International Teaching abroad

For teacher training students who

• are unsure where to start or what options are available;
• would like to gain experience abroad;
• want to get involved but cannot or do not wish to go abroad,

the Heidelberg School of Education provides an overview of various ways to gain practical experience, regardless of location.

The Schulpraxissemester is a compulsory component of the Master of Education programme in Baden-Württemberg. It comprises 12 weeks of teaching, 8 of which may be undertaken abroad. For the purposes of the Schulpraxissemester, stays undertaken as part of a Fremdsprachenassistenzprogramm or teaching placements at a German school abroad may be recognised as equivalent. 

The PAD is the only state-run organisation in Germany that works on behalf of the federal states to promote international exchange and cooperation in the field of education. The PAD is a department within the Secretariat of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany.

The PAD’s Fremdsprachenassistenzprogramm, which involves spending at least six months at a school abroad, is recognised as part of the teaching placement semester.

There are 135 German schools abroad recognised by the Federal Republic of Germany. You are entirely responsible for organising a work placement at a German school abroad; in other words, you must contact the school directly, agree on the duration of your placement and organise your travel arrangements. 

SCHULWÄRTS! arranges and supports teaching placements at schools abroad supported by the Goethe-Institut. The programme is open to teacher training students and (prospective) teachers of all school types and subject combinations. Scholarship holders receive individual support before, during and after their placement. The placement lasts between 8 and 16 weeks and is financially supported through a scholarship.

Those who go abroad as assistant teachers can usually combine their own teaching duties (teaching German to students) with attending lectures. In return for teaching, in most cases they are granted a waiver of tuition fees for their own studies (for the USA, 1–2 courses per semester), as well as free board and lodging and a small allowance. For teacher training students in particular, a TA is an excellent and (financially) attractive opportunity to gain valuable teaching experience in a different cultural context whilst at the same time advancing their own studies.

It is not usually possible to have this stay recognised as a part of the Schulpraxissemester, as the teaching takes place at a university rather than at a secondary school. As part of Heidelberg University’s US exchange programmes, teaching assistantships (TAs) are available at the following universities:

• Albion College, Albion, Michigan
• Bucknell University, Lewisburg, Pennsylvania
• Heidelberg University, Tiffin, Ohio
• Connecticut College, New London, Connecticut
• Wesleyan University, Middletown, Connecticut

The DAAD supports the ‘Lehramt.International’ programme, which assists teacher training students with self-organised placements abroad. Scholarships are awarded for placements lasting between 1.5 months (at least 42 calendar days) and 6 months at educational institutions abroad. Placements are available at schools in many countries around the world.

The 33 Erasmus programme countries (EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey) are excluded as potential destination countries; however, placements in these countries may be funded through the Erasmus Placement programme.