Mandarin & English proficiency required

Non-exempt, full-time position

WELCOME!

Join the vibrant community at the Chinese American International School's new Forever Home campus on 19th Avenue as a bilingual teaching associate. Become part of a team striving to be the world’s most innovative, inspiring, and influential Mandarin-English dual-language immersion school. As a distinctive aspect of your work at CAIS, you will also help students navigate their way in a bilingual and bicultural school setting, guiding them to hone global skills and competencies and prepare to make a difference in the world around them.

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; our Core Values of Courage, Curiosity, Inclusion, Kindness, and Perseverance; and our Strategic Vision 2020-2025 to Reimagine CAIS, Reimagine Success. As CAIS aims to empower independent, effective, and inspired learners, we look for a candidate who seeks to become proficient in student-centered pedagogy such as differentiation, use of assessment to inform teaching, and Workshop-based instruction. The candidate will enter an environment that values social emotional learning alongside academic challenge. Teaching Associates are mentored by and coordinate student learning with an experienced classroom lead teacher.

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
• Encompass a positive discipline approach in guiding student behavior
• Work collaboratively and maintain standards of respect, courtesy, and mutual consideration with the school community, including students, staff, and parents
• In coordination with the lead teacher, plan and implement engaging learning experiences in alignment with the curriculum for individual, small and large group activities
• Assist in the daily operations of the classroom
• Meet the varied needs of children in the classroom by scaffolding and extending classroom lessons
• Provide for the physical safety of children
• Support the daily operations of the school by assisting with arrival and drop-off
• Actively supervise students during lunch and/or recess times
• Attend required meetings
• Substitute for the teacher by independently leading the class
• Keep current in pedagogical thinking, strategies and techniques
• Demonstrate an affirming attitude toward the school, a willingness to receive feedback, and professional demeanor and integrity

VALUED SKILLS AND EXPERIENCE

We value, but do not require, the following attributes:

• Personal experience with second language acquisition
• Training or experience in elementary classrooms preferred
• College coursework in education

COMPENSATION & BENEFITS

The CAIS Board of Trustees and administration are expressly dedicated to ensuring that CAIS is a great place to work. The school is committed to attracting, developing, retaining, and rewarding top-tier faculty and excellent educators with a strong benefits package. 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: $21.52-$26.54 per hour. Please see the final page for a description of benefits.

ABOUT CAIS

As the nation’s first dual language Chinese and English Preschool through 8th grade school, CAIS embodies our mission by working continuously to maintain our role as a leader in immersion education. We are known as an ambitious school, and we have made substantial progress on our multi-year vision to reimagine immersion, reimagine our culture of learning, reimagine our community connectedness, and reimagine our learning spaces. Our entire community began the school year at our newly renovated campus on 19th Avenue.

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 Wei Qian (w_qian@cais.org). In the subject line please indicate: “LS Bilingual Teaching Associate.” Please no calls.

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Bachelor’s degree strongly preferred
• Bilinguality in Mandarin and English (OPI level Advanced-Low with non-native language)
• Experience working with children
• Desire to develop as an educator
• Commitment to meeting the needs of individual learners and promoting social and emotional development
• Commitment to school mission, policies, and initiatives

About Chinese American International School

Founded in 1981, Chinese American International School (CAIS) is the first and one of the most prominent Mandarin-English dual language immersion schools in the United States. Located in the heart of San Francisco, CAIS serves a diverse community of approximately 550 students from Preschool through 8th Grade. As a pioneer in bilingual education, CAIS has earned a reputation for its academic excellence, progressive pedagogy, and commitment to multicultural and multilingual fluency. As the first Mandarin immersion school in the country, CAIS has long been at the forefront of immersion education. Its dual language program is recognized nationally and internationally for its effectiveness and innovation. Students spend approximately half of their instructional time in Mandarin and half in English, beginning with full immersion in the early years and transitioning to a balanced bilingual model in the upper grades. The school employs native Mandarin-speaking educators and follows a co-teaching model to ensure authenticity and linguistic depth.

Connections working at Chinese American International School