Refer to Extended Stay FAQ here

The extended-stay program (of up to 24 weeks) is primarly focused on teaching English conversational skills to high school students ages 14 to 18. Some university teaching assignments may also be available for volunteers who have served those institutions on previous service programs. Depending on the specific needs of our Chinese hosts, some volunteers may choose between a university and a high school for their long-term assignment. Like their U.S. counterparts, most university students in China are aged 18 to 22 years.

Volunteers on the extended-stay program work at those institutions with whom Global Volunteers enjoys the closest ties. Among high schools these include the San Yuan School, the Zhou Zhi School, and the Cai Hong "Rainbow" School. In higher education they include Xi'an International Studies University, Golden Leaf College, Northwest Polytechnical University, and Eurasia University.

The emphasis is on conversational English, and volunteers are always welcome to incorporate their own exercises and activities into lessons. However, because the extended-stay program involves such a serious commitment of time, volunteers are also given a set curriculum to follow. This makes teaching easier for nonprofessionals and enables volunteers to incorporate their own ideas into the students' regular coursework. Long-term volunteers also have access to the same extensive library of materials that Global Volunteers maintains for its short-term volunteers.

Most volunteers work independently in the classroom, but all are supervised and directed by the Chinese faculty of the school's English department. The Sino-American Society and the Global Volunteers country manager can also provide support in lesson-planning and acclimation to the Chinese school system.