UK schools, colleges and universities can benefit from a language assistant. They can help enrich classroom activities and bring fresh perspectives to language learning, helping to boost results.
Our language assistants are speakers of French, Spanish, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese and Irish, coming from 11 partner countries across the world. They are keen to bring knowledge of their culture and language into your classroom, helping to make your students more socially conscious.
Learn more about where our language assistants are from.
What teachers say about language assistants
"The Language Assistant offered excellent support for pupils, led group work with enthusiasm and skill, and was proactive in suggesting and implementing ideas and resources."
- - -
"He really took interest in the pupils and students' work and deeply cared about their progress. He was very patient and brought out the best in them. He was reliable and an asset to our department."
- - -
"Since the MLA joined us last October, she has made an outstanding contribution to the learning and the motivation of our students of Spanish. She is not only extremely hardworking and reliable but also very enthusiastic and proactive. The multiple resources she produced for us, relating to both cultural and linguistic aspects, have engaged and provided a challenge for pupils of all abilities."
- - -
"The MLA is very flexible and confident and keen to provide the teacher with the support needed, whether it is by assisting in the classroom, by taking groups out or providing one-to-one tuition."
You can hear more about how teachers and senior leaders value the language assistant both in the language classroom and in the whole school from this Late Show podcast on Teachers Talk Radio.
The value of language assistants
In our annual end of year evaluation of over 200 UK institutions hosting language assistants, mentor teachers reported that their language assistant made a significant impact on attainment and learning outcomes in the following areas:
- improved exam grades (83%)
- improved cultural awareness (95%)
- increased enthusiasm or motivation for language learning (95%)
- improved standards in listening and speaking (98%)
- improved vocabulary and general understanding of the language (98%).
Hosting a language assistant also means that your school will automatically qualify for Foundation Certificate of the International School Award, the British Council's accreditation for your school's international activity. Depending on the level of international work in your school, you can also choose to apply directly for the Intermediate Certificate or for Accreditation. For more information, contact the International School Award team at ISA@BritishCouncil.Org.
Read the BBC story on a French language assistant’s Hebridean lockdown.
Support
We offer support at every stage of the programme, and are here to answer any questions you have about your application, recruitment, visas and other matters.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to reach out to us.
