It's coming up to the precious deadline for applications of the British Council Assistantship programme, and I can't believe it was a year ago that I was attending meeting upon meeting, weighing up my options for what would be a truly incredible, eye-opening year. Spanning across 5 continents, and with 15 countries on offer including Latin America, Austria and China, I'm sure the needs of most language degrees would be met. Of course, they include plenty of placements within the usual France, Germany, Italy and Spain, so there really is no excuse!
So, you've just started second year, and already your year abroad coordinator is pressuring you to make a decision of how you will spend your time a year from now. You will be told it's stressful and of utmost importance to make the decision a swift one, but really there are just 3 options: study, work, or become a language assistant.
As you may well know, I was a language assistant in Grenoble, France throughout the past year. However, I'm going to (try to) give an unbiased opinion on the programme as a whole, as I wish I had had more advice when making my decision. Firstly, one of the main things that attracted me to the assistantship, was the simple application process. Yes there is an application form, but no it is not difficult. They are not looking for someone whose life ambition is to become a teacher, nor do they want someone whose life revolves around children. They simply have an application to make sure you're not completely incompetent, and that you are the type of person who will actually fulfill the 12 hour contract (yes, a mere 12 hours a week - more on that later). At Nottingham, we were told that our places were pretty much guaranteed, but this may not be the case for all Universities. Either way, the application form asks the same questions a part-time job would - just sell yourself! What's more, as I also had the Russia part of my year abroad to arrange, I found it much easier to apply for this one programme rather than writing a CV and cover letter in French, and distributing it to hundreds of uninterested foreign employers.
Another big attraction is the aforementioned 12 hour contract, with a decent monthly wage to accompany it. Of course you have to work outside these 12 hours, but the job of organising lesson plans is a lot easier and funner than you may think - plus, what job doesn't require you to do the extra bits?
What's more, depending on where you are placed, the social side of the assistantship is almost guaranteed. There will be other assistants in your area, and not just from the UK. You never know, you could come back having learned a new language, or you could spend the whole time struggling to understand their humour, let alone accent.
'I don't want to become a teacher, so the assistantship is irrelevant' - false. I have no desire to become a teacher, if anything, the assistantship further confirmed this. However, the skills that you acquire from teaching English as a foreign language are invaluable, and transferable to plenty of career paths; organisation, creativity, leadership, and moreover it shows desirable personality traits, such as being confident and enthusiastic enough to inspire others (or at least stop them from falling asleep of a Monday morning).
I did, however, promise an unbiased opinion, which brings me on to the top concern of the assistantship - will I always be speaking English? I would be lying if I said that it was a wasted concern, but it does of course depend on the age of the children, and your location. For example, if you are placed in a big city with many other assistants and teaching English to secondary school pupils, you may find it harder to push your target language than someone who is in a remote town, teaching in a primary school with children and teachers who can't even say 'hello, my name is'. My retrospective answer? Either way, it's down to you to decide how much you want to immerse yourself in your target language and culture. Focus on your weak points - whether that be confidence issues, listening or oral skills, and push yourself to work on these throughout your time abroad.
I have plenty of tips for those of you that have already started, or are planning your year abroad, so my next post will be dedicated to just that! Take from this what you will, but as well as mentioning the straight details, I think it's just as important to iterate that I would not change my experience in France, including my choice to become a language assistant. I met some great people from around the world, developed all kinds of skills, and most importantly, learned a great deal not only about France and its language, but myself. Who knew I would survive living on my own in a country that feels so close, yet so foreign from my own?!
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