Chinese Language Teacher’s Assistant Programme
CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE
Support the learning of Mandarin in NZ schools with local resources
In 2020, the Local Chinese Language Teacher Assistants (LTA) programme was introduced to the schools as an alternative option to the MLA programme, which has to be suspended due to the Covid border restriction. The programme recruits local personnel to support NZ Chinese language teachers in schools.
With the absence of Mandarin Language Assistants due to Covid border restrictions, the Chinese language programmes in NZ schools should still continue. As an alternative and to utilise local resources, the Confucius Institute in Auckland has introduced the Chinese Language Teacher’s Assistant (LTA) programme to provide annual grants of up to $10,000 for the costs of a Chinese Language Assistant to support Chinese in schools.
The grants are open to CI’s network schools only, including Confucius and Chinese Classrooms, in the Auckland, Northland and Waikato regions. With the grants, the schools can recruit someone from their local community and/or contacts who they think will be suitable. Note the LTA is to assist Chinese language programmes only – NOT for other school programmes eg ESOL.


Although the LTA programme was first introduced as an urgent alternative option to the absent MLA programme, it has been proved a successful model to utilise local resources in maintaining, and even raising, the quality of Chinese language provisions in NZ schools. With the MLAs returned to New Zealand, CI will keep providing the LTA grants to eligible schools, and run the MLA and LTA programmes parallelly.
The LTA grant is included in the Expressions of Interest for Mandarin Language Assistants 2023. Visit MLA Programme for more information and online form.
• Deadline for applications: 5 pm, Friday 9 September 2022
• Schools notified: 30 September 2022
• LTA in schools: from Term 1 2023 or as per agreement.
CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE