Erfahrungebericht Christine Buettner - Sutton Coldfield (PAD)

My name is Christine Buettner, and I spent seven months abroad, teaching as a German Foreign Language Assistant at two Comprehensive Schools in Sutton Coldfield, Birmingham, West Midlands, England.

Getting started

When I started my studies some years ago, I was not extremely keen on the idea of travelling abroad, I just wanted to persevere with my studies in order to begin a career in teaching as soon as possible. But after some time I considered it was necessary to travel abroad as an aid to my studies, particularly in English. Working as a Modern Foreign Language Assistant (FLA) in Great Britain seemed to be the best opportunity I could obtain: getting to know the country and its people, teaching, earning a wage and thus being independent.

Applying at the PAD is a piece of cake, really. They have all the information that you need on their homepage ( www.kmk.org ) and the application form is quite simple and straight forward to complete as you can do it online, and print the requested four copies (wherever they may go…). After you have sent your application (including the form, four passport photographs, two letters written by your professors and a health certificate from your GP), which is due on 1 st Dec, you must then just watch and wait.

I was rather surprised how quickly it was organised, when I got the date for an interview at a ‘Gymnasium' in Eckental for mid January.

Judging by the material the PAD hands out, you have to know quite a bit about Germany and the country you have applied to. The interviewers asked what seemed to be quite random questions, trying to cover every aspect of social and school life. They were particularly interested in any famous people from my hometown and even asked me to bring in the outline of a German lesson which could be used in a school in England . They actually did not seem to be very interested in my social life and my voluntary work; neither did they ask me anything about former experiences with children or pupils. As these interviews are not centralized they have an unpredictable character depending on the ‘Bundesland' you applied in. If you mentioned in the application letter that you have been in the UK once before (e. g. school exchange) be prepared to answer questions about your experiences (especially if you have been in a British school) during that time.

So having managed to sit through the interview I received my letter at the end of April. To begin with, I was put on a waiting list, but after phoning up the PAD in Bonn, I obtained my appointment for the West Midlands within a week. Another letter from the British Council (which gives you specific info material) arrived in May and I was phoned from the teacher in charge of Modern Foreign Languages around mid June, which was relatively quick.

Arriving in GB

At the beginning all FLAs are invited to an introduction course in London . As unfortunately I did not attempt that course I cannot give you any feedback of my experience there. I neither attended the starters' session which was organized by the Birmingham City Council. Apparently our tutor from the CC gave them a hand with tax forms and all the bureaucracy stuff you have to deal with at first. Talking about the first days, it is probably a good idea to arrive about a week before your official appointment starts. Some of the mentor teachers try to organize a room, flat or even a host family for their assistant, but that is not the rule! But you do not need to worry. You will be offered a room for the first few days and your mentor will give you a hand, searching for a flat.

About once a month all the assistants in B'ham had a so called ‘Network meeting' where we all came together, talked and shared our teaching experiences and got a variety of ideas from our tutor. This tutor will also help you if there are any problems, but most of the time either your mentor or the secretaries at your school will provide help.

Teaching German

I was very nervous when my mentor teacher sent me out with a year 11 to do my first German conversation lesson. It was hard to teach at first, but I became accustomed to the English teaching methods quite quickly. But do not be disappointed by the rudimentary German in some of your classes. The majority of the skills and knowledge the PAD requires in the interview you will not need during your lessons! What you do actually need are pedagogical and didactical abilities to arrange a lesson so that the pupils interest is maintained. For most of the time you will be asked to do exercises, which either prepare your pupils for their exams or get them to speak German. Your work will include 12 hours of teaching a week plus preparation time at home (and eventually some extra hours prior to the exams). As you will get a massive booklet of ideas from the PAD and there is probably a whole lot more in the German class room (and the internet is a great source, too!), you won't run out of ideas for your lessons. And as I said before, once accustomed to the English-way of teaching it will become a lot more relaxed (and your workload will decrease).

Making friends and free time

Your time during the week will mainly be spent at school, but you might get one day off so you can take English courses (e. g. CEP). You might be asked to do revision- classes during lunch-break just before the exams are due to start.

Do not expect to make friends among the teachers in the staff room quickly. The English are rather reserved. But often the other MFL-teachers are friendly and even chatty (as they want to test their ability to speak some German). What is always worth a try is to get to know other FLAs in your school and your area.

When the stress of the first few weeks wears off, you will discover that you have quite lots of spare time and money to spend! J So take the opportunity and travel around. The best thing to do is to take another FLA with you, which can be great fun.

If you want to do sport you can join a fitness studio which can be found on nearly every corner.

Retrospective

I still cannot fully express how much my FLA-year has changed and contributed to my life!!! It gave me the chance to test myself and see if I could stand my ground in a foreign environment, mastering daily life while speaking a foreign language. Just recently I was asked by an English couple, which part of England I was from! That was the greatest compliment I have ever received! Now I am quite relaxed and satisfied, knowing that I ACTUALLY DID IT!! And I would definitely do it again!!

zurück zum Seitenanfang

zurück