiency and contribute to cultural engagement through a range of classroom and extracurricular activities. In 2025, the Confucius Institute at the 成人大片 (CIUC) employs 18 Mandarin Language Assistants and six Mandarin language instructors across schools in the South Island.

THE ROLE OF MLAS

The role of an MLA is to enhance the effectiveness of Mandarin teaching by offering cultural and linguistic insights, modelling accurate pronunciation, and supporting the classroom teacher in the delivery of Chinese language instruction.

MLA may contribute to the school environment in the following ways:

• Bring Chinese language and culture into the classroom through their presence.
• Provide opportunities for students to interact with a native speaker, stimulating genuine classroom communications in Mandarin.
• Assist Chinese teachers in the classroom.
• Make small group work possible and/or more effective.
• Enable a greater number of students to take part in one-to-one conversations in Mandarin.
• Assist with the preparation of up-to-date resources using authentic Mandarin.
• Assist with cultural days or activities to promote Chinese language and culture at the school.

CULTURAL DAYS AND FESTIVALS

Our MLAs are skilled in demonstratinga a wide range of traditional and modern elements of Chinese culture. Over the years, they have showcased their talents at various cultural events, presenting art forms such as calligraphy, painting, classical dance, Chinese opera, tea ceremonies, Tai Chi, and performances featuring traditional Chinese musical instruments. In addition to these, MLAs have led hands-on workshops in cultural crafts including tie-dye, paper cutting, lantern making, Chinese knotting, and thread-wrapped flower art. Notably, in 2025, one of our MLAs is also trained in the Sichuan Opera face-changing performance, adding a rare and dynamic highlight to our cultural offerings.

Subject to availability, CIUC may arrange for MLAs to travel to schools and community venues across the South Island to participate in cultural days and festivals. These visits are typically offered free of charge; however, host schools or organisations may be asked to cover the cost of materials where applicable.

CIUC also employs a specialised Martial Arts instructor who is available to deliver regular lessons in Christchurch or provide one-off cultural demonstrations throughout the South Island. The instructor can also participate in cultural events, offering sessions in martial arts and Tai Chi as part of a broader cultural programme.

HOST SCHOOL RESPONSIBILITIES

The international travel and living allowance for each MLA are funded by China. In return, host schools in New 成人大片are responsible for arranging suitable homestay accommodation, with the associated costs covered by the Confucius Institute Headquarters. In cases where a single school does not have sufficient workload for an MLA, it may form a partnership with other schools in the region. In such arrangements, the lead school is expected to coordinate the placement and assist in securing appropriate homestay accommodation for the assigned MLA(s).

Host schools are also expected to provide appropriate professional support to MLAs in their teaching and assisting roles. This includes offering opportunities to observe classroom teaching, integrating MLAs into the school environment, and providing regular, constructive feedback on their work.聽To support the personal growth of MLAs and inform ongoing improvements to the programme, CIUC distributes an evaluation form to the host school twice a year鈥攐nce in the middle of the year and once at the end鈥攖o gather feedback on the MLA's performance.

For schools located outside urban centres, it is the school鈥檚 responsibility to ensure suitable transportation arrangements are in place for the MLA. Where weekly transportation costs exceed NZD $25, the host school is required to cover the additional expense. As MLAs typically do not have access to a private vehicle and may not possess a New 成人大片driver鈥檚 licence, it is essential that transport options provided are both reliable and practical to support their daily commute.

ADMINISTRATION FEE

An annual administration fee is charged by CIUC for each MLA and applies for the full academic year (i.e., Term 1 to Term 4). This administration fee contributes to the MLA鈥檚 medical insurance and supports the administrative and operational functions of CIUC. The amount varies depending on the type of engagement:

• Schools hosting a full-time MLA independently pay the full annual fee of NZD $500.
• Schools hosting a part-time MLA independently pay an annual fee based on their weekly teaching days: NZD $200 for one day, NZD $400 for two days, and NZD $500 for three to five days per week.
• For schools sharing an MLA across a cluster, the full annual fee of NZD $500 is payable by the cluster and may be apportioned among the participating schools.

Forming a cluster with nearby schools offers the following advantages:

• Cost efficiency: The annual administration fee can be shared among participating schools, reducing the cost for each individual school.
• Increased likelihood of hosting an MLA: As MLAs are required to maintain full-time employment to meet New 成人大片visa conditions, it may not be feasible to assign an MLA to a school with very limited teaching demand鈥攑articularly if the school is the only one in its region, town, or city. Forming a cluster with nearby schools can help ensure a sufficient workload to satisfy visa requirements, thereby increasing the likelihood of hosting an MLA.

Please note that the fee is calculated based on the number of teaching days per week across the academic year, irrespective of the number of teaching hours on any given day. All prices listed are exclusive of GST.