Another great way to spend time abroad and especially to gain insight into the field of education and the schools in a foreign country is through a language assistant or teaching programme. These are often open to all students, not just education majors, and offer a chance to work and live in a foreign country for one or two terms. Some programmes have age limits or require you to have completed a certain number of semesters at university or to study certain subjects, but there is generally a programme that suits everyone! Here are a few that might interest you: 

Language Teaching Placements

The most common programme that students participate in is the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst Fremdsprachenassistentenprogramm, which organises placements as German language teaching assistants in various schools around the world! The average teaching load is 12 hours per week in the classroom, plus planning, observing, etc., and you are encouraged to get involved with extra-curricular activities at the school or college you work at.

In Europe, most PAD placements are at secondary schools (and last 6-9 months), in North America, most placements are in higher education (and last around 9-11 months). However, there is a pilot project placing German assistants at high-schools: PAD Teaching German at US Schools.

These PAD placements as teaching assistants last between 6 and 11 months, depending on the host country. The financial support you receive from this programme varies depending on the host country, but is usually around 750-900€ per month. Priority is usually given to students in Education degree programmes, and you will need to have completed at least 4 semesters of study (some countries require a completed BEd degree). 

There is a lot of competitions for placements with the PAD, especially in English-speaking countries. You will need to write a strong personal statement for your application, to improve your changes of being accepted. Feel free to contact Mrs Maas for more advice. 

 

Students who have completed their Bachelor's degree may also be interested in the Deutsche Akademischer Austausch Dienst Sprachassistenten programme: This DAAD programme sends students with a Bachelor’s degree to be German teaching fellows at colleges and universities around the world. Teaching fellows are paid around 1500€/month and you can also get extra money to cover your travel costs and/or a language course in the host country. The assistantship lasts one year and can be extended for a second year in some cases, if desired. Students who study German Studies (Germanistik) or Teaching German as a Foreign Language (DaF) are usually given priority. 

Other Teaching Placements

Amity – Intern Teacher Program: Be a classroom assistant at various schools in the USA for one semester (5 months) or a year (10 months). You'll need to have completed at least 4 semesters of study, preferably in an Education degree programme. You'll work at a school for around 32 hours per week doing observations, assistant teaching, presenting your home country's culture, preparing teaching materials, and also participating in extra-curricular activities. The application costs are around $500, but participants receive a monthly stipend of $200 minimum as well as free accomodation, usually catered (a value of approximately $900 per month).  Contact Ms Ebbert-Hübner (ebbert@uni-trier.de) for more information, or check out the website www.amity.org or the flyer here: Amity Informational Flyer.

Youth for Understanding – Teacher Exchange Programme: Teach languages, music, drama and/or other Arts subjects at primary and secondary schools in India (mostly in the north, around New Dehli). To participate in this programme, you need to have completed your Bachelor’s degree, either BEd or BA. The placements last 10-12 months, usually starting in July, and you work around 30 hours spread over a 6-day week (with 3 weeks paid holidays at Christmas). You need to pay $500 to the organisation to participate, but then the YfU programme pays you a salary of INR 18,000 – INR 24,000 (approx. €240-300) per month, covers your travel costs, and provides free accommodation and usually catering. 

Flyer about the Amity programme. See www.amity.org for full text.