In 2004, Shenzhen International Foundation College (SIFC), a boarding school for Grades 9-12, was established in Shenzhen, China by Principal Fu and a team of professors from Shenzhen University and approved by the Shenzhen Education Bureau. With a focus on individual development, the school ensures a 5:1 student-teacher ratio and a stable staff with a Chinese-to-foreign teacher ratio of 6:4 dedicated to the development of students as critical thinkers with confidence, courage, and vitality. Teachers are like friends and are as close as family.
Resting within the IADC International Art Exhibition Center in the modern, coastal city of Shenzhen, SIFC benefits from a magnificent setting both natural and artistic. Students thrive in a warm, connected social environment within a house system where interpersonal communication is cultivated among students of different ages. Families also have opportunities to visit and connect during regularly held parent salons.
Registered with the Provincial Department of Education and the China Scholarship Council, SIFC is one of the oldest international schools in Shenzhen to implement the Advanced Placement (AP) curriculum and the U.S. Common Core. Students may also choose the academic path to prepare for A Levels. The school boasts many international certifications and authorizations, including Cognia, College Board, Pearson Edexcel, Oxford AQA, UCAS.
Currently, 300 high school students are enrolled at Shenzhen International Foundation College. Eighty-seven percent of the students and 64% of the teaching staff are Chinese. Thousands of SIFC graduates have attended top universities abroad, and many have pursued graduate studies at Harvard, Columbia, Stanford. Nevertheless, SIFC believes that the right universities for students are the ones that suit them best.
At SIFC, students have the opportunity to join a wide range of extracurricular activities to gain a holistic cultural experience. Nearly 50 club activities—spanning academics, arts, and sports—are offered to students each year. Some of the 13 options for sport are chess, girls’ and boys’ basketball, fencing, tennis, and skateboarding. Among the 16 choices for art are clubs for string and symphony orchestra, music production, rock band, K-pop dancing, role play, experimental art, and photography. From the 12 academic clubs students might choose Python, Literature, Intensive English, Psychology, Human Rights, and South Korean Culture.
The school endorses participation in international competitions, too numerous to name. In the area of social sciences, students have competed in Future Business Leaders of America, Business Simulation, National Economic Challenge, or International History Bee and Bowl, and more. Science competitions have included the Australian Science Olympiads, Physics Bowl, or the Junior Canadian Chemistry Olympiad. Those wishing to compete in mathematics might participate in the Math Kangaroo or the American Mathematics Competition. Comprehensive contests one could enter might be China Thinks Big or United States Academic Decathlon. Ivy Cup International English Contestants compete in language. Students may enter performance competitions, such as Chinese Golden Melody Award, The Prokofiev International Music Competition, or the “Mozart” International Youth Piano Competition.
SIFC hires singles and couples with a non-teaching partner; however, they would consider teaching couples, newly certified candidates, veteran teachers without certification, and interns wishing to teach abroad. Candidates must hold their academic degree in the subject they will be teaching. As per government regulations, those up to the age of 60 may obtain a work visa.
The international teaching benefits package includes allowances for moving, monthly housing, and annual airfare. The school also offers 100% tuition for the first child, 80% for the second child, and 50% for the third. Overseas teaching parents are only required to pay an annual miscellaneous fee of 20,000 RMB. SIFC provides professional development opportunities. Local health insurance, including life insurance, is fully covered. The school awards bonuses for both excellence and contract renewal.
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Please note: The information presented about this school was valid on the date published. This information may change, and the most up-to-date information can be found on the school profile.
