Our Language Assistants come from two main sources. You could be an undergraduate on a language degree course fulfilling your year abroad requirement, or an undergraduate or recent graduate of any discipline.

Before you can apply to become an English Language Assistant abroad you need to know if you meet our eligibility criteria. If you do not have the required language skills, you could apply to be a Comenius Assistant in Europe.

To be an English Language Assistant, you must:

			be a native-level English speaker
			have completed all of your secondary education (age 11-18, in Scotland 12-18) and at least two years of higher education in the UK by the time you start your post*
			be a final year student or graduate to apply for a post in China
			have the requisite language skills, except in China (see individual country pages for details)**
			meet the requirements of the host country (see individual country pages)***

*If you are a British citizen who attended a secondary school overseas, your application may be considered. However, you should contact us before applying. If you are an undergraduate, you must be studying at a UK university and must have passed all second year coursework and exams. Places will not normally be kept open for those required to re-sit exams.

**If you have a lesser qualification, but have spent time in a country where the relevant foreign language is spoken, you may be considered if you believe your ability in the language is equivalent to A-level (AS for Austria, France, Germany and Spain) or Higher Grade in Scotland. Please contact us before applying.

***To discover what the requirements are for individual countries - visit our pages on Austria, Belgium, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Latin America, Spain and Switzerland.

You should also hold a passport from the UK or another European Union member state. However if you meet the above requirements but do not hold a UK or EU passport, contact us before applying and we will discuss your eligibility. You will be responsible for finding out whether or not you require a visa or need any other entry documents for your destination country.

If your application is approved by the British Council in the UK, it will be forwarded to our partner organisation in the relevant country who in all cases makes the final decision on appointments.

What are the costs involved?

You will be paid for your work as an English Language Assistant – the details can be found on the individual country pages. The allowance is intended to provide for one person only. Our partner organisations may be unwilling to consider your appointment without written assurance that any person accompanying you will be financially independent from you.

You will have to cover the cost of the following: -

			the cost of travel to and from your British Council interview (if you have one)
			the cost of travel to and from your British Council pre-departure briefing (if there is one)
			the cost of travel to and from your post abroad*
			travel insurance
			medical insurance (we recommend that most assistants placed outside Europe take out fully comprehensive medical insurance for the duration of their employment)
			visas (for most countries outside the European Union)
			the cost of any necessary inoculations
			your accommodation in the country (except China)**

Undergraduates whose university has an extended university charter may be eligible for ERASMUS status during their language assistantship which is considered as a work placement. Please consult your university tutor or the Erasmus website for further information.

*If you are applying in particular to Canada, China or Latin America, you should be certain before applying that you will be able to meet all the potential costs involved.

**Accommodation is not provided automatically in countries within western Europe. The British Council is unable to arrange your accommodation. Your school should be able to offer advice, but you should be prepared to make your own arrangements.

In all cases, your employer will be the education authority, school or university where you will be working, not the British Council.