“Language learning is an important way of helping to prepare our children for life in a global society , work in a global economy and fosters their intellectual development.  

Foreign Language Assistants bring immense value to the schools in which they work – in terms of the insight they bring into both a foreign language and culture.”

                                                          

"Foreign Language Assistants are in a unique position to support the development of talking and listening skills by providing exposure to authentic target language and by creating natural opportunities for real communication."                        

Sarah Breslin, SCILT (Scotland's National Centre for Languages)

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO YOUR STUDENTS?

•  Bring language alive for learners and make language teaching and learning real with a trained and motivated native speaker
•  Provides first-hand cultural knowledge in your school
•  Improve learner confidence when communicating and understanding another language.
•  Invest in preparing your students for employability in a global market
•  Can you educate young people without the significant impact of language learning in their lives?

“In a more global world people travel and young people from other countries speak two or more languages. It is much more difficult for our young people to compete.”

- Linda Parker, Director, Association for Language Learning

"Our assistant has been outstanding and was well liked by colleagues and pupils alike. She has been very keen to provide pupils with authentic and stimulating material and she has been particularly helpful in her feedback to the pupils."

-Grammar School Teacher, Bangor, Northern Ireland

WHAT ARE THE BENEFITS TO YOUR SCHOOL?  

“[The FLA] went the extra mile. Key to our success in a cross-curricular KS3 project with Biology”

- James Whelan, Head of MFL, Wirral Grammar School for Girls

•  Foreign Language Assistants have a positive impact on the whole school and its wider community, not just the classrooms in which they are based.
•  They can improve standards (as recognised by Ofsted) and enrich the whole curriculum.
•  Hosting Foreign Language Assistants supports international work and can bring your school the Foundation level of the International School Award or sustain your ISA status.
•  Language assistants bring a wealth of resources and ideas, websites, lesson plans, songs and games to the classroom.
•  Well established and structured programme run by BC who take care of all the administrative steps and support the visa application
•  Improve staff members confidence in a language

HOW TO MAKE IT HAPPEN FOR YOUR SCHOOL:  

Having a language assistant is beyond negotiation in our school; they are giving our students life skills to work around the world and have opportunities in the UK and we couldn’t teach languages without them.”

- Paul Keogh, Advanced Skills Teacher

•  It is possible to share your foreign language assistant with up to two other schools making this a low cost resource from just £2,343.33*.
(*four hours a week, October – May in England and Wales, plus National Insurance contributions and London Weighting if appropriate.)

Apply for a FLA from 16 January 2012. Requests must be submitted by 28 February 2012.   

International School Award

Schools hosting Foreign Language Assistants are eligible for the Foundation Level of the International School Award. Further information can be found on the Global Gateway website. Please download the Statement of Intent here.