If your application to be an English Language Assistant is successful and your post is confirmed, you'll need to prepare for your placement.
You’ll receive a detailed information pack around six weeks before you depart. The information will be specific to the country you will be working in and will cover topics such as inductions and lesson ideas. At any time you can find useful information on the country-specific pages.
Last updated: 2 June 2020
Although there is no fee to work as an English Language Assistant through the British Council, and you will be paid a monthly salary, you will need to cover some costs. These include:
Depending on where you wish to be a Language Assistant, there may be other costs such as visas and vaccinations.
The local education authority or the institution will give you the name and location of the school where you’ll be working.
You should make immediate contact to confirm that you accept the post and start any administrative procedures they ask you to complete.
You should make sure to find out the following from your school:
Any additional duties you may be asked to carry out should be agreed with you in advance. You should expect to receive training for these upon arrival.
Before you go, you should find out some basic facts about the education system of your host country.
The British Council office in-country may also have information and materials online to help you. You can find a list of country sites where we have a presence on the British Council homepage.
Make sure that you:
To help you with teaching, you'll find extensive free tips and resources on our website teachingenglish.org.uk. You will also receive teaching resources when you receive your summer information pack.
You can also access free content from the Financial Times to use in classroom activities. You can register on behalf of your school once you’re in post.
Get yourself classroom-ready by registering for our TeachingEnglish training. These courses are optional but they will boost your confidence ahead of your placement and help you develop the knowledge and skills to thrive in the role.
If you aren’t sure where to start, complete our self-assessment to receive a recommended individual course of study.
We have two special offers for English Language Assistants:
This course is structured over seven weeks, taking you from an introduction to learning and through six more modules that will equip you with the knowledge and skills to set up your own classroom activities. You will be working with other language assistants on course content, interacting in forums and meeting up in three webinars.
Subsidised cost: £50.50 (regular price £150)
Course details: Language level: CEFR B1
Time: 21 hours/seven weeks
Start dates: start dates for 2020 will be communicated to assistants in the summer.
Our self-access training allows you to go at your own pace and dip in and out of teaching topics as you need them. There are three free modules, and many other modules on a wide range of teaching topics for you to choose from.
Subsidised cost: £6.50 per module (regular price £12.00)
Dates: ongoing, register for modules as you need them. You will have access to modules for two years after signing up.
Find out more by browsing the modules and courses. You can then pay and enrol on the training directly (you will be prompted to first set up an account). If you have any technical difficulties, select the 'Help' tab at the bottom-right of the screen to raise a support ticket.
If you are going to China or Latin America, you will usually be advised to travel on specific days, to coordinate your arrival with other assistants and meet them at the airport.
If you are appointed to Latin America, you should buy a return flight with a flexible return date (or the option to change the return date), as this is often cheaper than buying two single tickets.
If you are appointed to China, you should buy a return ticket and your school will reimburse your flights upon completion of the contract.
We strongly advise you to look up your destination on Foreign and Commonwealth Office's travel aware website.
You must have personal accident and travel insurance for the duration of your appointment, including travel to and from the UK. Your insurance must cover emergency repatriation.
You will receive country-specific information about insurance in your information pack before you leave. Please also read the British Council's advice on personal accident and travel insurance (PDF 135 KB).
If you are appointed to any EU country, you should obtain a European Health Insurance Card (EHIC). This will cover you for emergency healthcare. The EHIC is free of charge.
Many insurers are excluding Covid-19 as a cause of travel delay or medical expenses. Please check carefully that your policy does include, as a minimum, medical expenses as a result of Covid-19. Currently, providers such as Endsleigh and Alpha are still providing this cover on their gap year policies, so they may be an option, if the other elements of cover meet your individual needs.
You can listen to our podcast, run by former English Language Assistants, about travel insurance.
If you are a UK English Language Assistant eligible for Erasmus+ status, you can continue to apply to be an Erasmus+ student, a status which allows you academic recognition and a substantial fee waiver.
If your applications for both the English Language Assistants programme and the Erasmus+ scheme are successful, you can expect to receive an Erasmus+ grant for the full duration of your 2019-20 placement.
The UK government will underwrite Erasmus+ agreements signed while the UK is still an EU member state, even if payments continue beyond the point of the UK’s EU exit date.
Please note that your allocated host school must sign any learning agreements required for you to receive your Erasmus+ grant. We are not involved in this process. This must be coordinated between your university and host school.
If you have been appointed to Ecuador or China, accommodation is usually provided. For all other countries, it is your responsibility to find your own accommodation. There is advice in the downloadable country notes on each of the individual country pages.
The information pack you receive from us may include the contact details of language assistants who were posted to your region last year. They may be able to give you advice about accommodation.
It may also be helpful to ask your school if they can help or find someone who can let you stay with them temporarily. Staff and student notice boards, local newspapers and tourist offices are potential sources of information on accommodation. Your school may also be able to give you contact details of former assistants who may be able to offer advice.
When searching for accommodation, do not go on viewings alone or advertise your phone number in public places.
If you can't find something immediately, don't panic. The time it takes to find suitable accommodation varies from place to place.
The initial settling-in period can be difficult. You may not be living in the same place as other assistants, and you cannot always depend on teaching staff in your school for social activities.
Attending local classes and clubs and emailing past and present assistants in your area can help you settle in. If this does not work and you are still unhappy, talk to your mentor or another teacher in the school. They may have some useful advice or contacts.
If problems occur, you should contact people in the following order to find a solution - always try to solve problems locally before contacting us in the UK. This is because contacts in-country are often best placed to tackle challenges that may arise:
Your mentor teacher should also be able to make you aware of cultural differences to help you avoid any misunderstandings.
It is important to protect your personal health and safety while abroad. The following links provide you with information to ensure you are well prepared for living overseas.
Support for British nationals abroad: a guide
France
Assistants allocated a placement in France must be aware of the laws around secularism in the French education system. Please note that all assistants are expected by the académies to respect the secularity charter (La charte de laïcité).
We cannot be held responsible for issues surrounding the charter and advise candidates to ensure they understand if there are any changes to the law.
Canada
In June 2019, Bill 21 was passed by the National Assembly of Québec. This is a secularism law stating that teachers in the public sector are not allowed to wear religious symbols at work.
As an English Language Assistant in Canada you are not technically a teacher, but you will be perceived as such by students and parents. Please make sure to familiarise yourself with this law as it may affect you.
Belgium
In general, teachers cannot wear the hijab in schools for reasons of neutrality. Nevertheless, some schools have accepted language assistants wearing the hijab. It is therefore dependent on the school you are placed at.