Contact factors in individualised planning for stays abroad

Rewarding discussions between host institutions, ‘Germany alumni’, former scholarship holders and trainee teachers

Challenges and design

A well designed stay abroad allows trainee teachers to develop a diverse range of skills in an intercultural context. However, it is anything but easy to encourage aspiring teachers to ‘take the plunge’, as experience shows that a strong need for security and pragmatic counter-arguments often outweigh a desire to see life beyond the borders of Germany.

As a means of countering this, the Dresden IMPRESS 2.0 model project designed the contact forum format as an effective networking tool between trainee teachers and international host institutions. The programme has now been run six times. The preliminary conclusions are very promising, as the opportunity to interact with potential host institutions gave a decisive impulse to several trainee teachers to embark on their plans for international mobility.

One-to-one conversations with representatives in the International Contact Forum quickly give you an idea of the chances of a stay abroad in a given country. You can get to know the institution and introduce yourself. Discussions with representatives from South Africa made me feel particularly at ease, and I quickly realised that it would be easy for me to fulfil my personal desire to spend time abroad there during my studies. We arranged a stay in South Africa the following year right there at the information stand at the Contact Forum.

Robin Pönisch, trainee teacher, TU Dresden

Cooperation with Germany alumni

It’s no secret that you need good ingredients for a successful recipe. What makes our format tick is the engagement of people who are willing to help trainee teachers take their first steps on their journey to foreign countries. These people fall into two main categories of former students: Germany alumni, and students and teachers who have returned from stays abroad during their teacher training.

The term ‘Germany alumni’ refers to international students who have spent time in Germany on study, research or work stays. Combined with their role as multipliers, their work at universities, schools and other educational institutions abroad makes them ideal partners for individual partnerships and institutional collaborations.

Where are my credits?

In addition to making personal contacts, the IMPRESS 2.0 international contact forums also aim to deal with an issue which is known to be very significant to trainee teachers. With over 360 different combinations of faculties and subjects available to trainee teachers, it is simply impossible to guarantee a standardised practice for awarding credit for stays abroad. In addition to this, the IMPRESS 2.0 project does not have the time to work out the options for every single student interested in spending time abroad to have their stay recognised.

The Contact Forum format has proved to be an elegant solution to this challenge. Aspiring teachers can work with Germany alumni and former students to develop creative, tailored scenarios for international mobility which ensure that everything a trainee teacher achieves abroad is relevant to their studies and eligible for credit.

Carola Doeckel, Lehramtsstudentin, TU Dresden

I did a school placement at a secondary school in Hong Kong in September 2023. At the Contact Forum in June I had the chance to get to know my placement provider, with whom I had already exchanged emails. Personal contact like this gave me a great deal of security before I set off into “foreign lands”, as it helped me by putting a face to the name of my placement supervisor. In addition to this, the one-to-one conversation allowed me to discuss the final details of how my placement would run and the challenges associated with it, and also get some tips and advice on finding a place to stay.

Carola Doeckel, trainee teacher, TU Dresden

Exchanges in the café

Another group of ‘former students’ also made the Contact Forum format a rich source of thought-provoking discussions, namely current and former trainee teachers who spent time abroad. The ‘Welcome Abroad’ mobility café offers an easy way into the Contact Forum genre, providing a relaxed, atmosphere where students interested in stays abroad can talk to ‘former students’ as peers and get first-hand answers to questions about all conceivable aspects of life. Students who have spent time abroad are a rich source of information, particularly on questions about funding international mobility, which, in a time of sharply rising prices, is anything but a trivial matter.

The IMPRESS 2.0 model project began only a few months before the COVID-19 pandemic hit, so the Contact Forum was held virtually for almost two years. This generated a rich and varied collection of video recordings which continue to inspire trainee teachers today in the world of the ‘new normal’.

Exchange at the alumni networking forum.

Steffen Schreiber

Further information & contacts

Contact

Maria Richter-Babekoff
IMPRESS 2.0 Project Coordinator
impress@tu-dresden.de