Foreign Language Teaching Assistants (FLTAs) have the opportunity to spend an entire academic year on a US college campus. Fulbright Austria identifies host institutions for FLTAs, who work together with experienced professors of German in formal as well as informal teaching and learning situations. FLTAs animate the instruction of German as native speakers, serve as linguistic models, and are cultural ambassadors. These assistantships also provide FLTAs with opportunities to pursue their own interests as students on campus on a part-time and tuition-free basis.
Going to the USA
Austrian Teaching Assistants
Austrian Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program
Why apply for an FLTA position?
The Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program provides young Austrian teachers and recent university graduates who have completed at least an undergraduate degree with the unique opportunity to spend an academic year at a US college or university assisting experienced professors in the instruction of German. It is a once-in-a-lifetime chance to experience campus life in the US, gain valuable classroom teaching experience, and gain insight into US higher education. The FLTA Program also gives participants a chance to take courses at their host institution and to experience American culture first-hand. A position as an FLTA can be a starting point for a career in language teaching or education, but it can also provide the foundation for research and an academic career. Most importantly, FLTAs contribute to Fulbright’s aim of “promoting mutual understanding between the US and other nations” by fostering personal relations and lifelong friendships with their host institution and community.
Requirements & Eligibility
- Austrian citizenship is required to participate in this program.
- Candidates should be early-career participants and capable of succeeding in the dual role of teaching assistant and student at their host institution.
- Candidates must have at least completed their undergraduate education at an accredited Austrian university*, university of applied sciences (Fachhochschule), or university college of teacher education (pädagogische Hochschule). Students who are in their last semester of their FH/PH studies may apply. Acceptance into the program is contingent upon having completed an undergraduate degree by June.
- Students with a degree or training in the following fields are particularly encouraged to apply: German studies, British and American studies, German as a foreign language (Deutsch als Fremdsprache), linguistics, translation studies, and teacher education.
- Strong English language skills are expected. All participants in the FLTA Program are expected to take the TOEFL test before departing for the US. The TOEFL is not needed at the time of the application but will be required at a later stage in the application process.
- Teaching experience is an advantage but not necessarily required.
- Candidates that have already received a Fulbright grant in the past are ineligible to apply for the Fulbright FLTA Program.
*Students in the second half of the old Diplomstudium may also apply.
My year as a Fulbrighter brought me one considerable step closer to analyzing current issues in a more global context and to becoming a more open-minded and tolerant human being.
-Bianca Kepplinger, Austrian FLTA, 2018–19
Job Description
Generally speaking, FLTAs assist their host institutions in the instruction of German for 20 hours per week. FLTA duties vary widely based on the specific needs of individual institutions—some FLTAs are expected to teach language courses on their own with minimal in-class supervision, while others may be much more involved in providing extracurricular support for established language programs, such as leading conversation groups, participating in community events or lectures, working in language laboratories, or contributing to language materials development. Some FLTAs live on campus with their students in an international house and actively participate in the campus community. The idea of the program is to have a native speaker on campus as a linguistic and cultural resource, both inside and outside the classroom. Many institutions are looking for young, lively, and energetic native speakers of German that spark their students' excitement for language learning and international travel.
Every FLTA package is tailor-made, and the roles vary slightly based on the needs of the host institution. Fulbright Austria ensures that all FLTAs receive roughly the same financial package based on the offers made by specific host institutions. FLTAs receive support from Fulbright Austria and the Institute of International Education (IIE) in New York before their departure to the US and throughout their stay.
The following benefits are included in every FLTA package:
- A pre-departure orientation session in Austria
- An orientation seminar and an enrichment seminar in the US
- The chance to be a part of a larger community of Fulbrighters in Austria and the US
- Room, board, and tuition re-mission for two courses per semester on a credit or audit basis as well as a small stipend from the host institution
- A travel & relocation allowance of €2,000
- ASPE health and accident insurance for the duration of the grant
- Visa sponsorship for a J-1 visa**
** FLTAs receive a J-1 visa that requires them to return to their country of origin (i.e., Austria) for two years before they are eligible to apply for a work permit or green card. It is, however, possible to return to the US as a tourist (for 90 days) or on a student visa.
Application Materials
Candidates must submit an online application on the platform managed by the Institute of International Education (IIE).
Candidates must also upload the following documents to complete their online application:
- Academic transcripts from all post-secondary schools attended. Candidates should submit transcripts (Nachweis über den Studienerfolg) for all subjects studied and examinations taken, including grades if the candidate is a student/graduate. Those who have graduated from a university college of teacher education (pädagogische Hochschule) should include a copy of their Studienbuch to confirm grades.
- Copies of diplomas from all post-secondary schools attended. Candidates should submit Diplomprüfungs- and Abschlusszeugnisse for all diplomas and degrees.
- Three reference/recommendation letters. These letters should be completed online by professors (or former employers).
Please note that the following documents are not required at this point of the application:
- Fulbright medical form for FLTA candidates
- TOEFL (accepted candidates will receive a voucher to register for the TOEFL for free; candidates who already have a TOEFL score that is not older than two years should include a copy of their results)
- English translations of transcripts and diplomas
Candidates are requested to submit both their application and their letters of recommendation online. The deadline to submit a completed application is November 15. Incomplete applications and/or late applications will not be considered.
Placement
Although we work with long-standing partner institutions, some institutions that host FLTAs vary from year to year. The 2021–22 FLTA cohort teaches and assists at:
Agnes Scott College (Decatur, Georgia)
Bates College (Lewiston, Maine)
College of Wooster (Wooster, Ohio)
Emory University (Atlanta, Georgia)
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (Urbana/Champaign, Illinois)
University of Montana (Missoula, Montana)
University of Oklahoma (Norman, Oklahoma)
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant (FLTA) Program
Grant Deadline: 15 November 2021
Grant Length: 9 months
Starting Date: August 2022
Grant Length: 9 months
Starting Date: August 2022
Fulbright Foreign Language Teaching Assistant Program
Partners & Friends
