The Year Abroad is an integrated, compulsory part of all Modern Languages degrees at Queen Mary, and is designed to provide you with an experience of real-life language learning and intercultural encounter.
As an English language assistant, you can teach English on six-month or year-long placements, obtain experience in another country, gain new skills and make your CV stand out.
The programme gives you the opportunity to:
Teaching time is limited to between 12 and 20 hours a week, giving you plenty of time to pursue other interests.
In a highly competitive jobs market, employability skills and relevant work experience are seen as increasingly critical by employers, and are among the most significant factors considered when recruiting graduates.
Work placements are particularly valuable for their contribution towards later employment prospects. So working during your year abroad can be a valuable stepping stone. Work experience has become increasingly important for graduate roles, with 68 per cent of UK employers prioritising relevant work experience when recruiting graduates showing notable growth over the last few years (CBI Education and Skills Report). For many companies, international work experience is seen as the most valuable asset and research by the Council for Industry and Higher Education shows that 65 per cent of companies that operate internationally view a graduate with work experience abroad as more employable than their peers without work experience.
The School of Languages, Linguistics and Film offers a range of support for students interested in working during their year abroad from CV and interview workshops to invitations to employer presentations and one-to-one consultations. Over the years, we have developed numerous relationships with employers around the world and as a result are able to share a number of interesting roles with our students. Employers include:
We have Erasmus+ agreements with universities in Belgium, France, Germany, Latvia, Portugal and Spain.
Erasmus+ grants are available to support your studies.
NB: With Brexit, it is yet unclear whether the UK will still have access to the Erasmus + programme. This means that grants may no longer be available but in any case, Higher Education agreements will remain in place and mobility will still be possible.