Durham University is a World Top 100 university in a charming historic city, with UNESCO World Heritage status, situated in the North East of England.  Durham produces world-leading research and was the first English university to establish a research partnership with China’s Palace Museum in Beijing. The partnership with Durham’s Archaeology Department, ranked 4th in the QS World Rankings 2022, led to Durham being the first UK university team ever to be permitted to undertake excavations within Beijing’s Forbidden City. Durham has partnerships with some of China’s leading universities, including Peking University, Fudan University, Tsinghua University, and Zhejiang University.

Durham has for some years been a member of the China Excellence Identification Scheme, working with Ambright in a non-profit co-operation to promote high-calibre academic exchange. Building on Durham University’s non-profit partnership work with Ambright and on East Asian culture-and-careers events that our UK and Ireland Co-ordinator had offered at Durham, the university became one of the first in the UK, and internationally, to develop a unique Ambassador Year in China graduate scheme for its graduates.

The Durham University International Office and Global Internships Manager worked with us through 2020 and 2021 to create and launch the Durham University Ambassador Year in China graduate scheme, offering the unique role of Durham University Graduate Ambassador.

After several rounds of pre-screening, the first Durham University Graduate Ambassador has been appointed and will be placed at one of the ground-breaking Thomas Schools of China.  We are delighted that the first holder of this post has well-developed cultural interests in China and East Asia as well as demonstrable ambassadorial potential.

We are thrilled that the Durham University International Office, International Careers team, and Durham University’s Beijing representative, as well as the Global Internships Manager in particular, have all been actively involved in making the scheme a success and offering pre-departure briefings.

The first Durham University Graduate Ambassador is expected to become an international role model not only for young people at the Thomas Schools of China, but also for future applicants from Durham University. The Durham University Graduate Ambassador will also take part in Durham University events in China while serving in this pioneering role.

Comment from the first Durham University Graduate Ambassador

Hi, my name's Alain Vendiola and I'm an English and Homeroom Teacher at Shanghai Thomas School! I graduated last year from Durham with a degree in Japanese Studies. By my final year, I had studied Chinese language, history and culture for several years, and had experience of living and working in China. So, my return was not a question of "if", rather, "when". In early 2021, I decided to apply for Ambright's Graduate Ambassador Programme and got a place. I arrived in China in October and not long after, I started my teaching career at Shanghai Thomas School.

My first few weeks at Thomas were nothing short of dynamic. Firstly, I participated in the School Sports Festival on my first day. Secondly, I dressed up as part of "Save the Ocean" Costume Day. Thirdly, I went with the school for a day trip to a local theme park. Fourthly, I co-led PBL (Project Based Learning) lessons focused on bridge building. Finally, the Head of English assigned me to lead the Drama Club, which culminated in the students staging a production of 'Jack and the Beanstalk' at the end of the semester. These all occurred as I was getting training as a teacher, too! No week ever feels the same at Thomas!

What I appreciate the most about Thomas is that you feel part of a team and that your contributions matter. For instance, building on my experience as South College's International Officer, I pitched the idea of celebrating international festivals in one of our staff meetings. It was well received and resulted in the school hosting a "Mask Festival" - inspired by the Venetian "Carnevale". Students not only designed their own masks, but they also learnt about Italian culture and history. I even got the chance to use my other languages: I delivered an Italian-language taster session!

Moreover, it's rewarding to know that as an educator, I am fostering a passion for learning English. As a Homeroom teacher, I often go with my small group of students to have lunch and chat together in the canteen. I fondly remember asking one of the more reserved students in my English class one lunchtime, "Who's your favourite teacher?" and they replied, "You, Teacher Alain!"

One can't talk about Shanghai Thomas School, without talking about Shanghai. To no surprise, there’s never a shortage of things to do and every weekend, I'm always busy. For instance, one weekend, some friends and I took a ferry to Hengsha - an island to the northeast of Shanghai. There we cycled by the coast and harvested fresh oranges from local orchards. In another, I attended a performance of Puccini's "Turandot" at the Shanghai Grand Theatre. Moreover, many places are accessible from the school because of Shanghai's extensive metro system. For example, it's easy for me to visit: the birthplace of xiaolongbao - traditional Chinese soup dumplings - in Nanxiang Old Water Town (only three metro stops away from the school!); or the world's largest Astronomy Museum, the Shanghai Planetarium. There's something for everyone in Shanghai!

To all prospective applicants: are you interested in China, or more broadly, East Asia? Do you want to live abroad? Do you want to challenge yourself and try something new? Do you want to gain experience in the educational sector? If you said yes to some or all these, I encourage you to apply for Ambright's Graduate Ambassador Programme!