Tuesday, May 27, 2014
Sunday, May 25, 2014
Teaching Assistantships in Austria (January Deadline)
US Teaching Assistantships
Fulbright
Austrian-American Educational Commission
Program Objective
The
Austrian-American Educational Commission, funded by the Austrian Federal
Ministry for Education, the Arts and Culture (Bundesministerium für Unterricht,
Kunst und Kultur), offers a U.S. teaching assistantship for one academic year
in secondary schools all around Austria. Selected participants will have a
rewarding opportunity to not only gain teaching and classroom experience, but
also serve as a linguistic and cultural ambassador for the United States.
Applicant Qualifications
Applicants
must be U.S. Citizens, have completed (or in the process of completing during
application period) a bachelor’s degree. Ideally applicants are interested in
public education or public service. Those with documented interest in the
German language as well as German and/or Austrian studies are particularly
encouraged to apply. A working knowledge of German is required and necessary to
facilitate on-site orientation and work.
Program Placement
The
Austrian Ministry of Education, the Arts and Culture works in a partnership
with provincial school boards to place approximately 130 U.S. teaching
assistants at schools in all nine Austrian provinces. Applicants may request a
city or region to which they wish to be assigned. However, the number of
positions available in larger metropolitan areas, such as Vienna, Salzburg,
Graz, and Innsbruck, is limited. Therefore, applicants also should be prepared
to accept teaching positions in smaller, more rural communities. Flexibility of
placement in prospects enhances applications.
Duration of Teaching Assistantship
Participants
are employed from October 1 – May 31 of the academic school year. Selected
teaching assistants are required to attend an orientation seminar before
beginning their assignments. U.S. teaching assistants with a superior record of
performance may apply to have their assistantships extended for a second year.
Work and Stipend of the Teaching Assistants
Participants
typically have a 13 hour work week, divided between two schools, under the
supervision of an assigned teaching superior to keep track of their overall
performance and trouble shoot, if need be. The stipend is ca. € 1,367 per month
for eight months, from which deductions are made for health and accident
insurance (full coverage under the Austrian plans) and income tax. This results
in a net income of approximately € 1,100 per month. No additional support for
travel to Austria or for dependents is provided.
Application Process
Graduating
seniors may apply, provided they have their degrees before assuming the
positions. Complete applications are due January 15, 2014 for the following
school year. For further information on the program, application materials, and
advice on application procedures, consult the Commission’s website: http://www.usta-austria.at
Research Grants for Grad Research and Study in Austria -- with or without TA Position (October Deadline)
The Fulbright Commission in Austria offers up to 20
Fulbright student grants for recent U.S. undergraduates and graduate students
for research and study in Austria.
Types
of Research and Study Grants
-
2
grants to facilitate full-time research or study
-
4
Fulbright-Mach Awards for Doctoral Candidates, for full-time research
-
1
Fulbright-IFK Junior Fellow award (for PhD students in cultural studies)
-
1
award to study at the Diplomatic Academy in Vienna
-
12
part-time study and research grants combined with English teaching assistantships
(13 hours per week) at secondary schools in university cities
Students
interested in the IFK and the Diplomatic Academy awards should apply through
the regular competition for Austria and note their interest in the specific
awards in their application. http://www.fulbright.at/fulbright-for-us-citizens/us-students/us-students-ifk.html
Language Proficiency
Intermediate to
advanced proficiency in spoken and written German is essential for all fields,
including music and fine arts. As a rule, university courses are taught in
German, although individual courses in specific fields may be offered in
English. University admission requires demonstrated proficiency in German.
Language study is available at most institutions and, depending on the level of
proficiency, required by some.
Duration of Study
9 months,
beginning with a late-September orientation in Vienna.
Candidate Profile
Traditional
candidates for the full-time research or study awards include graduate-level
students and Ph.D. candidates; musicians enrolled in performance programs;
selected students in the natural sciences and/or engineering, whose projects
may require extensive lab time; or selected volunteer and service projects.
Bachelor's level
candidates may apply for full-time research and study grants but should note
that the competition for full-time research and study awards is substantial
every year. Therefore, they are advised to apply for study grants combined with
English teaching assistantships. It is important for applicants to note that
recipients of grants combined with teaching assistantships can only pursue
studies on a part-time basis due to the time teaching commitments demand.
Individuals who have applied for, but are not selected for, full-time research
grants, may, at the discretion of the Fulbright Commission in Austria,
alternatively be considered for grants combined with a teaching assistantship.
**Medicine and
Veterinary Medicine are not recommended fields of study for this program**
Affiliation
All grantees, including
Ph.D. candidates, must be fully matriculated at accredited public universities
in Austria to facilitate tuition remission, insurance, use of libraries and
archives, etc. The AAEC facilitates university enrollment at the applicant's
preferred university and provides for the waiver of tuition fees. Grants are
not available for enrollment at private institutions of higher education or
other programs of advanced study in Austria that do not waive tuition fees.
Applicants should identify the individuals and institutions that will provide
on-site support and guidance for projects and include letters of invitation, if
possible. Invitations are absolutely necessary for full-time research and study
awards, and should indicate how candidates will be anchored at the
institutions. They are desired but not required for candidates of awards
combined with an English language teaching assistantship.
Music and Fine Arts
Admission
procedures at Austrian institutions of music and the arts vary on a
case-by-case basis. Universities of music and the arts require auditions and/or
entrance examinations, along with submission of a portfolio. Instruction
frequently is still based on "master classes": professors who select
and train students for an extended period. Therefore, applicants are required
to have established contact with Austrian music and/or art professors before
applying for a grant and must solicit invitations to study with them.
Applicants should inquire about admission and audition requirements and dates
well in advance. Candidates may be required to travel to Austria at their own
expense to audition (as early as June), and the AAEC makes grants for musicians
contingent upon university acceptance. The AAEC does not accept applications
from music and art students who wish to study with private teachers or at
private institutions or conservatories that do not waive tuition fees. Grants
are awarded only after formal acceptance by a university of music or the arts.
Science and Technology
Before applying, candidates should
correspond with preferred institutions about availability of equipment and
facilities and solicit letters of invitation.
Application Process
An annual grant competition is managed by the Institute of
International Education (with an application deadline in October) which
prescreens applications. The link to the online application is above. The files
of semi-finalists are forwarded to the Austrian-American Educational Commission
in Vienna, and a binational committee selects finalists, who are notified about
the status of their applications in March/April.
Sunday, May 18, 2014
Austrian Jakob Illek Joins German Studies Program as Fulbright Teaching Assistant
Jakob writes: I honestly can’t think of any greater opportunity to have than becoming a Teaching
Assistant at a college in the United States. The thought of actually spending a whole year abroad and getting to meet new people, completely immersing myself into a new culture and simply having the time of my life makes me feel contented. There are several reasons as to why I would love to get an opportunity like this. One of the most obvious ones is that I just love being among people from other countries. I am a very outgoing person and I enjoy talking to people from other countries, cultures, ethnicities or religions. The main reason for these characteristics of mine is the Scout Movement. I joined the Scouts when I was seven years old and nothing in my life has taught me as many values and influenced me as much as the Scouts have. I’m really fortunate that I had the possibility to go to a World Scout Jamboree in 2007 in Chelmsford, England as a participant and in 2011 in Kristianstad, Sweden as a member of the International Service Team.
Jamborees are huge gatherings of up to 40 000 Scouts from all over the world. I had the pleasure to meet people from every corner of the world and I am very happy that I can call every single person I met there a friend. These experiences also boosted my interest in the English language a lot and in 2012 I applied and got accepted as one of 10 students for a course offered by my University called “English at primary schools on their way to a bilingual class”. This course has taught me many important and interesting methods on how to teach a foreign language to children. I think this can also be applied to older students. As far as teaching goes I generally have an advantage since I have been teaching in classrooms once a week for the last two years now as part of my practical studies at the University for Teacher Education. The feedback I've received so far has always been very positive and teaching consultants keep on telling me, how authentic I am in front of class and that teaching comes naturally to me. Being an aspiring primary school teacher demands a lot of creativity, patience and imagination. These traits also definitely come in handy when teaching college students a foreign language.
Welcome, Jakob!
Saturday, May 10, 2014
Alex Van Loh Awarded Teaching Fulbright in Germany
Ich schätze mich glücklich und ich bin sehr begeistert! Ich
habe heute gehört, dass ich in Thüringen sein werde. Ich weiß noch nicht
welche Stadt.
Dan Schmit Awarded Research and Teaching Fulbright Fellowship in Linz, Austria
Senior Dan Schmit was notified this past week that he had received a 9 month Fulbright
Scholarship to Austria for the 2014-2015 academic year. He will be
studying Mechatronics at the Johannes Kepler Universität in Linz. In
addition to his studies, He will be working part time as an English Teaching
Assistant. Dan says, "I am looking forward to the opportunity to study, teach, and
experience life in Linz." Congratulations Dan! We are proud of you.
Saturday, May 3, 2014
Joe Berns Recieves Fulbright Award to Teach in Baden-Württemburg in Germany
Joe writes: I have been placed as an English Teaching Assistant in a school
within the German state of Baden-Württemberg, which borders on both Switzerland and France. In addition to gaining classroom
experience, I will work to bring my German language skills from
"literate" to "fluent." As a musician, I would like to make
music a primary focus of my time there. I plan to play with a community
orchestra, take lessons, and collect and transcribe as much local folk music as
I can. I have also previously made contact with distant relatives from the
area, and plan I to return to my great-grandfather’s hometown for another
visit. Also, thanks for all your help and support on this!
Liebe Grüße, -Joe
Thursday, May 1, 2014
Joe Miller Receives a Teaching Assistantship in Baden near Vienna
I have been placed
at Bundeshandelsakademie und Bundeshandelsschule BHAK BHAS, which is
in Baden bei Wien, a 20-minute train ride south of Vienna. I am very
excited to start my post-college career in such a wonderfully new environment.
I hope to improve my German as well as learn the lovely Austrian dialect, and
maybe come out of the whole experience fluent in the language. Apart from the
immediate experiences, this opportunity will make way for my future. I hope to become a German professor, much like the ones who have influenced me
during my educational career. This teaching assistantship will give me a look
in to what my life might look like in the future, if I continue my journey down
the path of academia. Hopefully all of these experiences will influence me
to find out my true character and what I want to pursue in my future.
This teaching assistantship program is co-sponsored by the Austrian Educational Commission and the Fulbright Commission of Austria.
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