Fremdsprachenassistent in Germany -Classroom Survival Guide!

It is normal to be nervous before taking up a post as a Language Assistant in a German speaking country for a year. The role of a Language Assistant is a ‘real’ job; you will be joining a team of professional teachers in a German school.

Here are a few tips so that the teaching experience will be positive for you and your pupils:

The Training Courses

The British Council usually organises an optional training course in Glasgow in late June. The course covers basic teaching methodology, administration and past assistants are on hand to give advice. The course is recommended by the majority of St Andrews students who completed it in 2004.

The British Council will invite you to a four night residential training course in September in Altenberg, near Cologne. This course is compulsory. This is a great place to make friends with other assistants who are posted to towns near you. The course tutors also explain everything you need to know about administration and healthcare related to your stay in Germany.

What teaching materials should I bring with me?

Don’t lumber yourself with too much; you can use the internet when you get there. Bring some teen-magazines and short stories with you. You could also record some television programmes (BBC Newsround, Blue Peter, Grange Hill). Make sure you have five-minute-fillers (like Bingo, Hangman). Plan ahead for Bonfire Night, Christmas, St Patrick’s Day and Easter themed lessons. Reuse lesson plans with various classes.

The First Week in School

You should make sure that a teacher from the school(normally your Betreuungslehrer) meets you at the train station and takes you to your accommodation.

On your first day at school don’t be disappointed if there doesn’t appear to be a welcome party for you when you arrive! Schools are very busy at the start of the year!

You should dress appropriately (smart casual, but no jeans). Although a lot of the teachers may wear jeans, past assistants preferred to wear something more formal, to avoid being mistaken for a pupil.

You should arrange to get

  • A key for the classrooms and staffroom (most schools require classrooms to be

locked when not in use) and a key for the television cabinets.

  • A photocopy card.
  • Your timetable - you are entitled to a day off for ‘study’, so try to have Monday or Friday off ( so you can ‘study’ whilst travelling during your long weekend )
  • Do not teach during your first week – you should only observe classes
  • You should organise a notice board for yourself in the corridor – put on a display about yourself with your photo in the first week, use it later in the year to advertise competitions, your English club or display pupils’ work

Past assistants strongly recommend that you define your role in the first week. If a school has never had an assistant before, they may be confused as to what exactly your role is. Teachers in the school may mistake you for a Referendar (trainee-teacher). Explain that you are not qualified and are not obliged take whole classes on your own (unless you have a keen interest in teaching and would be willing to teach alone). You should not mark work on a regular basis and if you do you should only correct it and not award a grade. Ideally you should team-teach with the regular class teacher or work with up to half of the class on your own. You should certainly not be expected to deal with difficult pupils on your own.

Also beware of the Vertretungsplan (Supply cover plan) – schools are always looking for staff to cover for missing teachers and assistants are often seen as a quick solution to their problems. Out of goodwill, you may like to cover the odd class for a colleague but it should not become a habit. If you feel uncomfortable with the situation, you should talk to your mentor teacher.

Your first lesson

In the first few weeks you will be the talk of the school; it is a bit like being a popstar! The pupils will all be eager to have you in their class and will want to get to know you

In the first lesson you will probably be asked to introduce yourself. You will not know what the children’s level of English is, so it is best to involve them from the start. Don’t just monologue for 15 minutes about yourself. Rather, bring some stimuli in your bag – a photo of your family, a tennis ball if you are interested in sport, a CD of your favourite band etc. Get the children to come up to the front and pick something out and ask you questions to find out more about you! An easy ice-breaker!

Lesson Ideas

The website has a lot of interesting lesson plans. Remember you are there to improve your pupils’ oral proficiency. Our advice is to avoid long texts, even with the older pupils, as they become bored. Group work is always a good idea and role plays work well too. If you are teaching groups on your own let the pupils decide what topics they would like to do.

You might like to organise an English Club, a film club or an English drama group in the afternoon. Bring plenty of U and PG rated films with you at the start of the year!

Should I socialise with my pupils?

Well…. the official view is no. However, past St Andrews students did socialise with the older pupils who were doing their Abitur. If you do socialise with them, be sensible. Our advice is avoid alcohol and relationships which get too close for comfort .

And finally….

Have a fantastic year, do things you have never done before, take care of yourself and come home at the end with experiences you will never forget.

We are all convinced that our year abroad was the most formative period of our university education and we have become more international in a way that you never can be unless you have immersed yourself in German culture.

Before we left St Andrews at the end of second year, we set up an email list of assistants posted to Germany and Austria. This was a brilliant way to stay in touch during the year and share our experiences with each other.

If your have any questions before you leave, please feel free to email one of us

German Society AHA Society

This information was developed in Spring 2006 by St Andrews students who spent 2004-5 as Language Assistants in Germany and Austria.

1