Chinese American International School seeks a

Preschool Chinese Teaching Associate

This is a Chinese language position Non-exempt, full-time position

OPPORTUNITY

Join the vibrant community at the Chinese American International School’s new Forever Home campus on 19th Avenue as a Preschool Chinese Lead Teacher. Become part of a team striving to be the world’s most innovative, inspiring, and influential Chinese English dual-language immersion school.

OUR IDEAL CANDIDATE

The ideal candidate finds resonance with CAIS’s mission to Embrace Chinese, Become Our Best Selves, and Contribute to a Better World; our Core Values of Courage, Curiosity, Inclusion, Kindness, and Perseverance. As CAIS aims to empower independent, effective, and inspired learners, we look for a candidate adept at student-centered pedagogy such as differentiation, use of assessment to inform teaching, and Workshop-based instruction. This candidate can foster a joyful learning community that strikes a developmentally appropriate balance between deepening students’ academic skills and nurturing the curiosity and creativity of our learners

This candidate can foster a joyful learning community that strikes a developmentally appropriate balance between deepening students’ academic skills and nurturing the curiosity and creativity of our learners. Our new team members will collaborate with preschool colleagues and enjoy a wealth of professional development opportunities.

CAIS offers a dynamic dual culture setting in which faculty are immersed in a culture of language learners. We look for a candidate who will embrace CAIS’s work to create an equitable, inclusive environment where all faculty, students, and families are supported in their individual identities. We welcome all applicants who aim to actively support and participate in our diverse and inclusive community.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES

Position responsibilities include (but are not limited to):

• Work with a team to provide daily open-ended, child-centered, play-based learning experiences that support literacy across content areas
• Support teachers in curriculum preparation, instruction, and assessment aligned with school mission, goals, and initiatives
• Apply knowledge of child development and pedagogy in supporting children’s learning
• Facilitate whole group, small group, and transitions during classroom and outdoor time in collaboration with the teacher
• Use observation, documentation, and assessment to inform instruction and plan learning experiences
• Maintain active visual and auditory supervision at all times to ensure children’s safety (classroom, playground, and field trips) in accordance with licensing requirements
• Follow school policies and procedures, including confidentiality, communication, discipline, health and safety, and cross-cultural understanding
• Refer student-related inquiries or concerns to the teacher, extended care supervisor, or Preschool Director
• Support classroom operations, including attendance, record keeping, documentation, environment setup, and snack preparation
• Communicate with lead teacher to support ongoing professional growth and development
• Interact with children using positive, respectful, and supportive language and tone
• Use positive discipline strategies to guide behavior and support children’s participation
• Foster a positive, inclusive classroom environment that supports children’s intellectual, emotional, and social development and sense of belonging
• Collaborate with colleagues and maintain professional, respectful communication with staff and families

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of 12 ECE units or Child Development Teacher Permit
• Experience in early childhood Chinese immersion education preferred
• Mandarin Chinese language proficiency
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work with colleagues from different backgrounds
• Commitment to school mission, policies, and initiatives
• Technical/Computer skills as required for job performance
• Initial and continued tuberculosis clearance
• Initial and continued criminal background clearance by DOJ and FBI

VALUED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

We value, but do not require, the following attributes:

• Three units of administration ECE or site supervisor preferred
• Bachelor’s degree preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions for the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; use fine motor skills; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop, talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

BENEFITS & COMPENSATION

The CAIS Board of Trustees and administration are expressly dedicated to ensuring that CAIS is a great place to work. The school is committed to attracting, developing, retaining, and rewarding top-tier employees with a strong benefits package. The salary range for this position is: $23- $30 per hour, based on experience. Please see the final page for a description of benefits.

ABOUT CAIS

As the nation’s first Mandarin immersion day school, Chinese American International School (CAIS) is an independent Preschool through 8th grade school in San Francisco. Our mission—Embrace Chinese, Become Our Best Selves, and Contribute to a Better World—guides every aspect of our work. CAIS prepares students to navigate and contribute to an interconnected world through language, culture, and character development.

Our new campus and state-of-the-art performing arts facilities provide an exceptional foundation for creative teaching, learning, and community engagement.

TO APPLY

CAIS’s commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is central to our mission. People of color and LGBTQIA candidates are strongly encouraged to apply. Click here to apply. Please no calls.

CAIS as a Workplace

Chinese American International School is dedicated to attracting, developing, rewarding and retaining world-class employees and ensuring that this is a great place to work. We put a high priority on advances in compensation, benefits, and work climate with a 2026–2027 benefits package and perks including:

Distinctively CAIS Benefits

• Commuter benefits provided (up to $340/month)
• Dynamic, dual culture setting valuing honest self assessment, thoughtful self reflection, intentional planning, and focused implementation

Financial Benefits

• CAIS contributes 5% of your earnings immediately in a 403(B) retirement plan (no contribution required on your part)
• Transparent salary benchmarked to the Bay Area’s competitive standards, including annual cost-of-living adjustments

Professional Development

• Support provided for conferences, workshops, and courses
• Introductory Chinese class for faculty/staff
• Membership in California Teacher Development Collaborative — https://catdc.org/

Health Benefits

• CAIS pays 100% of the premium for medical, dental, vision, acupuncture, chiropractor and long-term disability, and life insurance for you (along with competitive rates for spouse and family coverage)
• Employer-funded Health Savings Account (HSA) and Pre-tax HSA employee contribution
• Pre-tax Flexible Spending Account (FSA) for medical and dependent care

Vacation / Holiday / Paid Time Off

• Thanksgiving Break – 1 week
• Winter Break (December/January) – 2 weeks
• Winter Break (February) – 1 week
• Spring Break (April) – 1 week
• Summer Break – 9 weeks of summer from mid-June to mid-August
• Paid school holidays according to the school calendar
• Up to 2 additional days off for religious holidays
• Accrue 11.5 days of Sick Time annually
• Accrue 3 days of Personal Time annually

Quality of Life and Appreciation

• Monthly appreciation lunches
• Twice-yearly Faculty/Staff Appreciation Events
• Annual milestones luncheon
• Free tickets to annual dinner/dance gala
• Lunar New Year luncheon
• Birthday gift card

ESSENTIAL REQUIREMENTS

• Minimum of 12 ECE units or Child Development Teacher Permit
• Experience in early childhood Chinese immersion education preferred
• Mandarin Chinese language proficiency
• Excellent interpersonal and communication skills
• Ability to work with colleagues from different backgrounds
• Commitment to school mission, policies, and initiatives
• Technical/Computer skills as required for job performance
• Initial and continued tuberculosis clearance
• Initial and continued criminal background clearance by DOJ and FBI

VALUED SKILLS & EXPERIENCE

We value, but do not require, the following attributes:

• Three units of administration ECE or site supervisor preferred
• Bachelor’s degree preferred

PHYSICAL DEMANDS AND WORK ENVIRONMENT

• The physical demands and work environment characteristics described here are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions for the job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions
• Physical demands: While performing the duties of this job, the employee is occasionally required to walk; sit; use fine motor skills; reach with hands and arms; balance; stoop, talk or hear. The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 50 pounds. Specific vision abilities required by the job include close vision, distance vision, color vision, depth perception, and the ability to adjust focus.
• Work environment: The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.

About Chinese American International School

ABOUT CAIS As the nation’s first Mandarin Immersion Preschool through 8th grade school, CAIS embodies our mission by working continuously to maintain our role as a leader in immersion education. We value honest self-assessment, thoughtful self-reflection, intentional planning, and focused implementation. We are known as an ambitious school, and we are making substantial progress on our multi-year vision to reimagine immersion, reimagine our culture of learning, reimagine character and community, and reimagine our learning spaces. Since 2021, we have been using our new campus on 19th Avenue in San Francisco for athletics, arts, and community events. In September 2024, our entire community began the school year at our newly renovated Forever Home, which more than doubles the program space from our former Hayes Valley locations and allows all divisions to be together on one spectacular campus.

Connections working at Chinese American International School