Comenius Assistantship

I feel it's my duty to present the programme which enabled me to experience this wonderful exchange. I owe it at least that ;)

My blog is supposed to not only give information about what's going on with me, but also serve as an info point for those who are thinking of applying for Comenius Assistanship. For the latter I'm posting some more details on the programme.

Most of you are well acquainted with the Erasmus programme. Frankly speaking, some 50% of my friends have either already experienced it or will do it in the following year. I myself have also been an Erasmus student; it was in the 2006/07 that I've decided to go to Poland (Lublin) and to put myself to the test. I did well ;) It was my first longer stay abroad and I really learned a lot. Not only about Poland and its culture, but also about their educational system, their values and life in general. What is more, being an Erasmus students you have the perfect opportunity of learning a new language, meeting foreign students and experiencing how it is like to live in an multicultural environment. This is what I liked most. Visiting a country only as a tourist does enable you to get to know it a bit, but it cannot be compared to living in one for a longer period. In my opinion this is the only true way of really getting to know it. I am sure that those who have also been Erasmus students at one point or another would agree with me ;) You learn a lot! So it really doesn't surprise me to read that the number of Erasmus people is getting higher and higher each year. For those who are still thinking of going but are facing personal dilemmas, here's my advice- just do it (where did I hear this one before? ;)


Ok, to return to Comenius Assistanship.
This programme enables you to do your teaching practice in a foreign country; one can spend from 3 – 10 months abroad, depending on personal desires and the demands of the welcoming school. When applying you have to specify the period of your stay, the country (without the exact city) and some other information. The rest is up to the National Agency to decide.

The following part is taken from the »Comenius assistantships: A good practice guide for host schools and assistants« guide:

»The assistant’s main task is to cooperate with and support teachers in the classroom. The assistant’s work programme may include working with small groups, team-teaching with the teacher responsible, leading conversation classes, supporting project work as well as shadow-teaching. The assistant must not be left unsupervised or employed as a regular substitute teacher. The assistant should have between 12 and 16 hours of ‘school-based’ work (time with learners or other work on behalf of the school) per week. This does not include a lesson preparation. A grant is awarded in order to fund their subsistence and travel expenses. Another key aspect of the Comenius assistantships is that they introduce or reinforce a European dimension in the host school and community. Assistants raise learners’ awareness of another European culture and help to break down prejudice.«

From what I’ve experienced so far I can only tell you good things. It’s a perfect way of getting to know a country, a language, the people, yourself. What is more, it is also a great opportunity of seeing whether or not you’re fit for becoming a professor (I’m still deciding on that ;).

I have to say my experiences here have been nothing but positive; my mentor is really helpful (even though we sometimes have communicational gaps, as my Italian is still not as good as hers ;). But with the use of our dear universal English we can overcome that, too! She was kind enough to find me a place to live (and she did it very well- my two Italian roommates are more that I could wish for). Not to mention the school which proved to be a perfect working environment (even though at the beginning I did face some problems with the lack of discipline. To be completely honest, I sometimes still do ;).
I am also very fortunate to be able to attend the Italian language course which is actually meant for Erasmus students (but the teacher was good enough to let me participate in it, as well).

Did I manage to convince you? ;) I’m not saying there are no bad moments. There are. But in comparison to the positive ones, their number is really negligible.

So now that my first month has passed I can easily conclude I sure am I happy that a year ago I managed to raise the courage to apply. I am sure I will never regret it! ;)

What about now? .. did I manage to persuade you now? ;)