Teacher Recruitment Project

My family left Sias University in September 2019 to present at CGE Annual Conference at DBU. Due to health issues, my family chose to not get on our return flight in January 2020. We left campus with 190+ expats living in the community, 130+ foreign faculty, 10+ expat administrative leaders, and 31,000 beloved Sias students.

Over the last two years, Sias has continued to grow with the student body expanding to 38,000 and new buildings, gardens, and north campus entrance! The on-site expat community has since dwindled to less than 25 and for the first time, Sias currently has no on-site foreign administration. Amy and Gary Todd as well as a new Coordinator of International Operations are processing paperwork to return. (see the steps involved)

IMPACT OF COVID-19 on International Faculty

A large group of our international teachers were outside of China during the 2020 Spring Festival when the pandemic began, leaving many stranded on their holiday. Suitcases filled for a 2-3 week vacation and the tough decision to leave their Peter Hall apartments full of their personal belongings to head to their hometowns. Faced with the daunting task of finding affordable housing and teaching online for the first time using a Chinese platform and minimal training or quitting their jobs, almost all chose to stay employed by Sias Spring 2020 and finish out that year's contract.

Those who remained on campus dealt with teaching online some weeks, in-person others, being required to teach on weekends, and many changes to normal life in Peter Hall.

Each year we have 20-40 teachers who decide to not renew their contracts and we fill their spots with new faculty. Fall 2020 and Fall 2021, we hired new faculty with the aim to bring them to China, but PU letters were not issued, so Sias resorted to offering an online-only teaching position. They worked 30+ hours a week on China economy salary with the choice of teaching live (9pm-2am EST) or recording their lessons and giving one-on-one feedback each week via WeChat for Oral English classes.

BIG CHANGES:

April 2022, Julian Yue, Director of the Office of International Affairs, announced some big changes. Chinese faculty are now teaching Sophomore Oral English courses with a few of our foreign faculty teaching Sophomore English majors or Kansas International School (KIS) students. All business courses taught for the School of Business are only instructed by Chinese nationals. In the future, Oral English will not be a mandatory class for all Sias Freshman. Instead, it will be an elective or required if one has an English degree. The School of Foreign Languages (SFL) will now be training, managing, and supporting our foreign faculty who teach Oral English and English Composition.

June 2022 Update:
As of June 15, 2022, Invitation (PU) Letters are not required to get a work visa. In other words, Sias can now bring new/returning teachers and their dependants back to campus (article). Sias would like to hire 30 teachers for Spring 2023. Quarantine is no longer 3+ weeks. Instead, it is now 7 days at the first city reached (Chinese Port City) and if COVID-19 free, one can fly to Sias and finish up a quarantine in their apartment for 3 days.

January 2023 Update:
Chinese authorities announced the lifting of several major Covid-related entry restrictions that take effect on January 8.

no quarantine requirements for all international arrivals
negative nucleic acid test required within 48 hours prior to international travel
work (Z Visas) are being issued
tourist visas (L Visa) are not being issued, but plan to start issuing in early 2023
no government mandates in place concerning face masks/social distancing
international flights to mainland China are limited and cost is still expensive

The above news is good, but our short-term trips (see below for brochure) are still on hold. China will first need to issue tourist visas and cost of international travel will need to return to 2019 levels. Sias University will pay for international travel for all new faculty and Sias is able to issue work visas.

OPPORTUNITY!
Sias University plans to hire 50 new teachers for Fall 2023.

SIAS is in rebuild mode. Here's how you can help:

* Refer Seniors/Alumni to teach

DOWNLOAD "GUIDE to TEACHING at SIAS"
DOWNLOAD Opportunity Flier

* Inquire about leading a group of students to our campus May-June 2024

DOWNLOAD CGE-SIAS China Trip PDF

* Sabbatical Semester - welcome to do research or teach at our campus

* Invite Sias students or Chinese faculty to study at your school

* Offer discounted tuition for our faculty/students to study online at your school

DOWNLOAD CGE-SIAS Partnership PowerPoint

* Donate to the SIAS Teacher Recruitment Project [see below]

Donate HERE (add the description "SIAS Teacher Recruitment Project" to Program/Project Name)

Download the Opportunity flier to learn more about the job openings, hiring timeline, requirements, and the benefits of teaching at Sias University.

Aaron Vorbau
Transition to Asia Consultant

Aaron grew up in Bay Area, California. His father worked as a pilot for commercial airlines and from a young age, Aaron began traveling globally. While attending Cal Poly (SLO) he volunteered as a youth mentor and currently spends his free time serving through Mintegrity.com internship and mentorship programs. He met Rachael in 2007 shortly after both of them completed their MA degrees and within a year they were married and moved to China. They now have four children who consider Peter Hall faculty housing their “home” even though they are on the road 6+ months of the year outside of China. I am in the US for 5 months of the year during the Winter to connect in person. I look forward to hearing from you!

Let's Chat! calendly.com/aaronvorbau

Donate to SIAS Teacher Recruitment Project -
$30,000 per year is needed to keep this project running. This fund will help with the cost of operation outside of China as Academics In Asia networks among CGE schools. Donors will be sent quarterly updates.

Donate with PayPal

SIAS Teacher Recruitment Project

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