Project ID
ID card
Action: COMENIUS Assistantships (assistants)
Action Category: MOBILITY
Subprogramme: COMENIUS
Programme: LIFELONG LEARNING
Objectives and description of the action
The objective of Comenius Assistantships action is to give future teachers the opportunity to gain a better understanding of the European dimension to teaching and learning, to enhance their knowledge of foreign languages, other European countries and their education systems and to improve their teaching skills.
Assistants receive grants to enable them to undertake an assistantship in a host school of another country participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme. The host school designates a fully qualified and experienced teacher to act as a supervisor for the assistant.
The tasks to which an assistant may contribute include:
• assisting in classroom teaching, supporting pupils' group work and project-based teaching
• improving the pupil’s comprehension and expression in foreign languages, teaching the assistant’s mother tongue
• providing support for pupils with special educational needs
• providing information on the assistant’s country of origin
• introducing or reinforcing the European dimension in the host institution
• developing and implementing projects, e.g eTwinning, Comenius School Partnerships or Comenius Regio Partnerships
Assistants should be fully integrated into school life. They are not to act as full-time teachers but should assist in teaching and other school activities (max 12 to 16 teaching units/hours of school based activity are recommended). The assistants should follow the advice given in the Good practice guide for host schools and assistants available at Europa website: http://ec.europa.eu/education/comenius/doc994_en.htm
Comenius assistants may be based at more than one school, either to give extra variety to their work or to meet the particular needs of neighbouring schools. Assistants may not work in more than 3 schools during their assistantship.
Assistants are selected by the National Agencies of their home country or of their country of studies. For my country, Greece, the National Agency is the Greek State Scholarship's Foundation I.K.Y. and for Slovakia is the SAAIC - National Agency of the Lifelong Learning Programme . For the list with all the National Agencies of the Lifelong Learning Programme, click here.
Who can benefit?
Future teachers of any school subject.
Who can apply?
Any future teacher who complies with the specific eligibility rules mentioned below.
How to apply?
Minimum duration: 13 weeks
Maximum duration: 45 weeks
Comment on duration: All activities must end by 31 July 2012.
Duration
Comenius Assistantships is a decentralised action. Applications have to be sent to the applicant's National Agency. The application has to be submitted either in the country of residence or in the country of studies of the applicant (the applicant has to sign a declaration that only one application has been submitted).
Deadline for the application
31 January 2011
2. Impact and relevance
The expected impact on personal and professional competences including languages and intercultural benefits is clearly defined by the candidate.
- Applicants must not have previously been employed as a teacher; - Applicants must either hold a teaching qualification or have completed at least two years of higher education studies which could lead to such a qualification;
- Applicants must not have previously received a Comenius Assistantship grant (either under the Lifelong Learning or the Socrates programme).
Comment on participants: Assistant and host school must be from two different participating countries, one of them being
an EU Member State.
Award criteria
1. Quality of the mobility (assistantship)
The assistant provides a convincing explanation of:
- his/her motivation to apply for the assistantship;
- his/her willingness to adapt to the new environment;
- his/her ability to work with young people in the host school;
- his/her planned cultural, pedagogic and linguistic (if applicable) preparation for the assistantship;
- his/her contribution to the host institution (e.g. planned curricular and extracurricular activities);
- his/her contribution to the local community.
Evaluation and Selection Procedures
Specific eligibility rules
Applications are submitted by individuals. Individual applicants must be either:
• nationals of a country participating in the Lifelong Learning Programme and domiciliated in one of these countries;
• a national of other countries enrolled in regular courses in institutions of higher education in a participating country or living in this country under the conditions fixed by each participating county.
Pedagogic, linguistic and cultural preparation: A contribution may be granted on the basis of a lump sum. You could consult your National Agency's website for information on the amount. The eligible activities are induction meetings (cultural preparation), linguistic preparation and pedagogic preparation related to Content and Language Integrated learning (CLIL).
Financial Provisions
Assistants receive a grant to help cover travel and preparatory costs and to contribute towards subsistence costs.
