Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP)

The Teachers of Critical Languages Program (TCLP) is a multi-layered cross-cultural program sponsored by the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs at the U.S. Department of State.

American Councils recruits and places English as a Foreign Language (EFL) teachers from China, Egypt, Morocco, and Taiwan within American secondary schools where they teach their native language and culture. Through TCLP, each party involved is positively impacted: American students develop appreciation for and fluency with the critical languages of Mandarin and Arabic, exchange teachers improve their English which intensifies the depth of their home school's EFL curriculum, American and exchange teachers develop partnerships and share both resources and teaching methods, and all students and teachers form a deeper understanding of others' cultures.

American Councils designs and implements an extended two-week orientation that prepares exchange teachers for classroom teaching and life in America, coordinates a three-day professional development workshop for foreign language teachers, provides monthly stipends and medical insurance, and, in addition to ongoing program monitoring and support, visits hosted teachers at their U.S. communities throughout the year. TCLP, administered by American Councils for International Education, is a program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State.