Due to COVID-19 UCL and CLEC will not be scheduling any student camps to China until further notice.
If the camps can go ahead in 2024, we expect to advertise them from late 2023, so please do keep checking our website in the late Autumn term for more information.
Since 2007, UCL IOE Confucius Institute for Schools has worked with CLEC to organise study visits to China for secondary school students in England. To date over 3,900 British students and teachers from 130 individual schools across the country have benefited from this excellent opportunity to learn Chinese language and about Chinese culture.
Managed by IOE Confucius Institute, this annual study visit is generously funded by CLEC for all the in-China costs, including language and cultural lessons, food and accommodation, travel and transportation as well as some tourism.
Who is this for?
Secondary schools in England with students aged between 14-18 who are studying Chinese or who are interested in learning the language and culture are eligible to apply.
Please join our Chinese Teaching e-forum to receive regular updates and be notified when the application process opens.
Please note that the Summer Camp programme is often over-subscribed, so priority will be given to Confucius Classroom schools and schools who have never participated in the trip before.
Programme in China
The study visit focuses on teaching Mandarin Chinese to the British students whilst also offering exciting cultural lessons and activities including;
- around 20 hours of Chinese learning
- traditional Chinese cultural activities
- visits to local historical and cultural places of interest
- activities with local Chinese students
- home visits will be organised with host schools where possible
How much does it cost?
Teachers and students will be responsible for their UK domestic travel cost, visa costs*, travel insurance and pocket money. Visit costs in China are generously funded by CLEC. The IOE CI will purchase the international air travel, in order to ensure participants can travel and be met in China in groups.
Chinese Visas
Please note that Chinese visa costs have increased and are now in the region of £150 per person. Since the end of 2018, each person applying for a Chinese visa is be required to travel to the Chinese visa centre to submit fingerprints. This includes teachers and all students. Please visit the Chinese Embassy website for more information
Teacher Places
The current student/teacher ratio will be 10:1, which means that a maximum of one teacher per 10 students will be funded by CLEC. There is an option to pay an additional teacher’s expenses to allow more than one member of staff to go on the trip, and/or to have more/less than 10 students on the trip.
How to apply.
Please check back here in the Autumn term when we should be able to open registration.
To read about how much students and teachers enjoyed the camps over the years, please click here to access the school blogs.
For further information please email chinesenetworks@ucl.ac.uk .
