Frequently Asked Questions

Yes. In fact, it is possible to have a stay abroad accredited before your studies (no time-frame limitations) as long as it was for at least 90 days (uninterrupted) and in a country where English is an official language. While the above question specifically mentioned Ireland, you may go to any country where English is an official language. To check the specific status of your host country, you may need to refer to the relevant government website. Please note that it is your responsibility to ensure that you have the appropriate supporting documentation. Check out the Accreditation Page for forms and additional information on types of proof.

No. Splitting is not allowed and each duration is too short. The English Department encourages its students to explore as many different parts of the English-speaking world as possible, but the minimum stay is 90 days (uninterrupted) for accreditation of the stay abroad.

Yes, as long as certain conditions are met. It is important to remember that you must remain in these two countries. As both of these countries have English as an official language, you must remain in them for the complete duration of at least 90 days (uninterrupted). If you were thinking about spending a week or two at Saint-Tropez on the French Riviera, for example, before heading up to Scotland, you would not get this stay abroad accredited as you would have interrupted your stay in a country where English has no official status.

Lastly, the above scenario centered around England and Scotland. This advice is also applicable to other combinations, like Canada and the USA, New Zealand and Australia, etc. If you are uncertain about your particular combination, please feel free to contact Dr. Fred Thompson.

Yes, but with some reservations. Bukit Timah is an area in Singapore. The Constitution of the Republic of Singapore, specifically Article 153 A, states that English is an official language (together with Malay, Mandarin and Tamil). In this specific case, the official language requirement would actually be met.

In general, it is important to prove that English is an official language of your country of choice. It is not enough to read on Wikipedia, for example, that English is a global and/or business language of your host country. Make sure to check the official government website of the respective country. The destination of Singapore above was only an example. This applies to all other foreign destinations.

Reservations were expressed in the first sentence. Why do we have reservations, you might ask? The English variety is in question. As many of our students want to become future English-language teachers at a German school in the state of Rhineland Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, etc., it is advisable that they focus on a “main” variety of English. This is very important when it comes to pronunciation. If a student sounds too much like a non-standard variety, he/she may encounter some complications later, for example, when securing a post in a school.

As linguists and/or as avid enthusiasts of the English language, we fully embrace different varieties of English. These differences provide us with ample opportunity for research. As a future teacher of English in Germany, however, you need to be more practical and aware of your future posting in a classroom. Please keep this in mind. In the end, the choice is yours.

No. There is no substitution for the stay abroad. Please remember that when you decided to join the English Department and one of its study programs, you also agreed to the conditions. The stay abroad is one of them.

Let me start my answer by asking you two important questions: (1) What is your future goal? and (2) How best can you achieve this goal?

The Las Vegas scenario above is only a fictitious example. While the module handbook does not specifically stipulate which activities are to be done during the stay abroad, it should be common sense that the purpose of the stay abroad is to gain a better cultural understanding as well as to improve one’s language skills. Some activities are more conducive to achieving these goals than others. You have great flexibility and can choose what you do but – at the same time – this is a really big responsibility as you must make sure that you reap as many benefits from the stay abroad as possible. Please consider your options wisely.

Careful! As the practical placement described above is organized by the ZfL, it can only be acknowledged for accreditation by the ZfL. The English Department cannot do this.

The English Department can, however, give you credit for the stay abroad as part of our requirements if you spend a minimum of 90 days in a country where English is an official language. If you plan the practical placement in the United Kingdom, for example, you would "kill two birds with one stone”! 😊

Careful! The English Department encourages you to study abroad and to get courses accredited whenever possible. It is your responsibility to complete a learning agreement with the relevant instructor(s) BEFORE you begin your stay abroad. In the example above, the department is not an English department, so you would have to make the necessary arrangements with FB1.

As for the English Department, we could give you accreditation for the stay abroad, provided you spend a minimum of 90 days in a country where English is an official language. If you can fulfill these requirements, you can be proud of yourself as you managed “to kill two birds with one stone”!

Lastly, the scenario above dealt with courses outside of the English Department. If you would like, however, to take English courses abroad and have these accredited towards your degree at the University of Koblenz, you must have a learning agreement (see Download Page). It is compulsory to fill out this agreement before you depart Germany for the host country. Please see the relevant instructors for each course. We are more than happy to assist you with this step! 😊D

The stay abroad is a very important step and requires some thought and reflection. If you are uncertain about your variety of English, you might want to consider the following three questions:

a.) Which country/ideology/etc. do you feel more connected to?

b.) Which accent is closer to your own?

c.) What are your future goals and should you place more focus on a certain accent?

Only you can answer these questions, but if you need more assistance in making your decision, please feel free to discuss this matter with one of your lecturers in the English Department. Likewise, you might wish to contact your instructor for the pronunciation course (i.e. Oral Skills). Another wise decision would be to attend the annual Ich bin dann mal weg event, which usually takes place in autumn.

There is no simple, short answer to this question. You may work, study, volunteer, travel, etc. It goes without saying that you must inform yourself beforehand as to any regulations that the host country may impose on its visitors (e.g. work visa). Also, think outside the box! You could, for example, be a volunteer for a community project or help out with animal rescue. Perhaps a volunteer is needed in a school or sports club. In addition to volunteering, you could also attend a couple of evening courses at a local college (for a nominal fee). You could also attend a service or two at a local church, mosque, synagogue, temple, etc. In other words, you have a mixture of different types of activities. And each one of these activities give you a unique opportunity to come into contact with speakers of English.

Deciding what to do can be daunting. That it is why it is important to start planning EARLY. An excellent way to assist you in this task is to attend the annual Ich bin dann mal weg event. Not only are there representatives from various organizations from around the world, but you have the golden opportunity to meet and chat with students who have returned from their stay abroad. Do not miss out on Ich bin dann mal weg.

First and foremost is the well being of all of our students of paramount importance to the English Department. The specific scenario above is only an example. In all cases of medical emergencies, please seek out necessary local assistance without delay. If your health-insurance provider and/or the doctors in the host country recommend returning to Germany for additional treatment, you should, of course, heed their advice. It is also important to get in touch with the English Department in such instances as soon as possible, so that we can consider viable options for the stay abroad once you are better.

The English Department encourages its students to find the best kind of activity to do during the stay abroad. You may freely choose your activity; the English Department does not set any restrictions. We do expect, however, that you will seek out appropriate activities that will give you as much expose to English as possible, so that your language skills can improve.

As there are no restrictions concerning the activity as such, it is not possible for the English Department to write a letter claiming that an internship is mandatory. We could, however, prepare a letter stating how we endorse such an activity (even though it is not compulsory), but we would require confirmation beforehand that such a letter would be beneficial for the application process.

General note: This scenario specified an “internship”. This was only an example. The above answer would also apply to being an au pair, to studying abroad, etc. The English Department cannot confirm that an activity is compulsory when this is not stated as such in the module handbook.

Firstly, we encourage our students to find the best program to meet their individual needs. When it comes to the “Finanzamt”, we try to stay out of our students’ financial matters. It should be noted that the English Department cannot write a letter stating that studying abroad is compulsory, as this is not the case (please refer to the module handbook).

Nevertheless, a general letter outlining the importance of the stay abroad and the parameters of our specific study programme could be prepared in some cases. Please see Dr. Fred Thompson for more details. Make sure to have the specific “Finanzamt” and contact details ready for him, so that he can add these details to the general letter.

You definitely need to keep in mind that if you choose English as an elective 2 (Anglistik und Amerikanistik als Wahlfach 2) in addition to English as your main subject (Anglistik/Amerikanistik als Basisfach), module 7 will consist of three module parts. Going abroad is mandatory. At the bottom of page 2 in the “Modulhandbuch Zwei-Fach-Bachelorstudiengang Teilstudiengang Anglistik und Amerikanistik als Wahlfach 2“ as well as note number 13 (on page 4), a study abroad is described. In other words, you must attend a post-secondary institution (e.g. university).

With this in mind, it would be beneficial to plan your study abroad as soon as possible. Perhaps you would like to attend one of our partner universities. This step requires a lot of planning. Make sure to check out our page with our exchange partners. Likewise, you will need to complete a Learning Agreement (see Download Page), so that your course work at the host university can be accredited at the University of Koblenz.

New Zealand is certainly an exciting choice, and we would be very envious of you! 😉

As for the “Urlaubssemester”, we cannot endorse this decision for a period of 100 days. It is possible to take these days between the end of the lecture period in summer semester and before the lecture period in the following winter semester, provided you are given permission to miss the first week of classes. In the English Department, we allow our students to miss the first week of classes if we were notified of the stay abroad beforehand. For this reason, we do not see the need to take a leave of absence. To apply for an “Urlaubssemester” is, of course, your own choice.

Lastly, you should check with the internal policies of your other subjects. They may not be as generous with you “skipping” the first class as the English Department is. It is your responsibility to find out with them before you leave, so that there are no unexpected surprises when you return.