Teaching Exposure

I stayed abroad in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, England, during the summer break of 2022. I was lucky enough to be invited by some British friends who offered me a spare room as they had recently moved into a new house. Living with them certainly facilitated connecting with the British way of life and its people. They took me to work, events, and pubs. I even met up with their own friends, family, and colleagues. While I enjoyed these advantages and the added freedom, not taking part in any stay-abroad program also had its disadvantages. It was up to me to ensure that I have as much exposure to the English language as possible every day. Thus, if you are rather shy or find starting and holding conversations difficult, I recommend participating in one of those programs that will provide abundant opportunities for interactions.

Fortunately for me, I found that British people are very talkative, open, friendly, polite, and forthcoming. Whenever I’m asked what I liked most about my stay in England, my answer is always its people. Whether it is at the weekly market, in pubs, shops, museums, bowling alleys or simply outside in the park, the locals were always happy to strike up a conversation which I appreciated immensely. If you are staying with a family, I advise choosing one that owns a dog. Your four-legged friend will make it exceptionally easy for you to start a conversation, especially with other dog owners when you go on walks. Another aspect I found remarkable was the British social cohesion. As Queen Elizabeth II. passed away during my stay, I experienced the touching funeral ceremony and a nation standing together in mourning.

During my last month, I gained insights into the British school system by shadowing classes at a secondary school. It was a wonderful experience, I found teachers to be much more present and immersed in school life than in Germany. The most striking difference to German schools is that security and safeguarding are taken very seriously. The school ground is fenced. Every morning, I had to request admission by looking into the camera at the entrance gate, and I had to log into a terminal which took a picture and printed an ID card for the day. To think that anybody can enter German schools at any time during the day seemed unreal. Also, if you are interested in working at British schools, you should contact them in time and sort out the DBS (a background check) they usually require.

I was also surprised by how extensive the school’s safeguarding efforts are as it actively intervenes in the student’s personal life. We had a situation where teachers assembled all the younger students to discuss controversial statements that were trending on social media at the time and therefore reproduced by the students. The teachers highlighted the impact these (in this case misogynistic) statements may have on other people, showing other viewpoints by diving deeper into the topic, and upholding tolerance. I was impressed and believe such actions are pivotal for the student’s personal development.

Finally, the highlight of my stay was the trip to Cambridge. It is a city full of history and sensational sights. Do take part in tours wherever you go as they are very informative and cover things you might miss otherwise. I was made aware of how much history is hidden in plain sight.

All in all, the stay abroad was a unique and wonderful experience. It is the best possible way to improve your accent and pick up idioms, but also to embrace another culture – a culture we as teachers want to bring closer to our future students. In retrospect, I regret having stayed for only three months as time truly flies by. It would have been better to have gone for an entire semester or even longer!

Internship at German School Brooklyn (GSB) in New York City (USA)

After a long time of uncertainty about the stay abroad, I decided to apply for an internship at German School Brooklyn. Initially, I had planned to spend the 90 days in the UK, but still many companies and organisations have not adjusted to new regulations due to Brexit, and are “currently restructuring” their programmes.

The application process is very easy as you just have to fill out a short google form on the website of GSB. The school offers internships three times a year: from January to April, from April to July and from September to December. Looking at these periods, you’ll find that you have to “sacrifice” one semester, but let me assure you that it’s absolutely worth it. The most important question to be answered beforehand is about money. Make sure you have at least six months to prepare the whole adventure, as you will have to apply for a J1-Visa (which requires a lot of paperwork) and make sure you won’t starve in one of the most expensive cities of the world. There are several scholarships you can apply for, but you need to meet deadlines.

Let’s jump now to the exciting part: NYC! The city definitely got ahold of me and I’m now counting the days until I get to return! I’ve had three fellow interns who’d all say the same. Of course, the city can be very demanding, and you might want to flee its noise, dirt and smell from time to time (which you can do quite easily!) . You might then make all the way up through Manhattan to Met cloisters or to a huge cemetery in Brooklyn. You will find out that a one -way commute of 50 minutes is nothing for most New Yorkers and that you, too, can put up with it. You can try out innumerable different cuisines and at the same time find out that cooking at home is not necessarily cheaper here. You will most probably listen to top notch live music, as there are just so many virtuous artists, and you might find a baseball game unbearably boring. You will experience something new every day.

As you might realise, I haven’t really talked about the internship yet. At German School Brooklyn, you’ll learn how a private school operates and what that means for the students and the teachers. You’ll meet colleagues of different backgrounds who are very welcoming. You can take part in after-work gatherings (and you should, really!) and you might experience the annual fundraising gala, which is a fantastic event.

You might wonder why you should intern at a German School abroad, if you’re supposed to improve your English sufficiency as a main purpose of the required stay abroad. Since half of the classes are held in English and most American teachers don’t speak German at all, you’ll be exposed to the English language a good deal of time at school. The main reason for your constant learning is, however, throwing yourself into the universe of NYC.

Assistant at St. John's Senior National School in Kilkenny, Ireland.

I chose to do my stay abroad in Kilkenny, a small city in Ireland. To be honest, I wasn’t too excited about my stay abroad at first. Living in a foreign country for 3 months without my family and friends sounded awful. Looking back at it now, it was one of the best things I have ever done. I will forever cherish the friendships and the many memories I had. For 3 months, a primary school called St. John’s Senior School in Kilkenny welcomed me with open arms. There, I worked as an SNA (Special Needs Assistant). My day consisted of taking children that needed extra support out of their regular classroom for 15-30 minutes. Depending on the child's needs, we went on movement breaks, worked on their reading or maths skills or I taught them touch typing on a computer. It was particulary interesting for me to see that, even though it was an English speaking school, Irish was still a great and important subject in the school. Posters in the classroom were in Irish and sometimes the teachers used a few Irish words outside the Irish lessons in order to help the children get used to the language.

The staff in St. John’s included some of the best people I have ever met. We frequently went out for a coffee after school. We even went out for drinks a couple of times and they also surprised me with presents and a leaving party on my last day of school.

During my 3 months in Ireland, I lived with other international students in a host family. Because of them, I was able to get a great insight into the Irish culture, their food and their lifestyle. On the weekends I went to Hurling matches with them ( a sport that a lot of people, especially in Kilkenny, are very passionate about), spent time with the other international students or I travelled through Ireland.

My advice for anyone going abroad would be, don’t be afraid to get out of your comfort zone and to try new things, I promise you, you won’t regret it.