Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 7

Right, remember these? Well, maybe about two people actually read them - but I still have one more question to answer. So this will be it for now, unless I get more questions at some point!

"What sort of teaching materials should I bring from the US?"

Some things I brought that ended up being really helpful were games! Especially this one and this one. I would definitely recommend bringing any sort of game. I really wanted to bring Apples to Apples, but I decided it would just be too heavy to bring all those cards. If I were staying here to teach English, though, that's definitely a game I would make an effort to bring back. 

I also have a good stock of English magazines and newspapers, but too be honest, I didn't use them nearly as much as I had expected. They can definitely be useful if you make an effort to integrate them into your lesson, but they're not entirely necessary. Especially since you can get all kinds of English articles online. 

Somethings I wish I had brought with and didn't are children books. German "high schools" begin at the 5th grade, so it would have been really cool to have a sort of story time with my 5th grade class. But alas, somehow I survived without. 

Silly Bands were also all the rage before I left for Germany 2 years ago, so I stocked up on those to give away to my students as prizes for things. I didn't touch them at all last year. This year I brought them maybe 2 or 3 times, and it was cool for the students, but I don't give them away as much as I should (and now I'm stuck with like 50 silly bands and only 4 days of school left!). If you feel like bringing something like that, I would definitely recommend something small and light that won't take up any of your luggage - it's just not that worth it. 

"What is the expected dress for teachers in Germany?"

I asked this question before I came to Germany as well and was told that it was pretty casual - jeans and such. Of course, in the US the standard is professional dress (which definitely does not include jeans), so I packed some slacks and blouses just to be safe. Of course, I've worn NONE of my teacher professional dress. Seriously. Don't waste space in your luggage packing nice pants and shoes and such, because they're just going to sit in your wardrobe and collect dust. 

alright guys, that's all the unsolicited advice I have for now! But if you guys still have any questions/comments/concerns please feel free to let me know! As I like to remind you, I'm not a professional and other ETAs might completely different advice, but this is what I can share from my experiences after two years of being an ETA in Germany.

other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here

other questions can be left as a comment on this post or emailed to me here

Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 6

Today's advice is partially for people applying and partially for grantees preparing for their grant year to begin. It is also completely, 100% not Fulbright endorsed. I mean, not that any of my advice really is... 

"Do you have any advice about the side project? Does it have to be research related?"
Oh, the side project. For those of you applying/those who've already applied for an ETA, you'll know that Fulbright wants to think you're going to be Olivia Overachiever and so they want you to convince them that you're going to do something productive with the 30 hours of the work week that you're not required to teach. It does not have to be research related, but lets be honest - you're just gonna tell Fulbright what they wanna hear whether or not it's a legitimate plan. I find it best to get creative. What is something you're interested in that sets you apart as a candidate? 

As a double major in music, I decided to exploit that for my side project. And I kid you not when I tell you my "proposal" went something along the lines of "I'm gonna take my horn with me and play some music with the Germans." With a lot more fancy words, of course. I mean, really? That's not a side project. That's not really a project. It's maybe a little side... My only advice for the side project is to make it something believable/reasonable. Stick to something you have actually know/really have an interest in and be prepared to present a legitimate [rough] plan of action (a plan is all you need though) for how you could do your side project. 

Basically, you just have to convince them that you're not going to spend your free time watching hours upon hours of How I Met Your Mother, Buffy, Doctor Who and so on (who would do that?? Definitely not me...)

"What happens if you are not able to follow through on your side project? Is there a check up?"
Nothing. Absolutely nothing happens if you never do anything about your side project. Now it just so happens I did take my horn and play some music with the Germans. But had I not, absolutely nothing would have happened. The Fulbright police would not have knocked on my door in March, stripped me of my grant and sent me home, never to mention that I was once associated with the program. There is a mid-year and end-year report where they'll ask you about your side project. You can either a.) just tell them it's all going swimmingly regardless of it's actual success or b.) tell them you never did it and watch how they just don't care. 

Now I'm all for a good side project if you really want to take advantage for your Fulbright year for that, but I also like to spread the truth that you shouldn't spend your nights worrying about whether or not your side project is quality enough for Fulbright or how on Earth you're actually going to succeed in carrying it out. 

But if anyone asks, you didn't hear it from me. 

other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here

other questions can be emailed to me here or left as a comment on this post

Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 5

OMG, you thought I was gone! But I'm not! I'm back today to warp the minds of new Fulbright grantees with shameless, unsolicited advice. Ok, not completely unsolicited, these are questions that get emailed to/asked me all the time. And today we're going to focus on the Mystery Man behind the Fulbright ETA in Germany. 

"Who is the PAD and why do they keep emailing me?"
First of all, to prevent any interested parties from wasting too much time - the PAD applies 100% ONLY to English Teaching Assistants in Germany. If you have a research grant or are in any other country, you do not and will never need to know about the PAD.

PAD, as you've probably noticed from the countless paperwork you've received from them stands for Pädagogischer Austauschdienst. They are in charge of selecting and organizing ALL language assistants in Germany. That's right. Not just English assistants. In fact, not even just Americans (don't you remember those silly Brits and Australians, they can be ETAs too). That annoying second application you had to fill out in January/February, that was for the PAD if you'll remember, because they make the final decision on all language assistants in Germany. They are the ones that place you in your school. They are the ones that run orientation. They are the ones you contact first if you have any problems pertaining to your Assistantship (school, payment, etc.). 

Basically, I love the PAD and they love language assistants. In the end, you will come to know and love the PAD too. Probably more than you'll know and love Fulbright. 

p.s. PAD may be for all language assistants worldwide, but Fulbright is only for the Americans. So spare yourself the embarrassment confusion and don't ask the Brits, Australians, Canadians, etc. if they applied through Fulbright, too. They all applied through the corresponding organizations of their home country. 

"So what does Fulbright do then?"
Accept for a select few in the diversity program (you know who you are, so if you don't know, don't worry) and a handful receiving their monthly payment directly from Fulbright, you will have very little to do with Fulbright during your ETA year. Basically Fulbright does 3 noticeable things: 1. pay for your travel 2. show up for a day at orientation 3. Have a party conference in Berlin in March.

"Am I still a Fulbright grantee?"
Yes. It just get's really annoying to explain the whole thing to outsiders when you tell them you have to do something for the PAD, then you have to take 10 minutes to explain that all Germany Fulbright ETAs are run through the PAD, but not all PAD language assistants are Fulbright grantees. 

other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here

other questions can be left as a comment on this post or emailed to me here

Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 4

Hi guys! I got a very big question emailed to me this week, so I figured it probably deserved it's own post. 

"What are you expected to teach as an ETA?"

This varies from school to school, I can only (and I'm going to) tell you my experiences, but I can't guarantee that's what your school will want from you. However, if it is, then I hope some of this post helps out!

First of all, it's important to note that you are not actually allowed to teach your own classes. That being said, there is some fine print there. Every student is required to take a certain amount of hours of English a week at school, and you are not allowed to replace a teacher for one of these regular English hours. However, it is possible that you will be asked to be in charge of your own extra English classes. For example, I currently have 5 classes a week that I'm 100% in charge of. I'm the only teacher in the room and completely in charge of the "syllabus." One is a group with six 5th graders, the next (and probably most challenging) is twenty-four 6th graders, and finally I have 3 classes with no more than 6 students each in the 10th and 12th grades preparing them for the Cambridge English exam. If it's not my class, then I join other teachers in their regular class and help out in other ways. 

I'll begin with what I do with "my own" classes. This may not be required of every assistant at every school. My first year, I didn't do anything like this, but I've talked to many ETAs this year who have similar assignments. So it really just depends on what your school wants from you. 

For the younger kids we do a lot of games, crafts, and various activities. For example, for the last month with my 5th graders we've been learning Animals, which included worksheets with animal vocabulary, playing animal bingo, singing "Old MacDonald Had a Farm," and some crafting. Sometimes the task of creating a years worth of lessons without any book or guidelines seems daunting, but it can also be really fun and let's you get really creative to get the students excited about English. 

With the 6th graders, it is definitely more challenging because there are so many more of them. This cuts down on the amount of games we can play without them getting crazy and out of control, but I have found they really get into Simon Says. As for actual lessons, I've been trying to keep them on a bit more of an "USA" theme so far, since that is really what I have to offer, personally. We've done some lessons I've posted about before, as well some new ones involving me making a bastardized map of New York City in Paint. 

With the Cambridge Exam students, it's a bit different because I'm actually preparing them for the test. So we do some activities and play some vocabulary games pretty often, but we also do a lot of practice testing and discussing that. 

When I join in on other classes, my duties vary. Last year I did a lot of conversation practice, taking students out of class in small groups and just talking to them and encouraging them to speak more English as well. I did that this year too, when helping the 10th graders prepare for their oral exams. 

Sometimes I would be asked to prepare parts of the lesson or the whole lesson for a class (with the teacher sitting in the back, of course!). For example, last year it was pretty common for me to prepare "the fun bit" of a lesson for 15 or 20 minutes either at the beginning or the end for the class. I would most often be asked to prepare lessons when the subject had to do with the US, but I also, did some random other lessons as well. If a teacher asks you to prepare something though, don't worry, they are usually pretty good in working with you to make sure you've got everything you need. You just have to ask! 

Now, I can't do a whole post of what an ETA does at school and not disclose the ETAs darkest secret: You will spend a lot of time sitting in the back of a classroom twiddling your thumbs and being the human dictionary. Unfortunately this is just the reality of the job. And I can't really fault the teachers all the time. Sometimes the students do have to learn boring grammar or finish a unit in the book or learn other things that I'm honestly not qualified to teach. But it's not completely useless for me to be there. When students are doing work, I go around the classroom and double check everything and am also available for questions. 

Your school should talk to you when you arrive to discuss what their expectations of you are as well as what your expectations of the school are. Sometimes it's hard at the beginning to know exactly what you want to do - especially if it's your first year - but you can go back at anytime and talk about new ideas or things that haven't been working or things that you want to do more of. Communication with your teachers will play the biggest roll in what you do in your year as an ETA. It has been my experience - at both schools - that they are very interested in what you want to do and what you think you can contribute to the school and are always open to suggestions. 

phew! Told you that question needed a whole post, and I could probably keep going, but I think that will do for now! 

other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here

other questions can be left as a comment on this post or emailed to me here

Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 3

Hi everyone! Before start with this week's questions, I just wanted to let you know that my experience with Fulbright is for the English Teaching Assistantship in Germany. If you have the research grant, or an ETA in any other country, I can't make any promises that your experiences will be similar. 

"How helpful is the orientation?"
I have to give the orientation two thumbs up. To be honest, the teaching preparation you get from your 3 day orientation will probably not be terribly useful in the end, but there are some other good things that come from orientation. The first one I already mentioned last week. You will get to meet all the other ETAs in Germany and you will be spending most of the time at orientation getting to know the people placed near you very closely. This is probably the best thing that comes from orientation - and trust me, it's a good one, definitely try to take advantage of the chance to get know the other ETAs while you're there. Also, it's good because it let's you know that pretty much no one has any idea what they're going to be doing. It's scary to jump into something unknown, but a lot less scary knowing 140 other people are jumping right there with you. Of course you do get to learn about the German school system and lesson planning and you get some really good material! 

"Will Fulbright help us find housing?"
No. They will, however, make sure you have somewhere to stay before you leave orientation - be it in a new apartment or with a teacher. But you're not alone on the housing searching. Your school is there to help you with all that. So once you get your placement, get in touch with your school. They are not  just your employers, they are pretty much your welcome committee too, so don't be afraid to ask for their help with things like finding housing, getting registered at the Ausländeramt, or setting up a bank account. Finding housing will either be super easy or a pain in your ass, but you will not be homeless - I promise! If you're looking for a WG or an apartment, the best place to look as WG Gesucht. 

"Is it possible to enroll at a University?"
Yes! And for the most part it's either free or less than 300€ a semester (puts things into perspective, eh?). Now, I can't speak for every university, but when I enrolled in Dortmund I had to go to the international secretary. It was an obnoxious day of waiting and absolutely no order, but once I actually got to speak to somebody, it took about 15 minutes to enroll. All I needed was my work contract (you'll need that for about everything, so don't lose it!), my passport, and proof of health insurance. If you don't want to take any classes, I would still suggest looking into enrolling for the perks of being a student. In Nordrhein-Westfalen, for example, with our 220€ student fees (the only amount you have to pay to enroll), you get a Semester ticket to travel on all Nahverkehr in NRW. Yes, that means if I'm traveling anywhere in NRW I never have to pay for a train ticket, as long as I'm not taking the ICE or IC. Definitely worth it. 

Other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here.

Other questions can be left as a comment to this post or emailed here.

Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 2

Hi everybody! I'm back for week two of Fulbright questions. I hope that week 1 was a little helpful! Also, as my awesome, seizure-inducing graphic for the series implies (by directly saying...) I'm not an expert on these matters. There are about 140 Fulbright ETAs in Germany, and I bet if you talked with each of them you would get about 140 different responses. There are a lot of factors that make everybody's Fulbright years unique, but mostly I like to tell people: what you put into a Fulbright year, you'll get out.

but I digress. The theme of this week's questions is Free Time.

"Do you have a lot of free time as an ETA?"
YES! So much so that by the end of last year, I was absolutely fed up by it. You're only supposed to work 12 hours a week at your school, which is nothing anyway, but you'll be lucky if you even have all 12 filled. This year, my school is really good about making sure I've got something to do, but last year I was lucky if I got 8 or 9 hours. 

"What do you do in your free time?"
This is another big IT DEPENDS questions. If you live in a bigger city, there are more options available in the way of social activities, clubs, and general reasons to leave your apartment. My first year I was in a pretty small place, so I drank a lot of wine and played a lot of cards. But, I also joined a music club last year. We rehearsed once a week, had 2 concerts while I was there, plus a few other little playing gigs, and a handful of social activities (including one of my greatest memories from last year). If you play an instrument or sing or have any other hobby, really, I can almost guarantee there will be a club for it! You just have to look. 

"Is it hard to make friends? Do you have contact with the other ETAs near by?"
I would not have made it through my first year if it was not for the group of ETAs in my area. You will meet all the other ETAs at orientation in September, and they are awesome at organizing orientation based on geographic location, so that you meet the people you'll be around all year. Like I said, my first year I saw the other ETAs pretty much every day and they are still some of my best friends.  

Making friends with non-ETAs (the locals, if you will), can be trickier. Unless you live in a WG (which I would highly recommend!) you're only going to meet colleagues at your school at first. They are all usually very nice and helpful and will go out of their way to make you feel welcome. But at the same time, most Fulbrighters are between 21 and 23 years old, where as, even the student teachers in Germany are usually about 26/27 at the youngest. Now, I've made some really awesome student teacher friends this year, so age really is just a number, but sometimes it can make you feel a little like the outsider at school being so much younger than everyone else. 

Of course, other people do exist outside of your school, and they aren't that hard to find. If you live in a WG, you're one step ahead, but other ways to meet local people would be to enroll at the uni and take a class, or join a club (my other friends from last year were all from the music club), you can even look on facebook. I found a group on facebook for people who are new in Dortmund and meet every week for a stammtisch. 

Let's sum it up this way: if you want to make friends, you have to put the effort in yourself to get out and meet people. 

"Is there time to travel?"
Yes! Remember those 12 hours a week from the first answer? Did I mention they're only supposed to be spread over 4 days? Which means if you play your cards right, you can have 3 day weekends every week. My teachers have always been really supportive if I wanted to take an extra day or so off to travel too, saying that half the experience of being a teaching assistant is to be able to explore the country you're placed in. But - and this is a big but - don't forget that you don't get paid a lot of money. If you plan on doing a lot of traveling while you're here (which I totally support!), be ready to dip into your personal funds for that. It's early enough now to warn you to start saving your money. Pick up some summer jobs and pocket that cash so that you can treat yourself to some weekend getaways in Europe. 

other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here

other questions to be answered can be left as a comment to this post or sent via the contact box

Fulbright FAQ Friday, week 1

It's that time of year again when Fulbright grants are being handed out for the coming year. Because of this, I've been getting a lot of emails and comments asking questions about what to expect. I try to be as quick as possible with answering emails, but I thought a more effective approach might be a weekly series on das Blog (plus, I really wanted to start a series with an awesome alliterated title!)

In the coming Fridays, I'll be answering questions that I've received in emails and in comments about impending ETA years in Germany and the soon-to-be-opened application season. If you have any specific questions you'd like answered, feel free to leave a comment or email me here. 

For my first edition, I want to address a theme that always comes up: Money.

"It doesn't look like we get paid very much, is it enough to survive?"
No, you don't get paid very much, but yes, it is doable. In most cities, you can usually find an apartment with rent between 200€ - 300€. The overall cost of living is pretty affordable here, I'd say. Of course, this also depends on what city you live in (For example, Berlin is super cheap, whereas Munich and Frankfurt can get quite pricey). You probably won't be saving much in the long run, but, you should be able to make it by month to month. I'm not going to lie, if you're not careful, money can get very tight. But in the past two years I've been able to survive just fine on the little bit of money you make as an ETA. 

"Can we get another job to make some extra money, then?"
Yes and no. Legally your visa stipulates that you are only allowed to hold the position at your school. So getting a public job is out of the question. However, you are free to work as many private jobs as you like. This includes things like tutoring English, proof-reading for university students, and various other ways to solicit your powers of native English speaking. I did not tutor my first year, but have been tutoring this year and can tell you every little bit makes a big difference. 

And finally, some unsolicited advice: bring plenty of money with you to get started in the fall. If I remember correctly Fulbright recommends bringing between 1000-1500€ to last until your first pay check arrives. I would suggest to lean more towards the 1500€. The start up costs can add up quickly, and it can sometimes take quite a while to receive your first pay check. My first year I didn't receive my first payment till mid-November, whereas my second year I got my paycheck punctually in early October. What will really help is setting up your bank account right away when you get to your city. No seriously, that should be done on your first day if possible, and on your first day at school, you should fill out the forms with your bank information for your payment. The sooner you get all that done, the sooner you're likely to get paid!

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

other Fulbright FAQ posts can be found here

other questions can be emailed to me here or left as a comment on this post