AcadeMe Teaching Fellow

Founded by Professor Lisa Ruddick and two alumni of the University of Chicago, AcadeMe strives to effect positive change through the liberal arts. Since our founding in 2013, we have been offering humanities-centric programs with ethical, enriching college counseling for Chinese high school students who wish to further their education in the U.S.

We are excited to offer Two-Year Teaching Fellowships to U.S. college graduates passionate about education. As a Fellow, you will embark on a rewarding journey of self-discovery by leading seminars, collaborating with distinguished professors, and guiding students through a critical junture of their lives. Moreover, a paid sabbatical opportunity between Year 1 and Year 2 will allow you to put your new self-knowledge into practice by pursuing independent projects you are passionate about.

Our Programs

We believe the best preparation for a liberal arts education is a liberal arts classroom. Cultivating critical, creative thinking with individualized personal attention, we immerse Chinese students in the best that the humanities have to offer and prepare them, academically and emotionally, for a liberal arts undergraduate program.

We currently offer the following programs:

The Homer Project operates throughout the year and provides students with the opportunity to participate in semester-long humanities seminars. These courses develop participants’ oral and written communication skills by guiding them to critically examine challenging literary and philosophical texts. Recent topics have included “What is Knowledge?” (Spring 2017), “Readership and Authorship” (Fall 2017), and “Place and Memory” (Fall 2017).

The Core takes place every summer and is our most distinguished program. In three intensive weeks, rising high school seniors achieve academic, intellectual, and emotional growth through discussion-based seminars, workshops, and counseling sessions. In the morning, students participate in college-level humanities seminars taught by professors from top U.S. universities. These courses feature close-readings of complex and rewarding texts, works that prompt the students to reflect on themselves. In the afternoon, various workshops (e.g. personal writing, educational philosophy) as well as one-on-one counseling sessions further help students to develop a sense of self-awareness that is crucial to a successful college applicant. The readings and writing assignments in the Core are deliberately designed to foster self-reflection in the context of the college application. This process of nurtured self discovery not only helps our students to be genuine with themselves, but their true selves with others.

Our College Counseling Program builds on the foundation of the Core to deliver an ethical and enriching experience to the college application process. We strive to help students express their most authentic selves, maintaining full transparency to high schools and universities with respect to our methods and practices. We have zero-tolerance for unethical behavior and, consequently, abide by standards and ethics set forth by the NACAC and the HECA.

Fellowship Position

As a Fellow, your responsibilities include the following:

• Design and teach discussion-based seminars for high school students for the Homer Project
  
• Design and teach workshops on topics of your own interest for the Core to develop students’ self-awareness
  
• Design and teach seminars at our partner high schools to improve students’ English reading and comprehension skills through reading seminars
  
• Help develop AcadeMe’s intellectual community and promote the liberal arts in China with our partner organizations in the public sector
  
• Mentor around six students, facilitating their intellectual growth by inspiring them with ideas, books, films, etc. on a regular basis
  
• Guide students through self-discovery and essay brainstorming, encouraging them to abandon clichés and express their authentic selves in writing; edit essays for grammar, structure, and style if necessary
  
• Manage the application process by compiling program requirements and maintain strict deadlines; conduct school research if necessary

You will participate in a structured personal/professional development program:

• Extensive training in teaching and counseling upon arrival
  
• Workshops on self-discovery and professional development
  
• Networking opportunities with our professional contacts in and outside of academia
  
• Optional three-month paid sabbatical opportunity between Year 1 and Year 2 to work on projects you are passionate about

Pay range: $35,000 to $55,000 in the first year and expected to increase with experience. The actual amount of compensation depends on the number of courses you teach in the year. In addition, we will assist successful applicants to secure housing and visas if necessary.

Desired Skills and Qualifications

• Recently graduated (or expected to graduate) with a Bachelor’s or Master’s degree from a top American university or college
  
• Strong academic record (minimum GPA 3.5) as well as written and oral communication skills
  
• No major requirements but interest in the liberal arts is strongly preferred
  
• Demonstrated interest in education
  
• Experience in teaching and curriculum design a plus
  
• Proficiency in Chinese a strong plus