Internships at Schools Abroad
Internships at schools are a mandatory part of the teacher education programs. Why not complete your internship at a school abroad? You will improve your language skills and learn how to handle cultural differences in teaching and learning.
Assistant foreign language instructor program of the PAD
The Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD) affords students the opportunity to contribute to German language classes at a school abroad for 6–10 months as assistant foreign language instructors.
- Which countries participate in the exchange program?
The program is based on international agreements on the exchange of assistant foreign language instructors. Participating countries are Australia, Belgium, China, France, Great Britain, Ireland, Italy, Canada, Mexico, New Zealand, Norway, Russia, Switzerland, Spain, and the USA.
- Who can apply?
The program is mostly aimed towards students in the teacher education programs in German, English, French, Spanish, Italian, and Chinese. Depending on the host country, students from other teacher education programs can apply as well.
- Financial support
Assistant foreign language instructors will receive a monthly grant for living expenses from the responsible office in the host country. This grant covers the necessary cost of living. For example France: about EUR 790/month.
- Application deadlines
For the USA: 1 November
For all other countries: 1 August until 1 January
Please note: the application deadline is the date of receipt, i.e. the application documents have to have been received by the PAD by this date.
- Where can I find more information?
All information and application documents are available on the PAD website. For most countries, applicants are likely to be accepted. Apply now!
- Which countries participate in the exchange program?
“SCHULWÄRTS!” teacher education internship program of the Goethe Institute
The SCHULWÄRTS! program enables prospective teachers to complete a two- to four-month internship at a school abroad as assistant instructors for the students’ respective major subjects.
- Which countries participate in the exchange program?
At the moment, 16 mostly non-European countries are participating.
- Who can apply?
Students of all teacher education programs are eligible to apply, no matter if bachelor's, master’s or state examination program. Prospective teachers between graduation and Referendariat and teachers who have already started their career in the teaching profession are also welcome to apply. Being enrolled is not required.
- Financial support
Interns will receive a one-time basic grant of EUR 1,000 plus a monthly payment of EUR 500.
- Application deadlines
There are three to four application rounds per year.
- Where can I find more information?
All information and application documents are available on the website of the Goethe Institute (only available in German).
- Which countries participate in the exchange program?
Internships at schools abroad independent of specific programs
You can of course organize your internship at a school abroad all by yourself. Contact the schools you are interested in, introduce yourself and ask about completing an internship there. In comparison to an internship through the PAD or Goethe Institute programs, organizing your internship by yourself gives you more flexibility in determining your desired time frame.
In addition to the regular national types of schools in each country, there are also schools with a direct connection to Germany, such as the approx. 140 German schools abroad(only available in German), the about 590 FIT schools and the about 1,100 schools offering the German language diploma (DSD). At these schools, German is the language of instruction. If you are proficient in a foreign language such as English or French or the respective school does not need a German language instructor at the moment, teaching other subjects such as mathematics in the foreign language is also an option.
Especially for internships within Europe, you can easily obtain funding through the Erasmus internship program or in general through the DAAD Lehramt.International scholarship program.
Recognition of the internship abroad as a placement semester
You can find further information on the recognition of the internship as placement semester for students in a teacher education program as well a list of your advisors on our page for the school placement semester (only available in German).
I combined my semester abroad with an internship, which made it possible for me to spend a whole year abroad without having to significantly extend my period of study in Mannheim. I am a student in the bachelor’s program in Teacher Education in Spanish and English. I spent my semester abroad at the Universidad del Desarrollo in Chile and afterwards completed an internship at the Deutsche Schule in Santiago. Nine weeks of my internship were recognized for the mandatory 13-week teaching semester. Even though organizing my internship turned out to be quite the hassle, it gave me the opportunity to experience every-day life at a German school abroad firsthand. During my long stay abroad, I was also able to groove my Spanish language skills, which have already been an advantage in my studies and will be in my future occupation as a teacher.
We are happy to help you:
Study abroad advisor for the United Kingdom, Ireland, Belgium, the Netherlands, Luxembourg and Austria
Study abroad advisor for France, Italy, and Switzerland
Study abroad advisor for Northern and Eastern Europe
Study abroad advisor for USA, Canada, and Israel
Study abroad advisor for Asia, Africa, Australia, New Zealand
Study abroad advisor for Spain, Portugal and Latin America
Advice on selecting courses and recognition of examinations and coursework
If you have any questions regarding your stay abroad, here you can find the respective competent contact person at your school. They will advise you on any study-related aspects of your stay abroad, including the question of when a stay abroad can be best integrated in your degree program.
