May 2024
The UK is looking for German and Physics teachers and offers various types of support: up to €32,500 for training and €11,500 for work
- There are two bursaries from the UK Government and 175 scholarships from the British Council.
- Calls for applications for UK Government bursaries are open until 31 May 2024.
- Call for applications for British Council scholarships opens on 3 May.
Both bursaries and scholarships are direct payments, tax-free and do not need to be paid back.
The British Council, the UK's international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities, is offering 175 scholarships of £27,000 (€31,500) each to candidates who meet the eligibility criteria and are selected to train as teachers of modern foreign languages (including German) in England.
The educational and cultural institution also announces a new bursary of up to £28,000 (about 32,500 euros), granted by the UK Government, for candidates wishing to train as teachers of Modern Languages or Physics in England. In addition to this training bursary, the Government is also offering a further £10,000 (around 11,500 euros) for people outside the UK training to teach languages of physics in state secondary schools in England.
Both bursaries and scholarships are direct payments, tax-free and do not need to be paid back.
With this initiative, England is looking for university graduates in high-demand subjects, such as physics and modern languages like German, to teach in state secondary schools. In fact, according to research commissioned by the British Council, 24% of Britons believed it was important now more than ever for people in the UK to learn a language other than English.
“Today there is an increasing teacher shortage nationally and consequently, there are some great scholarship opportunities for international teacher trainees in the UK. We hope this opportunity will encourage more people to come forward to train to teach and become first-rate, excellent professionals and the truly inspiring teachers”, says Tadas Lavickas, Head of International Recruitment at the University of Worcester, one of the universities with the longest tradition and best reputation in teacher training.
German is one of the first language choices in England
With these bursaries and scholarships, the UK Government seeks not only to meet the growing demand for teachers but also to promote linguistic and cultural diversity in the country.
According to the British Council's 'Language Trends 2023' report, German continues to be one of the most taught languages in primary schools and also highlights that it is much more secure in the independent sector than the state sector in Key Stage 3. Alongside French and Spanish, German still dominates language take-up at GCSE level.
The report's data also confirm there is still a considerable way to accomplish the government’s ambition that 90% of young people in Year 10 take a GCSE in a Modern Foreign Language by September 2025.
About the British Council
The British Council is the UK’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities. We support peace and prosperity by building connections, understanding and trust between people in the UK and countries worldwide. We do this through our work in arts and culture, education and the English language. We work with people in over 200 countries and territories and are on the ground in more than 100 countries.