Teaching Fellow or Senior Teaching Fellow in Design and Media: Theory and Research - CHINA

LOCATION: Xiamen University, Zhangzhou Campus, China

Full Time: 36.25 hours per week

We are looking for skilled creatives, designers, teachers, and researchers to join us in beautiful, sub-tropical, South-East China. The Institute of Creativity and Innovation (ICI) is a dual-degree institute founded by Xiamen University (XMU) and the University for the Creative Arts (UCA). We’re located on XMU’s Zhangzhou campus, which boasts a park-like atmosphere, with mountains on one side and Amoy Bay on the other. It’s a short commute to beautiful beaches, or the city of Xiamen, the multicultural centre of South-East China.

Our Teaching Fellows and Senior Teaching Fellows will have a deep understanding of subject-specific principles and their application, combined with the ability to engage and inspire students.

We have multiple requirements, and these will be permanent contracts. UCA offers a competitive compensation package that includes:

• 35 days of personal holiday
• Enrolment in the Teacher’s pension scheme
• Medical Insurance coverage in China for self and family
• Visa application expenses for self and family
• Flight cost
• Settling-In Allowance
• Annual repatriation (home visit) allowance
• Free accommodation in China for self and family
• School or Nursery/ Pre-school allowance
• Tax advice

We are offering positions in teaching modules that develop students’ understanding of the importance of theory and context in relation to practice. These modules utilize an innovative teaching approach, combining lectures and seminar discussions with creative workshops that guide students in considering the theoretical and contextual relevance of their creative works. The first of these units teaches students to interpret a range of design and media through semiotics and according to contextual frameworks such as representation, globalisation, and postmodernism. The second unit explores a range of theories discussing how understandings of design and media are constructed through consumption.

The right candidates will have a Ph.D. in a relevant area (e.g. design or humanities), along with a teaching qualification or equivalent professional experience with at least two consecutive years of higher education teaching. Active research in the field or ongoing professional practice are considered assets. This position would be particularly well suited to recent PhD graduates seeking university positions and presents opportunities to develop teaching, design and/or research-oriented careers.

You will be part of a unique department at the ICI specializing in core skills shared by all disciplines. As such, the modules you teach allow the students to develop interdisciplinary skills that enhance their knowledge base that can apply to a range of personal, creative and theoretical abilities. We embrace and strongly encourage innovative and collaborative teaching styles across all our modules and encourage teachers to adapt and modify content to suit their styles and specialisms. This is a unique opportunity to be part of an institution at its inception and to contribute to its future direction and success.

By joining the ICI you will become part of the international community of designers, architects and researchers involved in visual arts, environmental studies, and new media. Our educators are involved in pioneering projects and teaching methodologies which they apply through research and mentoring practices. We are a community of expats committed to promoting diversity and inclusivity within teaching and working environments.

If you would welcome an informal chat about the role before applying, or any aspect of living and working in China, please contact Dr. Duncan Breeze by email (Duncan.Breeze@uca.ac.uk) providing your contact details. 

Come and join a growing community of design professionals in a location that inspires creativity – you won’t be disappointed.

HOW TO APPLY?

Please click on the apply button above and apply with your updated CV and a cover letter stating your suitability for the role. You can also upload your portfolio and any supporting documents, which would be desirable. 

Priority will be given to applicants with experience working in the UK, or other countries where courses are taught in English.

Candidates must be able to meet the Chinese visa requirements. UCA will assist with obtaining a visa.

Interviews will be ongoing; this role will remain open until filled.

At UCA, creativity and innovation are at the heart of what we do. Our legacy of educating eager and passionate artists, makers, and thinkers runs back almost 160 years, and today we’re helping shape a global future that supports and nourishes talent worldwide.

The University for the Creative Arts (UCA) aims to be a welcoming and inclusive University that is truly representative of all the diversity in society. We particularly encourage applications from people from minoritized ethnic groups and people with disabilities who are currently under-represented within the University.