Primary School FAQs



		Why employ an assistant?


		How much will it cost?


		How to apply


		Contacting your assistant and other essential admin


		Making the best use of your assistant


		How to help your assistant with money matters

	FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FOR PRIMARY SCHOOLS


	If you are a primary school teacher thinking of hosting a foreign language assistant for the first time, you may find these FAQs useful.

The information below relates to primary schools in England. However, arrangements are likely to be similar in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland. Primary schools outside England wishing to host a foreign language assistant should contact the Modern Language Adviser in their Local Authority or Library Board.

All references to FLA allowance are the figures for 2008-09 and do not include National Insurance contributions or London Weighting. The allowance is fixed by the DCSF, is based on the Unqualified Teacher Scale and is calculated on a pro-rata basis for 12 hours.

If you would like to apply for an assistant, you will need to contact your local LEA coordinator for language assistants.

		What is a Foreign Language Assistant (FLA)?

	FLAs are native speakers of French, German, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese and Japanese who are usually between 20 and 30 years old. They are advanced students or intending teachers with a strong command of English and are looking to gain valuable work experience as well as improving their English and learning more about UK culture.

		What are the benefits to my students?

	FLAs will support language teaching and inter-cultural understanding. They can also inform discussion on citizenship. The FLA will often take small groups of a class which will encourage communication and improve pupils’ confidence. In this way they can also be used to support less able pupils or the gifted and talented.

		What will be the benefits to my school?

Employing an FLA will bring an international dimension to the curriculum. They can play a key role in developing intercultural understanding. They bring a fresh cultural perspective to language learning and provide access to authentic teaching materials. Teachers can also refresh their knowledge of the target language or you could arrange the assistant’s timetable so that they spend a lesson teaching teachers or parents.

		Will the assistant teach classes alone?

	Not usually. They should normally teach alongside a class teacher or teach small groups alone.

		When will my assistant start work?

	The standard period of appointment is from 1 October to 31 May (or 1 September to 31 May in Scotland and Northern Ireland), but this period may be extended for up to a month either side of the appointment by mutual consent. The assistant must be paid for the extra work pro-rata.

		I am interested in hosting an assistant, but can’t afford to pay the annual allowance(for 12 hours per week). Is funding available?

No, the British Council arranges around 3,000 assistantships per year and FLA allowances are paid by the school(s). You could share an assistant with up to two other local primary schools each employing the assistant for four hours (see costs on our 'how much will it cost?' page.)

If you wish to employ an assistant for only 2 hours, you could approach your local secondary school with a view to sharing their assistant (see costs on our how much will it cost? page).

Any combination of hours/schools is possible as long as the assistant works at least 12 hours, no more than 18 hours and works in no more than 3 schools.

		I approached my local secondary school, but they need their assistant for 12 hours. We only want an assistant for 2 or 3 hours. What can we do?

12 is the minimum number of hours that can be offered. Assistants can be asked to work more as long as they are paid for the extra hours. Assistants from the EU can work any number of hours, but we recommend a maximum of 18 to allow them to study or pursue other activities. Therefore an assistant working 12 hours at a local secondary school could work 2 additional hours at your school at a cost of £1,119.30.

		Do I need to worry about visas or work permits for my assistant?

	No, most assistants are from EU countries and are legally eligible to work in the UK. If you host a Spanish assistant from Latin America, a French assistant from Quebec or an assistant from China, Russia or Japan, all you need to do is send a copy of your offer letter to the British Council and we will prepare a ‘Certificate of Appointment’ which they can use to apply for their visa.

		What administrative procedures need to be carried out?

One school needs to be the ‘Host School’ and co-ordinate the timetable and arrival arrangements with the partner schools. You will need to write an offer of appointment and a contract, a pro-forma for both is available on our 'Contacting your Assistant’ page. The British Council provides a brochure on the administrative procedures for both schools and assistants which covers important issues such as registering with a doctor, completing income tax forms and opening a bank account. The brochure should arrive along with your assistant’s dossier. Each school should also appoint a mentor teacher who is the assistant’s main contact both prior to arrival and during their assistantship.

		How does the application process work?

You will need to inform your Local Authority co-ordinator if you wish to employ an assistant and which language, ideally by the end of January. They will pass this information along with the requirements of all the other schools in your LEA to the British Council by 7 March (England) or 28 February (Scotland). The British Council usually sends dossiers to Local Authorities by the end of May for them to forward.

Due to the size of the programme we are not able to deal with schools directly unless there is no Local Authority co-ordinator.

		What is the situation regarding accommodation?

	Assistants are ultimately responsible for arranging their own accommodation. However you should provide guidance where possible and ensure that temporary accommodation is available when they first arrive. This is the main worry of all assistants before they depart for the UK and they are less likely to settle in well initially if they are worried about finding somewhere to live.

		What support and/or training is available?

The British Council has produced FLAs Online, a dedicated website for FLAs which has online lessons and links to useful websites. A new lesson is posted each week and assistants can access archive lessons. There is also a ‘virtual mentor’ appointed by the British Council who writes the material and posts messages on an e-mail discussion group exclusively for FLAs.

We have also developed support mechanisms for FLAs in primary schools and their mentors, including detailed training materials. The Primary FLA Starter Pack is available on our website and will be sent out to all primary FLAs and their mentors at the beginning of the appointment.