It's a boom time for Chinese language learning across the world, not only because of China's higher profile in the global community but also because of the increasing economic and cultural connections between China and other countries.
As one of the latest countries to welcome Chinese language lecturers, the United Arab Emirates (UAE) plans to open Chinese language courses in 200 public primary and secondary schools; experienced Chinese teachers are eagerly needed.
The UAE's Ministry of Education will provide a competitive salary – about $4,500 monthly – exempt from tax, according to the Confucius Institute, which reached the cooperation agreement with the UAE.
Other Chinese courses opening across world show the increasing demand for Chinese-speaking talent.
In March, Russia included Mandarin as an elective foreign language in the country's college entrance exam. Following English, German, French, and Spanish, Mandarin has become the fifth elective test item for the exam, according to Sergey Kravtsov, deputy minister of Russia's Ministry of Education and Science.
Spain, for example, has more than 40,000 people learning Chinese; last year some 8,000 took the Chinese Proficiency Test (HSK) exam, ranking first among the member states of the European Union, according to Xinhua News Agency.
In the US, learning Chinese has been thriving for a number of years and is now a popular choice for American children, especially those who born in elite families. They children are exposed to the language at an early age as their parents believe mastering Chinese will help them build successful international careers, Guangming Online reported.
The UAE recruitment advertising went viral on Chinese social platforms, with many people commenting on the pleasure of seeing further popularisation of the Chinese language and culture.
Content sourced from the People's Daily Online here