Central Eurasian Studies Summer Institute

Instructor Application

The instructor application for CESSI 2025 has closed.

CESSI 2025 will be held in a synchronous, online format June 16-August 8, 2025, and will be preceded by a staff orientation week.  Language instructors will be responsible for participating in CESSI staff orientation week activities as well as instructor meetings throughout the eight-week program. 

Under the supervision of the director of the Wisconsin Intensive Summer Language Institutes (WISLI), instructors will be expected to: 

  1. Teach one of the following Central Eurasian languages at the elementary, intermediate, or advanced level in an eight-week intensive summer format: Azerbaijani, Kazakh, Kyrgyz, Tajik, Uyghur, or Uzbek. Classes are four hours a day, five days a week. 
  2. Prepare syllabus, lesson plans, and teaching materials; prepare, administer, and grade classroom and homework assignments and exams; and hold office hours. 
  3. Prepare teaching materials for assigned language and course-level for future use at CESSI.
  4. Teach as much as possible in the target language. The American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL) recommends that learning take place through the target language for 90% or more of classroom time. The goal is to provide immersion in the target language unless there is a specific reason to NOT use the target language. 
  5. Participate in weekly all-staff meetings and all sessions of pedagogy workshops organized by CESSI and WISLI, in addition to the assigned teaching and preparation of teaching materials. 
  6. Attend the CESSI lecture series and participate in other cultural events. 

Important Reminders When Applying:

  • Applications sent by mail or email will not be accepted.
  • Please do not submit applications for languages other than those listed on the position description. 
  • You must submit all three items (cover letter, CV, syllabus) in order to be considered for a position. Finalists may be required to provide a teaching demonstration as a part of the hiring process.
  • Instructor position dates are one week longer than the dates of CESSI classes, as instructors are expected to participate in the entirety of pedagogy training prior to the start of the program. 

Additional Information 

  • Hiring of instructors is contingent upon sufficient enrollment. Class confirmations/cancellations are determined in the Spring. Consequently, it may not be until April that a final decision is made on your instructor application. If you have not heard from us, your application may be on hold until student enrollment numbers are finalized and we can make an informed decision on hiring.
  • A successful applicant will be responsible for ensuring eligibility for employment in the United States on or before the effective date of the appointment. 
  • The salary listed is the minimum base rate on which the instructor’s salary for the summer session would be calculated. The actual compensation for this nine-week appointment would range between $12,000-$14,000, depending on experience based on the academic year rate.