CLI Community Fellowship: A Funded Year of Chinese Immersion

Why this fellowship exists

Around week three, the adjustment often gets harder

Students arrive at CLI from all over the world. The first stretch is exciting: new teachers, a homestay or room at the Center, and a city where even a simple errand becomes language practice. After a few weeks, the newness wears off. That's often when a student wants to talk with someone who has already been through the same adjustment.

Our Guilin team handles orientation, logistics, and formal student support. The Community Fellow adds something different: a full-time student at CLI who welcomes new arrivals, organizes dinners, hikes, and language exchanges, and serves as the first peer a classmate can talk to when something feels off.

The Fellow studies full time and spends roughly ten hours per week supporting the student community. CLI covers the fellowship year.

Students talking together in the CLI lounge between classes

同伴 · tóngbàn companion; peer

The award

What the fellowship provides

This is a competitive merit scholarship, not a salaried position. Everything below is provided directly by CLI for the full fellowship year.

One full year of Chinese study in Guilin

The fellowship covers twelve months of intensive one-on-one Chinese instruction. Your study comes first, and we expect your Chinese to improve substantially over the year.

12months in Guilin

20class hours weekly

1:1Chinese instruction

Awarded in two termsThe first six months are guaranteed at award. The second six months are confirmed at a five-month review of your progress and mutual fit.

Round-trip airfareTo and from Guilin, covered by CLI.
Housing and weekday lunchesA private room at the CLI Center, weekday lunches with the CLI community, and full kitchen access.
International health insuranceMedical and emergency evacuation coverage for your full fellowship year, provided by CLI.
Professional certificationMental Health First Aid, QPR suicide prevention gatekeeper training, and First Aid/CPR, fully funded. These credentials are yours to keep.
A community programming budgetFor the dinners, outings, and gatherings you organize. You plan the calendar; CLI disburses the funds.
Weekly mentorshipA standing one-on-one with CLI's Director of Programs, every week of the year.
A formal letter of recommendationFrom CLI's Founding Director, upon successful completion of the fellowship.

Expectations of the fellowship

What a Fellow actually does

Think of the best RA you ever had, transplanted to Guilin. The Fellow isn't staff and doesn't run the school. They're the classmate who checks in on you during your first week, organizes Saturday's hike, and knows which CLI team member to bring in when a question goes beyond what a peer should handle.

The Fellow works alongside CLI's full-time Guilin student affairs team and meets one-on-one with CLI's Director of Programs every week. The role adds peer support to CLI's student support system; it does not replace staff support.

Your study stays primary. The fellowship expects roughly ten hours per week of community leadership alongside a full Immersion Program course load. If your Chinese isn't progressing, the fellowship isn't working.

Welcome new arrivals
Send a message before each student flies, meet for coffee within the first 48 hours, and check in again during weeks one, three, and six.
Build the community calendar
Plan and host dinners, hikes, language exchanges, and holiday gatherings that help students get to know one another.
Hold regular peer-support hours
Make time for homestay questions, culture shock, and frustration with slow progress. Listen, share what helped you, and bring in staff when needed.
Help with orientation and adjustment
Help run new-student orientation using CLI's Orientation Deck, then co-lead the week-three conversation on culture shock and the questions that tend to come up after the first few weeks.
Connect people to the right help
When something goes beyond peer support, you bring in the right CLI team member the same day. We train you on exactly how.
Make real progress in Chinese
Your 20 weekly class hours stay central to the fellowship, and we expect substantial progress over the year.
Pass on the playbook
You'll overlap with the outgoing Fellow, work from the Fellow Playbook, and update it for the person who follows you.

Who we're looking for

The friend people call first

The best Fellow isn't necessarily the loudest person in the room. It's someone friends already come to with problems, who listens well and knows when to bring in somebody with more training or authority.

How selection works

Four steps to the award

1 Written application
Send your resume, a brief cover letter, and a 500-word essay.
2 Scenario exercise
Shortlisted applicants submit written responses to anonymized situations based on life at CLI.
3 Two interviews
One with CLI's Director of Programs, one with our Guilin student affairs team and a current or recent student.
4 The award
CLI selects one Fellow. The scholarship agreement guarantees the first six months and sets a five-month review before the second six months are confirmed. CLI then helps with the visa and pre-departure preparation.

The essay prompt, if you'd like a head start: "Describe a time someone brought you a problem you weren't equipped to solve. What did you do?"

Frequently Asked Questions

Is this a job?

No. The Community Fellowship is a competitive merit scholarship. You're a student first. The award covers tuition, housing, weekday lunches, airfare, insurance, training, and a programming budget rather than paying wages. The community role takes about ten hours a week, comparable to what an RA takes on at an American university.

Do I need to have studied at CLI before?

No, but it helps. A returning student already knows the Center, the homestay system, and what the first few weeks in Guilin are like. CLI alumni are especially encouraged to apply.

When should I express interest?

Three to six months before you'd want the fellowship year to begin. The student visa process takes time, and so does careful selection. CLI supports you through the visa steps once you're selected.

Who is eligible to apply?

Strong candidates have a bachelor's degree or equivalent experience, conversational Chinese at approximately HSK 3 or above, meaningful experience in a peer-support role, and the ability to commit to twelve months in Guilin. Maturity, discretion, warmth, and sound judgment matter most.

What exactly does the fellowship cover?

CLI covers a full year of Immersion Program tuition, round-trip airfare to and from Guilin, a private room at the CLI Center, weekday lunches with full kitchen access, international health and emergency evacuation insurance, professional training, and a budget for community activities. The Fellow also receives weekly mentorship and, after successful completion, a formal letter of recommendation.

How will I cover personal expenses?

The fellowship covers the big costs. Personal spending, including weekend travel, dinners out, and gifts, is your responsibility. Chinese student visas do not permit outside employment, so plan to arrive with savings for the year.

Guilin is one of China's most affordable cities, and most students find that a modest budget goes a long way.

How much time does the community role require?

Plan on roughly ten hours per week alongside your full Immersion Program course load. Your Chinese study remains primary; the community work is structured around welcoming students, organizing gatherings, listening well, and connecting classmates to the appropriate CLI team member when needed.

Am I expected to handle student crises on my own?

No. The Fellow offers peer support, not counseling or emergency response. CLI provides training in Mental Health First Aid, QPR suicide prevention, and First Aid/CPR, with clear guidance on boundaries and escalation. When a situation goes beyond peer support, the Fellow brings in the right CLI team member promptly.

Fellows also keep confidences, with one clear limit communicated to every student up front: anything involving safety is shared with CLI's team.

Is the Fellow on call around the clock?

No. CLI's Guilin team handles urgent and after-hours situations. The Fellow has defined availability through weekly open hours, scheduled check-ins, and the gatherings they organize, so the role remains manageable alongside a full course load.

How does the selection process work?

Selection has four stages: a written application, a scenario exercise for shortlisted candidates, two interviews, and the final award. The selected Fellow signs a scholarship agreement that guarantees the first six months and provides for a five-month review before the second six months are confirmed. Visa and pre-departure preparation follow.

What happens at the five-month review?

Around month five, you and CLI's Director of Programs sit down for a structured review of your Chinese progress, the community expectations, and mutual fit. The second six months of the fellowship are confirmed there.

Because you're already meeting one-on-one every week, nothing at the review should come as a surprise.

Start the conversation

Tell us who you are

This is an interest form, not the application. Share a little about yourself and we'll send you the full fellowship details, the timeline for the next selection cycle, and the application materials.

If you're on the fence, write to us anyway. Half of figuring out whether this fits is a short conversation.

Questions first? Email info@studycli.org with "Community Fellowship" in the subject line, or call +1 888-781-8383.

Community Fellowship interest form

Tell us a little about your background.

We read every submission and reply personally, usually within a few weekdays.

A funded year of Chinese immersion in Guilin