An AIA ambassador is a current teacher chosen to represent Sias to prospective teachers throughout the recruitment process. These ambassadors act as liaisons between the AIA staff and those considering teaching at Sias. AIA Ambassadors help in a variety of efforts — such as sharing day-to-day tips and food recommendations, offering live glimpses into his/her life in China, calling or emailing candidates, assisting with virtual campus tours, offering Q&As with candidates and their families, and staying in touch with newly committed teachers throughout the onboarding process.

Sias University teacher recruitment is all about TRUST. Whoever chooses to move to China and work at Sias will be thinking and feeling their way through physiological needs (money, housing, bills), safety (COVID-19, travel dangers, politics), social (who will be my friends and what will my family/friends think of this choice), purposeful impact (will I make a difference or am I needed). The goal of the AIA Ambassadors is to help answer these questions through testimonies, stories, examples, and opportunities.

Many prospective teachers want the unofficial story of what life is like living in China and teaching at Sias. They want to get an authentic perspective from actual teachers who can offer details from their personal experience that AIA recruiters can’t. They may understand that AIA ambassadors are positively biased, with an “official” role to represent AIA well, but that’s okay. They’re not looking for dirt. Just perspective.

AIA Ambassadors help prospects imagine themselves at Sias. They build trust and help foster the prospect’s relationship with Sias. That’s what makes them so valuable.