Contacting your school
The British Council in the UK will inform you of the name and location of your host school or college, unless you have been appointed to China, France, Germany or Switzerland where you will receive a letter from the school or local education authority directly.

You should make immediate contact with the Head of English at the school to confirm you accept the post or if you are appointed to China, France, Germany or Switzerland , you should reply to the person who sent you the letter or follow their instructions.

If you do not have a telephone number or e-mail address for the school, you could try an Internet search, or call International Directory Enquiries.

If you have been appointed to Latin America, you may not be given a contact name in advance, but the British Council in the UK will provide an e-mail address where possible.

Schools in Italy and Spain often do not make contact with their assistants until September, after the summer holidays.

Questions to ask:

			What is the age range of the students?
			Can you help me with accommodation?
			What are the term dates?
			What materials should I bring?
			Could I have the contact details of the last assistant?
			Is there someone I can contact over the summer holidays?
			Do you have a website or prospectus I can look at?
			What sort of clothes should I wear in school?
			What is the climate throughout the year? (for outside Europe)
			Can you send me a letter of invitation so I can get my visa? (China only)

You may find the first time you call your school, no-one has heard of you. Don’t panic – this sometimes happens when the information or your application form has not reached the right person. Explain that you are the English Language Assistant appointed to that school for next year.

Predecessors
The British Council in the UK will send you contact details of assistants appointed to your region during the previous year in your information pack, four to six weeks prior to departure.

If there was no direct predecessor, your school might not have had an assistant, or they may have had someone from USA, Australia or another English-speaking country. Ask your school if this is the case.

Informing the British Council
Please confirm your acceptance of the post by returning the form sent to you by the British Council. This will be ADF9 (England, Wales and Northern Ireland). Please confirm your acceptance of the post by returning the Acceptance of Appointment form sent to you by the British Council.

Withdrawing from your post
If you are unable to accept the appointment, please e-mail us.

Please do this immediately so that a candidate from the waiting list can be appointed. If you have already had contact with your school, you should write to them as well.