China’s importance in the world has convinced millions of people to start learning Chinese. With thousands of institutions offering Chinese courses, over 500 Confucius Institutes and about 1000 Confucius classrooms around the world, the teaching of Chinese is expanding rapidly. It is, however, impossible to give an estimate of how many people are currently learning the language or of how many teachers provide them with Chinese language education. Considering the many and varied contexts where Chinese is taught, one thing is for sure about teachers: there is not one single type of Chinese teacher.

This conference is interested in teachers/student teachers of Chinese as a Foreign and second Language, both ‘native’ and ‘non-native’ speakers of the language. Although very few studies and volumes have been published specifically on these teachers, we know by hearsay or experience that many of these teachers are sometimes struggling to teach Chinese because of so-called ‘cultural differences’ or because they are not well prepared and/or fully qualified. Another reason might be the retention and motivation of students or the availability of good and relevant teaching materials.

This conference proposes to examine the position and experiences of teachers/student teachers of Chinese and to contribute to a shift from the ‘weakest to the strongest link’. The foci of the conference are:

1. Pedagogical and educational issues faced by teachers/student teachers of Chinese;
2. Identity and interculturality in the experiences of teachers of Chinese;
3. Socio-economic aspects of being and becoming a teacher of Chinese.

The following themes can be discussed by those interested in submitting a proposal:

• Being ‘Native’ vs./and ‘Non-native’ teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language: cooperation, complementarity and challenges
• Integration of Chinese teachers of Chinese as a Foreign Language abroad – at work and in society
• Intercultural preparation of Chinese teachers before placement abroad
• Teachers’ identities
• Representations and stereotypes about teachers of Chinese
• Teachers’ intercultural competence in the classroom and beyond
• Teacher-student relationships
• Chinese Teachers of Chinese as a foreign language as representatives of Chinese ‘Culture’ and politics
• The short-term and long-term impact of international teacher mobility in relation to Chinese language education
• Chinese language teacher education and professional development abroad
• Chinese language teaching qualifications abroad
• Teacher retention abroad
• Digital technologies as partners in Chinese teaching
• Etc.