In-service Chinese teachers and Chinese Bridge winners: the special rules in the CLEC scholarship guidelines
Sources checked · Unofficial summary
If you already teach Chinese, the 2025 Application Guidelines for the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship raise the maximum age for in-service Chinese language teachers from 35 to 45 and add two documents to your file: proof of employment and a reference letter from your employer. If you received the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship Certificate during Chinese Bridge competitions, the guidelines give you a different route — you send your application documents and the certificate directly to the Host Institutions at the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship website.
Everything below comes from that one document, the 2025 edition published by the Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC) on chinese.cn. It was written for programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026, so the dates in it belong to that cycle; check chinese.cn for the edition that applies to the intake you are looking at.
Which cycle this describes
The 2025 guidelines are dated January 2025 and cover programmes starting between July 2025 and March 2026. The doctoral and master's programmes in them commence in September 2025. When this page was checked, that edition was the most recent one found on chinese.cn, and its dates had already passed. Treat the numbers here as the terms of that cycle and confirm the current notice before you plan around them.
The age rule, and what changes for in-service teachers
For all applicants, the guidelines set the age range at 16 to 35 years on 1 September 2025.
For in-service Chinese language teachers, the maximum age limit "may be extended to 45". Two things are worth noticing about the wording:
- The extension is written as something that may be granted, not as a separate fixed limit.
- It does not remove the other limit in the same paragraph: applicants for a Bachelor's degree scholarship "shall be younger than 25 under most circumstances".
The document does not define "in-service Chinese language teacher", does not say how many hours or years of teaching count, and does not describe how an applicant demonstrates in-service status beyond the documents listed below.
What in-service teachers have to submit
Section IV of the guidelines states that in-service Chinese language teachers need to provide proof of employment and a letter of recommendation from the employer. Appendix 2 repeats the same requirement in its own list: "In-service Chinese language teachers shall provide proof of employment and a reference letter from the employer."
These sit on top of the materials required from every applicant, not instead of them. The guidelines do not specify a template, a minimum length, or what the proof of employment must show.
| Material | Who it applies to | Where the 2025 guidelines state it |
|---|---|---|
| Proof of employment | In-service Chinese language teachers | Section IV and Appendix 2, item C |
| Reference letter from the employer | In-service Chinese language teachers | Section IV and Appendix 2, item C |
| Reference letter by the head of the Recommending Institution | All applicants | Appendix 2, item A(c) |
| Passport photo page scan | All applicants | Appendix 2, item A(a) |
| HSK/HSKK score reports within the two-year validity | All applicants | Appendix 2, item A(b) |
| Additional documents required by the Host Institution | All applicants | Appendix 2, item E |
The employer's letter and the reference letter from the head of the Recommending Institution are two different documents in the official list; the guidelines do not say that one can replace the other.
The Chinese Bridge route
Applicants who received the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship Certificate during Chinese Bridge competitions submit their application documents together with their scholarship certificates directly to the Host Institutions, at the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship website. For further enquiries the guidelines give one institutional address: chinesebridge@chinese.cn.
The document does not describe any exemption that comes with the certificate. It does not say that holding one changes the age rule, the HSK/HSKK score requirements, or the other application materials, and it does not set out a separate deadline for this route.
The priority clause for applicants with an employment contract
A separate provision appears in the doctoral and master's categories. For the Scholarship for a Doctor's Degree in International Chinese Language Education, and for the Scholarship for a Master's Degree in International Chinese Language Education, the 2025 guidelines state: "Priority will be given to applicants who may provide an employment contract with a teaching institution upon completing their studies in China or proof to the same effect." The same clause is repeated in Appendix 2 for both categories.
Three details keep this from being confused with the in-service route:
- It is written for the doctoral and master's programmes in International Chinese Language Education, in the sections that describe those two categories. The guidelines in this edition do not attach it to the other categories.
- The contract is one you may provide "upon completing their studies in China" — a future arrangement, not current employment.
- The guidelines do not explain how priority is applied, how much weight it carries, or what counts as "proof to the same effect".
For reference, the HSK/HSKK minimums set in the same two category descriptions are: doctoral applicants a minimum of 200 on HSK (Level 6) and 60 on HSKK (Advanced Level); master's applicants a minimum of 210 on HSK (Level 5) and 60 on HSKK (Intermediate Level). Those figures belong to those two programmes and should not be carried over to any other category.
What still applies to everyone
The eligibility conditions in Section I apply regardless of which route you use: non-Chinese citizenship; being friendly to China, having no criminal record, and abiding by Chinese laws and the Host Institution's rules; good physical and mental health and good academic and behavioural standing; and an interest in Chinese language education and related work.
From Appendix 2, every applicant submits a scan of the passport photo page, HSK/HSKK score reports within the two-year validity, and a reference letter by the head of the Recommending Institution. Degree applicants add a certificate of the highest diploma (or proof of expected graduation) and an official transcript. Applicants under 18 must provide certified documents of designation signed by their entrusted legal guardians in China. Host Institutions may require further documents.
Questions people ask
Does being an in-service teacher mean I receive the scholarship?
No. The 2025 guidelines set out eligibility, documents and, for two categories, a priority clause. They do not state any outcome for an individual applicant, and this page cannot estimate one.
I am 38 and teaching now — can I still apply for a bachelor's degree place?
The guidelines extend the maximum age for in-service Chinese language teachers to 45, but they also state that applicants for a Bachelor's degree scholarship shall be younger than 25 under most circumstances. The document does not describe how those two lines are reconciled, so the current notice on chinese.cn and the Host Institution are the places to ask.
Where do I send a Chinese Bridge certificate?
To the Host Institutions directly, together with your application documents, at the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship website, according to Section IV of the 2025 guidelines. The contact address given there for further enquiries is chinesebridge@chinese.cn.
Do I still need HSK results if I already teach Chinese?
Yes, as the document is written. Appendix 2 lists HSK/HSKK score reports within the two-year validity among the materials for all applicants, and the doctoral and master's categories set their own minimum scores, quoted above.
What is the difference between the employer's letter and the employment contract in the priority clause?
They are different things in this document. The employer's letter is a required document for in-service teachers, about your current job. The employment contract in the priority clause is an arrangement with a teaching institution that you may provide upon completing your studies in China, and it is written into the doctoral and master's categories.
For the wider programme structure, see the International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship page on this site.
Sources
- Application Guidelines for International Chinese Language Teachers Scholarship 2025, Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC, chinese.cn)
- chinese.cn, Center for Language Education and Cooperation (CLEC)
Checked 10 October 2026.
This page is an unofficial summary prepared for applicants, is not published by CLEC or any Host Institution, and the official notice prevails if the two differ.