Continuing education and international affairs
Internationalization of the teacher training course
An increasingly diverse and intercultural professional field requires prospective teachers to have skills that go beyond their subject areas and can be understood as interdisciplinary cross-sectional tasks. The internationalization of teacher training is therefore a current and important task for all teacher training universities, which the University of Siegen fulfils at various levels in accordance with its mission statement - the "promotion of the idea of the European Higher Education Area, internationality and mobility".
Various formats of long-term and short-term mobility, international exchange and learning promote not only linguistic and intercultural skills, but also specific professional migration pedagogical skills and enable prospective teachers to classify and authentically convey the challenges and developments of a global society against the background of their own experiences.
All courses are open to you regardless of the subjects you are studying. Below you will find an overview of possible formats and funding opportunities as well as the respective organizations and contact persons.
In principle, all students have the opportunity to study abroadfor a longer period of time.
is open to all students. Even if, at first glance, the curricula for teacher training courses appear to offer little scope for mobility due to the combinatorics and tight timetable, longer periods of study abroad can be planned in such a way that there is no extension of study time. Recognition of courses attended and work completed abroad is secured in advance via Learning Agreements. Various funding opportunities offer financial support. The academic advisors in your subject are available to advise you on subject-related questions. The International Office will provide you with organizational support.
About the foreign language assistance program
of the Pedagogical Exchange Service (PAD), you also have the opportunity to gain international school and teaching experience for six to eleven months as a teaching assistant at a foreign school. Students who take part in the program receive a living allowance from the destination country or the host institution, which generally covers living costs and amounts to between 790 euros and 3,400 euros per month, depending on the destination country.
In the teaching subjects English, French and Spanish, in accordance with § 3 of the Regulations on Admission to the Master's Degree Programs in Teaching at the University of Siegen
obligatory stays abroad are planned.
Please note: For organizational reasons, it is recommended that you complete the compulsory stay abroad in a country where English, French or Spanish is spoken as the national language according to your subject area during your Bachelor's degree, if possible.
For the organization or for questions regarding your mandatory stay abroad, please contact the International Affairs Office of Faculty I:
The Language Center's language courses are open to all members of the University of Siegen free of charge. The course program can be viewed in unisono.
DiversiTeach is a state-wide program of the Network of Migrant Teachers NRW. The aim of the program is to promote and deepen the content of migration education in teacher training courses.
LehramtPLUS is a continuing education program for student teachers that enables them to acquire additional professional skills and promotes personal and career-oriented development. Certain courses within the framework of this offer also deal with the internationalization of teacher training or the teaching profession.
Further additional offers for students can be found on the website of the International Affairs Office of Faculty I.
The teacher training courses offered by the University of Siegen supplement the teacher training program of the district governments and competence teams in NRW. They provide practical concepts for schools and lessons based on the latest scientific findings. In addition to further training courses for various languages, courses from other disciplines are also occasionally listed that relate to international aspects of the teaching profession.
LehrkräftePLUS Siegen is a qualification program for people with a refugee background who have already worked as a teacher in their home country and would like to continue their work in Germany.
The Educational Exchange Service of the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Länder in the Federal Republic of Germany supports the Foreign Language Assistance Program
for six to eleven-month internships as teaching assistants at schools abroad. Students taking part in the program receive a maintenance allowance from the target country or the host institution, which generally covers living costs and amounts to between 790 euros and 3,400 euros per month, depending on the target country.
Funding can be applied for for school internships abroad if the criteria of the respective program are met. You must organize the internship yourself and provide proof of this when applying. Please refer to the website of the respective organization or the International Office for information on the selection criteria.
For the Erasmus program countries of the EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia and Turkey, internship funding is provided via Erasmus+. For all other target countries, funding is provided via the DAAD scholarship program for internships abroad.
Erasmus+ internship funding
Target countries
EU, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway, Serbia, Turkey
Application deadlines
Applications can be submitted on an ongoing basis. The application deadline is at least one month before the start of the internship.
Further information
DAAD scholarship program for internships abroad
Target countries
All countries not covered by Erasmus+.
Application deadlines
- For internships starting from 01.06. - 31.08: Application period 01.03. - 31.03
- For internships starting from 01.09. - 01.12: Application period 01.06. - 30.06.
- For internships starting from 01.01. - 31.05. of the following year: Application period 01.10. - 31.10
Further information
Other funding programs
SCHULWÄRTS! project of the Goethe-Institut
SCHULWÄRTS! arranges and funds two- to four-month internships at schools supervised by the Goethe-Institut in over 40 countries for student teachers and (prospective) teachers.
Applications are open to student teachers of all school types and subject combinations at Bachelor's, Master's and state examination level, prospective teachers before or after their traineeship and teachers in the teaching profession with foreign language skills (level B2 in English or knowledge of the communication language of the target country is an advantage) up to the age of 35.
All information on the available target countries and the general framework conditions can be found on the program's website
website.
The International Office provides comprehensive information on travel preparation, safety and insurance coveron its website.
is available.
You can obtain more detailed information about the country in which you are planning your stay abroad from the DAAD's country information. This includes information on the education system, study and living conditions, country-specific funding programs and, if applicable, safety information.