Introductory Remarks

 

The English Seminar and the Ministry of Education strongly recommend a continuous stay of at least three months in an English-speaking country for students of English. A longer stay would, of course, be correspondingly more rewarding. Not only does one get to know the everyday life, the institutions and the traditions of the country in question, but there is also often a dramatic improvement of one’s English language abilities. The stay abroad is not a panacea for all language problems, and often students discover upon their return that they still make typical mistakes, but their ability to communicate more fluently and with a wider range of genuinely English expression is usually perceptibly improved.

The stay abroad also leads to an increase in self-reliance, which is necessary to varying degrees in order to organize your studies and accommodation. Although our British and Irish colleagues go to great lengths to help with finding accommodation and suitable courses, sometimes you have to use your own initiative to optimize your exchange experience.

To get an idea of typical life at British universities, the forms that courses take, and so on, there is a useful link which is well worth studying in advance: www.prepareforsuccess.org.uk.

 

 

ERASMUS PROGRAMME

 

Finally, you could apply for a grant (usually 150-200 euros per month) from the ERASMUS programme subsidised by the EU. The advantage of this programme is above all that you do not have to pay the very high tuition fees which would otherwise be necessary. The English Seminar has a total of 14 ERASMUS exchanges, with a total of 45 places, in England, Wales and Ireland, by means of which students can study abroad for 8-10 months (from the end of September/beginning of October till June), or 3-5 months (usually until January or March, depending on the system, for the winter semester/terms, or from the end of January/beginning of February till June for the summer semester). It is important to be aware that the number of exchange places available in Britain and Ireland has drastically decreased, while the number of applications has increased. Despite all our efforts to maintain existing exchange programmes and set up new ones, the number of places is dependent on those wished for by the German departments of the partner universities.  The number of British students of German is tiny in comparison with that of German students of Anglistik, and the interest in studying foreign languages such as German is declining in the UK from year to year.  Whole German departments at partner universities (for instance, Leicester and Oxford Brookes) have been shut down, ending those exchanges.  British students wanting to spend time in Germany often prefer work placements, which are easy to get for them, to ERASMUS places.  Additionally, the English Departments in Britain and Ireland are over-run by non-fee-paying ERASMUS students from all over Europe, while they have no advantage from the exchange programmes themselves.  This explains why at certain universities (particularly Exeter, Southampton, Durham and Nottingham) the opportunities to study English Literature courses are very restricted.  On the other hand, exchange students at those places are usually welcome in German and other non-English languages. This means that, although in the past we were able eventually to find a place for every applicant, from this year on you have at most a 50% chance of your application being successful.

 

 

 

IMPORTANT: Students who wish to go on ERASMUS exchanges with more than one country (for instance, England and Spain) must make sure to do this within the same academic year. It is not possible to split ERASMUS exchanges between different academic years.

 

The following universities have a semester system: (WS: September/October – January; SS: January/February – June): Bangor, Leeds Limerick, Maynooth, Newcastle, Norwich (the WS already ends in December!), Nottingham, Southampton.

 

The term system still applies in: Birmingham, Durham, Exeter, Middlesex, Reading, and Southampton (September – December), (January – March), (April – June). If you only want to miss the winter semester in Tübingen, it would obviously be best, where there is a choice, to spend the first two terms (September till March) in Britain. It is not possible to go just for the summer term.

 

Although Leeds, Newcastle, and Southampton still have a mixed system of semesters and terms, the “terms” only refer to the periods of residence for the British students, and academically only the semesters are relevant. Sometimes the host universities (particularly Nottingham) object to students trying to spend two terms (till March) at them, instead of leaving the university at the end of January, as they should. Such an extension of the stay is not subsidised by ERASMUS.

 

These exchanges are subsidized by the European Union to the extent of approximately 150-200 euros per month. (The basic cost of living for students at present seems to be around 600-700 euros per month, so you would have to be able to finance the rest.) The payments are administered by the DiA. If you have already been on an ERASMUS exchange to another country, there is an EU regulation that you do not receive the grant, but, more importantly, are still exempted from paying tuition fees. If you come from a non-EU country but are doing a complete course of studies in Tübingen, you can usually be counted as a “Binnenstudent,” and take part in ERASMUS exchanges.

 

The English Seminar has ERASMUS exchange places at the following universities:

 

Bangor (Wales)	2 places, one in the WS, one in the SS
Birmingham	1 place, preferably for the whole year
Durham***	2 places, preferably for the whole year
Exeter*	2 places, preferably for the whole year
Leeds	10 places for a semester
Limerick (Ireland)	2 places for a semester
Maynooth (Ireland)	6 places, preferably for the whole year
Middlesex	1 place, preferably for the whole year
Newcastle	7 places for the winter semester
Norwich (University of East Anglia)	1 place, preferably for the whole year
Nottingham****	8 places for a semester
Reading	2 places, preferably for the whole year
Southampton**	1 place, preferably for the whole year

 

* At Exeter it is not possible to study English, only German (and French, Spanish, etc.) if you only go there for a semester. If you go there for a whole year, you are allowed to take one module in the English Department. To do courses in the German Department (which are held in English) it is not necessary to be a student of German in Germany.

 

** Only one course in English literature per semester possible: otherwise German or other foreign languages and/or high- level English language courses (including British culture, cultural issues, stylistics, etc.).

 

*** At Durham you can also only do one module in English but do courses in languages (German, French, Spanish, etc.) and English language and culture courses at the Language Centre. (You should note, however, that Durham has an excellent academic reputation and is a very pleasant university town.

 

**** At Nottingham there are considerable restrictions on the courses which ERASMUS students can take (although there is more scope in American and Commonwealth Studies).

 

To sum up, at Exeter, Southampton and Durham it is only possible to do one English course, and have the main emphasis on courses in other languages such as German, French, Spanish etc.  There is also much scope for courses in Cultural Studies and other subjects in Humanities, especially at Exeter.  Students applying for these otherwise attractive locations should therefore be prepared to be very flexible and not expect too much in the way of English Studies.

 

 

Although there are often restrictions on the courses which ERASMUS students are officially allowed to take at several of our partner universities because the English Departments are overburdened, it is often possible to get into other courses by speaking to lecturers at the beginning of the semester.

 

 

Unless otherwise indicated, a stay of one year is possible and with some universities particularly desirable. Applicants for these universities will be given priority if they apply for a whole year. Applicants for one semester/two terms (usually corresponding to the Tübingen WS) at these universities will only be considered if there are no applicants for a whole year. At the other universities (Limerick and Nottingham) you can apply for stays of one semester or a whole year, as you wish. However, if the situation in 2012 is as extreme as in 2011, with very many applications, these places would have to be split into one-semester places.  In general, applicants for whole-year places (who must, of course, be genuinely able and willing to stay the whole year under normal circumstances) have better chances of getting a place than those for one semester.  Applications for the spring semester (which should only be made if you are sure that you can get to the relevant university in January for the start of the semester) have somewhat better chances than those for the winter semester

 

 

We also have a place for a year at the University of Joensuu, Finnland.

 

To decide on which universities to apply for, you should make intensive use of the internet. We also have a file of reports and tips provided by former exchange students situated outside room 462b.  The reports can also be viewed electronically on the Moodle site (no password required).

 

 

Students of Other Subjects than English (“Free Movers”)

 

Despite what you may be told by other offices at the university, none of our partner universities (except possibly Joensuu in Finland) are prepared to accept free movers, so there is no point in even enquiring about the possibility of going on an ERASMUS exchange through the English Seminar unless you are a full-time student of Anglistik or Amerikanistik.

 

 

 

How to Apply

 

Use the form given under this link: Application Form

 

 

The deadline for the academic year 2012/2013 (September 2012 – June/July 2013), whether for the winter or the summer semester, is: January 15, 2012, 12:00. The selection of nominees for all the places in 2012/2013 takes place then. If, in contrast to this year, there are still places left, applications after this point of time are theoretically possible, in some cases even until July 15 for the winter semester and November 1 for the summer semester. Applicants for the summer semester should be aware that it begins at the end of January/beginning of February in Britain and Ireland. Thus if you are studying in the winter semester before in Tübingen, in the vast majority of cases it would not be a realistic option. It could be a possibility, however, for students who do a practical semester at a school in the autumn and are free in January.

 

You must fill in the application form (see above), and also provide Campus printouts (and any Scheine not shown in Campus) for all courses done in Anglistik/Amerikanistik so that we can check the grades. Please work out the average grade (accurately, since it will be checked). If you have passed the Pretest for Language and Use, or been exempted from Language and Use for any other reason, you need not count the Language and Use grade in your average, but you would have to indicate this on your application and name the member of staff who exempted you from doing the whole LU course, so that we can check with them.  If you have preferences for particular universities, you can indicate this on the form. If you have no particular preferences, you can just write this on the form. References to acquaintances at the place in question or its geographical location would not count as relevant factors in the selection process.

 

It should be stressed that any preferences given will only serve as general indications for us, and are no guarantee of the place that you are allotted. The selection will be made above all on the basis of the average grade. The wish to study a further subject at a particular university can only be considered when no other applicant has a better average grade. If there are, for example, 45 places available, the first 45 applicants as regards the average grade will be selected, and then allocated universities according to availability. The quality of the English departments at the various universities is broadly similar, so that it would be difficult in most cases to say that there are dramatic academic differences between the universities that would constitute a perceptible advantage or disadvantage for exchange students.

 

 

 

The Allocation of Places and Further Procedures

 

This is announced within a week of the application deadline by email.  It should be stressed that the allocation is provisional, since we need some time to clarify all the details regarding the applications, and also the willingness of the partner universities to take our nominees. Until the lists of nominees are sent to the British and Irish universities about a few days later later, names may be taken from or added to the lists if extra details which affect the priority list  are discovered.  These unclarities are partly due to the unfortunate practice of many students to wait until the last minute to apply, which means that there is a large quantity of data to record and evaluate at once, and partly to factors beyond our control.  Being on the first, provisional list is no guarantee that you have an automatic right to the place.  Once the lists of nominees have been sent to Britain and Ireland, your places are guaranteed from our end, but they are still subject to unilateral changes by the host universities.  These are just words of caution, however, and in most cases there are no complications.

 

If you notice that there are free places (which in view of recent developments has become very hypothetical), you can make an informal application between January and July. Students who would like to swap the place they have been allocated with someone else on the lists are free to attempt to do this on their own initiative by writing to the others, but such attempts have rarely been successful. After a week we will send the provisional lists of nominees to the host universities. Some of them will get in touch with you immediately, and others later. If you have the impression that it is taking too long, you should get in touch with the contact persons at the host university, who can easily be found out by Googling the name of the university and “ERASMUS,” “Study Abroad” or “International Office,” or by asking us. Sometimes it really has happened that the host university has forgotten about nominees so that they almost missed deadlines, so it is worth making sure.

 

In practice you can withdraw from the exchange place at any time up to July 15 or the host university’s application deadline, but you should let us know immediately so that we can offer the place to someone else. Although there are emergency situations which cannot be foreseen, nominees should try not to withdraw from the exchange too late, as otherwise the place would be wasted and a fellow student deprived of the chance to go on an exchange.

 

If you change your name, email address, postal address or telephone number, in your own interests you should let us and the exchange university know immediately.

 

 

MOST OF THE FORMS THAT YOU NEED AFTER YOUR NOMINATION CAN BE DOWNLOADED FROM THE DEZERNAT III ERASMUS PAGES:

 

http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/international/studieren-im-ausland/erasmus.html

 

 

The ERASMUS-Annahmeerklärung is extremely important. Nominees must fill out the online application form under the Dez III link given above. They must also print it out, have it signed by Dr. Dengel-Janic (or Dr. Donnellan) (departmental coordinators), deadline: June 15 for the WS, November 30 for the SS, and take it to Frau Maricela Kurz in the Dezernat für internationale Angelegenheiten (Wilhelmstraße 9), deadline: July 15 (WS), January 15 (SoSe). Unless the online application is made and the print-out is filled in, signed and handed in, Dez III cannot process your application, and this would mean that you would lose your exchange place.

 

Dez III will also want you to submit a Learning Agreement before you leave. This is usually at first sight difficult, since the host universities often do not provide the lists of courses for the next academic year in time. This is no problem, however, since you can hand in a provisional Learning Agreement using courses from the current academic year, and bring it up to date at the beginning of the semester/term in Britain or Ireland, when it is clear what courses you can actually do. This can be done on the “Changes” part of the form, which can then be sent to us to be signed, and we will then forward it to Frau Kurz at Dez III. Although theoretically ERASMUS requires that you should have 30 ECTS credits on the Learning Agreement, in practice it is quite alright to have less if the circumstances justify it. The ECTS credits should not be confused with the credits within the British system, which often have numbers like 20 per course: a seminar would usually be counted as 10 credits, but you have to check in each case. The English Seminar and Dez III are quite satisfied if in practice you do two to three courses in depth per semester, and there will be no repercussions for you if you fulfil this minimum requirement.

 

You have to get leave of absence (sich beurlauben lassen) at the Studentensekretariat. We can sign the forms and letters of confirmation that are often required for this and other matters. You could also clarify your health insurance with your health insurance company, but one sometimes hears that students have been treated free under the National Health Service in the UK. Another option is to take out a Reisekrankenversicherung. Some students take out a DAAD-Gruppenversicherung, a combined health, accident and liability insurance, which costs approximately 55€ per month.

 

BAföG gives maintenance for up to two semesters abroad, and this time is not counted towards the maximum length of maintenance. Unless the situation has changed, the amount granted for the stay abroad is slightly higher to take into account the higher cost of living. Interestingly, students who would otherwise be just above the limit for BAföG can sometimes get it for the stay abroad because of the different assessment criteria. If you are interested, you can find out directly from: http://bafoeg@bezreg-koeln.nrw.de; cf. also http://www.das-neue-bafoeg.de.

 

Help with finding accommodation is given by the partner university. Often the confirmation of a place in a student hall of residence comes at very short notice (up to only a month before the beginning of the semester). Depending on the university, you might have to look for accommodation yourself, in which case the International Office of the university provides you with lists of rooms and flats. However bad the situation might seem at first in certain places, do not panic and sign a lease for longer than you actually want to stay, since this would be difficult to get out of, whatever oral reassurances you might have been given. Within a couple of weeks at the most everyone gets a place, and the International Office can arrange for emergency accommodation. In practice the vast majority of students get their accommodation much sooner. If possible, you should avoid situations where too many foreign students are put together, which can happen, for example, in Leeds or Nottingham, and make your wishes clear in correspondence with the university. An idea which sounds good in theory, but is probably difficult to put into practice, is to write to the contact person in the German Department at the university (the names and addresses are available from us) and ask about the possibility of flat- or house-sharing with British/Irish students of German.  At the same time you could ask about the possibility of finding  a tandem partner, which is often easy to arrange.

 

 

Status of Exchange Students and Recognition of Academic Work

 

Tübingen students are generally placed in courses for second-year students, in the middle of the three-year B.A. course. Normally exchange students cannot take part in postgraduate courses, which are for British students taking further degrees. It is also not possible to get a British degree at the partner university. In order to do this you would have to change to a complete B.A. or M.A. course and pay fees.

Theoretically it is possible to get a maximum of one course each recognized as a Hauptseminar in Literature or Linguistics. In practice, however, the format and requirements of a German Hauptseminar are so different from the shorter pieces of work often done at British/Irish universities that this is difficult to arrange (except for Landeskunde). Sometimes individual lecturers at the partner university are prepared to supervise a longer piece of work, but before you embark on this you should check (preferably before you leave Tübingen) with the person responsible for recognition of courses in the particular field (in most cases the Fachstudienberater) how realistic the chances are. The people responsible for recognizing courses are:

 

Anglistik: Literaturwissenschaft and Landeskunde: Dr. Ellen Dengel-Janic

Amerikanistik: Literaturwissenschaft and Landeskunde: Dr. Isabell Klaiber

Linguistik: PD Dr. Remus Gergel

Sprachpraxis: Stu Watts MA, Adv. Dip. ED.

 

 

Anglistik/Amerikanistik – Literature and Cultural Studies (Landeskunde):

 

Which courses students may get recognized depends on the studying program they are in.

 

 

Lehramtstudiengang:

 

As students only need to take one Hauptseminar and should get to know the professor there who will examine them in their oral Staatsexamen, Hauptseminare Literatur in the Lehramtsstudiengang are not recognized. What is usually recommended is to take one or both cultural studies courses that are required in the teachers' programme. The formal requirements of the "landeskundliche Lehrveranstaltungen" are extremely loose, i.e. such a course may be a lecture course, a Proseminar or a Hauptseminar. If they take the courses in Tübingen, they are advised to take at least one in the seminar format to be better prepared for teaching Landeskunde in school.

 

Magisterstudiengang:

 

In the major, there are two Hauptseminare and one Oberseminar required. We can recognizea maximum of one Hauptseminar (the one with a paper). In the minor, we usually do not recognize any. As the minimum of required courses is not sufficient as preparation for the final exams anyway, students do usually not complain because it does not make much difference to them where they take extra courses, here or abroad.

 

B.A. Anglistik/Amerikanistik:

 

Students usually go after the end of their second year (i.e. after the Zwischenprüfung). We try to recognize as many courses as possible, usually the elective lecture course, and one Hauptseminar. This Hauptseminar can obviously not be the one with the oral exam as there are further requirements that need to be fulfilled there. There is an upper limit to the number of courses that may be recognized in that a degree of the University can only be awarded to students who took at least 50 % of their courses in the Hauptstudium at the University of Tübingen. Students often consult the adviser in advance and are informed about our policies. When they return and bring the transcript, the course syllabus and, if possible, a paper or exam of the course(s) they want to be recognized, there is hardly ever a problem if the course(s) is/are of an appropriate level. When they go to the US, a course equivalent to a Hauptseminar should be one of the fourth undergraduate, in Great Britain or Ireland a second- or better still a third-year one. If they are required to write a Hausarbeit, they should talk to the instructor there and explain to him/her that they are required to write a research paper (not just a close reading paper) in order to have the credit recognized by their home university. Usually that is no problem either.

 

Linguistik:

 

Successful recognitions take place in somewhat less than 50% of cases, mostly Proseminare. Discussing things in advance considerably helps improve chances, of course.  As with Literaturwissenschaft, the (unique) Hauptseminar done my Lehramt students must be done in Tübingen. Only very rarely has a Hauptseminar in linguistics been recognized, and that was in cases in which they were almost identical to courses offered in Tübingen.

 

 

Sprachpraxis:

 

In theory, any Sprachpraxis course can be replaced by one done abroad. Careful note is taken of content, nature of assessment, contact hours/credits and level, and then a case-by-case decision is made.

 

After You Return

 

When you accept an exchange place, you are obliged to fill in a short report of your experiences at the exchange university for our reports file i.e. for your fellow students, either during or at the end of your stay abroad. If you do not honour this requirement, your name will be passed on to the Director of the Seminar. The report form can also be downloaded below. This is the only document that the English Seminar needs from you after your stay. Although filling in the two (separate and completely different!) forms (one for Dez III and one for us) may seem burdensome, it need not take too much time and is invaluable for future exchange students.

 

Moreover, you also have to fill in a (different!) ERASMUS-Studierendenbericht for Dez III (available on their ERASMUS pages), and provide them with a learning agreement (preferably at the beginning of the semester), and transcripts and the letter of confirmation in order to prove that you have been doing academic work abroad.  In fact, most universities provide the letter of confirmation on your arrival, and, if this is the case, please send it to Frau Kurz or to us as soon as you get it, since this would help the administrative work of Dez III considerably.  

 

You should aim to do two to three courses per semester, although the host university might expect you to do more. Despite the official figure of 30 ECTS credits per semester, Dez III is perfectly satisfied with evidence of two to three courses to show that you have been doing academic work. These requirements (i.e. submitting the documents named above) should be taken seriously, since the Dezernat could theoretically ask you to pay back the ERASMUS money if they are not fulfilled. The forms can be downloaded from the ERASMUS webpages of Dez III.

 

 

Final Remarks

 

This summary describes the situation at the end of 2011. The details are constantly changing, however, so that exchange students should make sure that they ask the relevant authority or institution in order to be completely sure about everything. If you should notice anything that has changed in the meantime, we would be grateful for feedback.

 

 

Change of Personnel

 

As of the beginning of October, 2011, Dr. Ellen Dengel-Janic will take over the main responsibility for the ERASMUS exchanges, so she should normally be the person to try to see, and more complicated matters requiring a policy decision should be discussed with her (office hour:  Thursdays, 14-15 in room 308).  Brendan Donnellan will continue to be available in his office hour (Tuesdays, 15-16 in 466) for a transitional period to give advice, sign forms, and receive and check applications in cases when students cannot attend Dr. Dengel-Janic’s office hour on Tuesdays 14-15 in 308. Continuity will also be provided by the Austausch-Hilfskraft, Oxana Weiler. The latest information is given in notices outside 308 and 466 and on the exchange section of the notice-board in the foyer.  Urgent questions can always be sent to: erasmus(at)es.uni-tuebingen.de, but longer or more complicated matters can best be discussed in the office hours.  We are now also on Moodle (http://www.moodle01.zdv.uni-tuebingen.de), so this is another opportunity to learn about the exchange programmes from the exchange team, or possibly to communicate with each other about practical matters (filling in forms, travel and other tips, and so on) for already nominated students (on the Nachrichtenforum).

 

 

 

CHECK LIST

 

Below we give a checklist in German summarizing  the most important steps in the application procedures for the selection by the English Seminar, the applications to the partner universities after you have been nominated by the Seminar, and the registration with the Dezernat für internationale Angelegenheiten:

 

Bewerbung:  

1.      Online Bewerbungsformular (s. oben).

2.      Aufstellung der bisher belegten Kurse in Anglistik mit Noten. Hierfür können Sie entweder den CAMPUS-Ausdruck Ihrer Kurse mit Noten einreichen oder Kopien Ihrer benoteten Scheine erstellen und abgeben. 

Wenn Sie den ganzen Language and Use Kurs absolviert haben, müssen Sie die Note in Ihren Durschnitt miteinrechnen. Wenn Sie L&U allerdings nicht machen mussten, da sie entweder den Pretest bestanden haben oder das IELTS oder TOEFL Zertifikat angerechnet bekommen haben, brauchen Sie diese Note nicht in Ihren Durchschnitt einzubeziehen. In diesem Fall müssen Sie den Namen des/der Lehrenden angeben, der/die darüber entschieden hat.

3.      Zusätzlich zu dem Bewerbungsformular, das Sie in Papierform abgeben, müssen Sie die auf dem Formular eingerahmten Informationen per Email an erasmus(at)es.uni-tuebingen.de schicken. Dies verkürzt die Bearbeitungszeit, da wir die Daten auch in elektronischer Form brauchen.  Wenn wir die Informationen nicht auch in elektronischer Form bekommen, ist Ihre Bewerbung unvollständig und kann nicht berücksichtigt werden.

 

 

Nach Bekanntgabe der Platzvergabe:

1.      Wenn wir nichts Gegenteiliges von Ihnen hören, gehen wir davon aus, dass Sie mit dem zugeteilten Platz einverstanden sind, und geben Ihre Hauptadresse an die britischen/irischen Gastgeberuniversitäten weiter. Zuerst haben Sie aber die Gelegenheit, anhand der Liste der vergebenen Plätze, den Wunsch zu äußern, einen freien Platz an einer anderen Universität in Anspruch zu nehmen.

2.      Sie müssen sich online für den ERASMUS-Mobilitätszuschuss bewerben: https://moveonline.uni-tuebingen.de/unisolution/move/moveonline/outgoing/welcome.php

Das Formular muss auch ausgedruckt werden (nicht vergessen, wenn Sie Ihre Online-Bewerbung an das Dezernat abschicken!) und die dritte Seite von Dr. Ellen Dengel-Janic oder Dr. Brendan Donnellan unterzeichnet werden. Dann muss es bei Frau Kurz (ebenfalls Dezernat für internationale Angelegenheiten, Wilhelmstr. 9, 72074 Tübingen) bis Mitte Juli abgegeben werden. Ohne dieses Formular kann das Stipendium nicht weiter bearbeitet und ausgezahlt werden.

3.      Sie müssen sich für die Zeit des Auslandsaufenthalts beim Studentensekretariat beurlauben lassen. Auf Wunsch können wir eine entsprechende Bestätigung unterschreiben, diese wird jedoch meistens  Herrn Lange (Dez III) unterzeichnet.

4.      Das Informationsmaterial der englischen Universitäten wird entweder direkt von diesen zugeschickt, oder von uns ausgegeben, sobald wir es erhalten. Wenn Sie bis Mitte/Ende Mai noch nichts gehört haben, sollten Sie uns benachrichtigen oder sich am Besten direkt bei der jeweiligen Universität melden.

5.      Vergleichen Sie die verschiedenen Möglichkeiten des Versicherungsschutzes im Ausland.

Eine Möglichkeit unter vielen ist die Gruppenversicherung des DAAD:

http://www.daad.de/deutschland/service/versicherungen/04703.de.html

6.      Learning Agreement: Spätestens Anfang des Semesters,  müssen sie eine Liste Ihrer beabsichtigten Kurse so zusammenstellen, dass Sie auf bis zu 30 ECTS-Punkte  kommen. Diese Liste ist oft lediglich provisorisch und Sie können das „Changes“-Formular benutzen, wenn Sie vor Ort feststellen, dass Änderungen nötig sind.  In beiden Fällen müssen die Formulare von Dr. Dengel-Janic oder Dr. Donnellan unterzeichnet und an Frau Kurz geschickt bzw. weitergeleitet werden. Es reicht für uns in Tübingen, wenn Sie mindestens zwei bis drei anspruchsvolle Kurse pro Semester belegen.  (Wenn die Partneruniversität vorher eine Liste von Kursen von Ihnen verlangt, müssen Sie meistens sehen, dass Sie auf die offiziellen 30-ECTS-Punkte kommen, aber das heißt nicht, dass Sie verpflichtet sind, alle Kurse, die Sie gelistet haben, tatsächlich zu belegen.)

7.      Erfahrungsbericht: Sie erhalten von uns ein Formular, das Sie während des Auslandsaufenthalts oder unmittelbar danach ausfüllen und uns zuschicken. Sie sind außerdem verpflichtet, einen anderen ERASMUS-Studierendenbericht auszufüllen, der an Frau Kurz geschickt werden muss. Wenn das Formular nicht eingereicht wird, könnte das Dezernat verlangen, dass das ERASMUS-Stipendium zurückbezahlt wird.

8.      Letter of Confirmation (nicht mit dem „Letter of Acceptance” von der Gast-Uni zu verwechseln!): Dies ist eine Bestätigung von der Gast-Uni, dass Sie tatsächlich da eingetroffen sind und an den Kursen teilnehmen bzw. teilgenommen haben.  Sie muss, sobald die Gast-Uni es ermöglicht, direkt an Frau Kurz geschickt werden.

9.      Transcript of Records: Am Ende des Semesters stellt die Gast-Uni eine Bescheinigung über Ihre Kurse und Noten aus. Diese muss auch direkt an Frau Kurz geschickt werden.  Wie gesagt, reichen Beweise, dass Sie mindestens zwei bis drei Kurse belegt haben.

 

 

OTHER POSSIBILITIES FOR STUDYING OR WORKING IN

ENGLISH-SPEAKING COUNTRIES

 

 

Independent Study or Work abroad

 

Theoretically you could study anywhere you like, and choose your own university in an English-speaking country, in which case the Dezernat für internationale Angelegenheiten (Nauklerstraße 2) can advise, but in practice most people would prefer not to pay the very high tuition fees which this would necessitate. A new trend is that some students choose to do their B.A. in Germany and then an M.A. in Britain or Ireland, which is often possible with a one-year course, in which case the time saved can be weighed up against paying fees for one year. The great advantage of the ERASMUS (European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students) exchange programmes for students doing a full course of studies in Germany is that you do not have to pay fees at the British and Irish universities.

If you are interested in working in Britain or Ireland, There are various organizations which arrange opportunities, for example, the Zentrale Auslands- und Fachvermittlung: http://www.europpaserviceba.de/jobsundpraktika,            http://www.interconnections.de/, http://www.britishcouncil.de. Students would have to decide for themselves how reliable the respective organizations they find on these sites seem. Some of these organizations require a fee and the work is not always well paid. If you are prepared to look for work yourselves in Britain/ Ireland, you would probably find a broader range of employment possibilities, particularly in the larger cities, which would (or should) be paid at least the statutory minimum wage.

Another possibility, if you would like not to sacrifice too much time, is to attend language schools in the semester breaks. These are usually rather expensive, and the quality varies. A list of accredited language schools, which would presumably offer good quality, is available from the British Council: http://www.britishcouncil.org/accreditation-az-list.htm.

 

Obviously, you could also make use of the semester breaks to simply live or travel independently in an English-speaking country. 

 

 

 

DAAD Scholarships

 

You could also apply for a scholarship in the framework of the European Excellence Programme (EEP). With one of these well-endowed scholarships you can study for two semesters at several universities in the UK and Ireland. The competition is fierce, but good students should consider applying, and not let themselves be discouraged too easily. There have been cases of students with less than perfect grades who received a scholarship on the basis of the impression that they made in the interview. Application forms are available from the Dezernat für internationale Angelegenheiten (Dezernat III, henceforth called “Dez III” for convenience). The deadline for completed applications is November 30 for the following academic year.

 

USA, Canada, Australia, etc.

 

In view of the continually worsening situation with the Erasmus programmes with the United Kingdom and Ireland, students should also seriously consider the other alternatives which are also possible.

 

The Dezernat für internationale Angelegenheiten offers many exchange places with the USA and Canada (130 places for a year, or theoretically double that number for a semester), South Africa (25), Australia (25) and New Zealand (6), Hong Kong (6), Singapore (6).  The deadline for applications is August of the academic year before for the USA and Canada, July for the following spring in South Africa, June for the following spring in Australia and New Zealand. There are often some extra expenses in connection with studying in the USA or Canada, since the universities often require a TOEFL test.  Living expenses are estimated at about $1200 per month (and sometimes more) in the US.

 Details are given under:

http://www.uni-tuebingen.de/einrichtungen/verwaltung-dezernate/iii-internationale-angelegenheiten/abteilung-1/studieren-im-ausland/austauschprogramme.html

 

There are "Informationsveranstaltungen" on these programmes at regular intervals in Dez III, so it is worth checking their web pages regularly.

 

There is also an exchange with Pune University, India, which is organized by Prof. Dr. Reinfandt, Englisches Seminar.

 

There would be no problem from the point of view of the Erasmus exchange of the English Seminar if students make parallel applications with us, as long as they inform us of their decision in the event of a successful parallel application in good time, so that no exchange place is wasted.

 

 

ASSISTANT TEACHINGSHIPS

 

A particularly attractive and recommendable alternative for candidates for a teaching degree is to teach German as an assistant teacher in Britain or Ireland. Information is available from the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst: www.kmk-pad.org. The forms can be downloaded directly from the PAD, and must be handed in by the end of November of the preceding year at the Oberschulamt Tübingen or sent to the PAD. The decisions about applications are mainly made at the end of April or beginning of May, although it often happens that you are put on the waiting list and do not definitely know until later. In January or February you are invited for an interview (partly in English). No previous experience, whether of teaching or of German as an academic subject, is required, but it is necessary to have German as your mother tongue. The work in Britain/Ireland lasts 8-9 months (September/October till May/June). Shorter stays are not possible. Although you have to pay tuition fees for one of the semesters in which you are away from Tübingen (the details should be found out at the Studentensekretariat), it should be considered that this time can shorten the six-month practical semester which would otherwise be necessary at a German school. An assistant teacher receives a salary of about 1000 euros per month. The host school usually, but not always, arranges for accommodation. In view of the large number of applications for exchange places at British/Irish universities, and the steadily diminishing supply of these places, we strongly recommend that students who are prepared to spend 9 months abroad apply for such a position. You can also apply (if you wish) for one of our places at the same time. We do not inform the PAD of you application, so you would not endanger your application there. If you make a parallel application, you must let us know that you have done so, and inform us as soon as you receive a place from the PAD so that we can offer your ERASMUS place to another student. We can assure you that we will treat you the same as other applicants, and, if you receive one of our places, we will hold it for you until you definitely hear that you have been accepted by the PAD, or June 30, whichever comes earlier.  Because of the early deadlines, you should not apply for Newcastle, Birmingham or UEA (Norwich), however.

 

After this general description, a summary of the main points of the PAD Teaching Assistant programme will now be given:

The selection process for Teaching Assistants is not organized by us, but by the PAD (Pädagogischer Austauschdienst). The preconditions are that you must be a German or EU citizen with a German Abitur, and not older than 21.

 

Country and Length of Employment	Preconditions
UK (England and Wales: October-May, Scotland and Northern Ireland: September-May)	At least 4 semesters completed
USA (End of August-End of May)	At least 6 semesters (or BA) completed
Canada (September-May)	At least 6 semesters completed
New Zealand (January/February-December)	First State Exam or Master of Education
Australia (January/February-December)	First State Exam or Master of Education

 

The main difference from our ERASMUS programme is that, while ERASMUS students study at a British or Irish university, a Teaching Assistant teaches German at a school (mainly conversation classes, about 12 hours per week). The money which you earn is usually enough to cover your living costs.

 

Application deadlines: USA, November 1, all other countries December 1 (for the beginning of the next school year, which is usually in September).

Application: allow plenty of time for collecting documents (references, medical certificates, etc.). After sending in the application, the first step (in January or February) is the interview, which plays a decisive role. The second step (at the end of April or beginning of May) is the first notification whether you have been accepted of rejected by the PAD. Even if you have been “turned down,” you are usually put on a waiting list, and a fair number of applicants are notified later that there is a place after all (but the overall rejection rate remains high).

 

PLEASE NOTE: The Teaching Assistantship is NOT recognized as a Praxissemester any longer. However, partial recognition is possible, i.e., the length of the Praxissemester in Germany is shortened.

 

(This description applies to the situation at the time of the latest update of our text on the home page of the English Seminar. The information is liable to further changes, and we cannot absolutely guarantee the correctness of the latest details, which lie in hands of the PAD and the Oberschulamt.)

 

The English Seminar also helps with a private exchange between King’s College School, Wimbledon, London and a school in Tübingen. Applications for a teaching assistantship there should be sent directly to the German Department at KCS, preferably in email attachments giving a detailed curriculum vitae and a statement of motivation in English or German, (if applicable) evidence of previous teaching and social activities. A combination of German and English as academic subjects would be ideal, but in practice a general knowledge of and interest in German literature is sufficient. More details about this exchange will be given in November on the homepage of the English Seminar and on the notice-board in the foyer of the Brechtbau. Please do not apply until the position is officially advertised.