Berlin Aktuell

A CILT/Goethe Institut residential course

29 March – 6 April 2007

Goethe Institut Berlin

INFORMATION ABOUT THE COURSE – UK applicants

This course is for teachers and lecturers teaching German to learners 14–19 and/or to adults. For UK teachers the level and content relate to GCSE, AS and A level or Standard Grade, Higher and Higher Still and to equivalent vocational qualifications.

Course content

Four main themes are addressed and participants will be offered options within this framework:

• Contemporary social issues
• Culture, media and society
• The world of work – business and the economy
• Berlin – yesterday, today and tomorrow

Participants will:

• Improve linguistic skills, fluency and confidence
• Deepen cultural and background knowledge
• Further their personal professional development
• Develop ideas for teaching and collect materials

Beyond the core inputs a differentiated approach will allow participants to opt for either specific guidance and support or more autonomous research.

A programme of visits and cultural events is included and participants receive a free travel card for the area of Greater Berlin. The Goethe Institut in Berlin is situated within five minutes’ walk of Alexanderplatz, the old centre of Berlin. Many of the major sights of interest are within walking distance. 

Level of language

Participants should have a level of competence in German equivalent to A-Level or similar qualification. However, the course will be accessible to those for whom German is their second or third foreign language.  German will be used throughout the course. Support will be offered for non-specialist or less confident participants. An email connection for each participant is provided.

Fee

The course fee is 1600 euros. You can apply for a grant of up to 1800 euros through Comenius 2.2 funding (see below). This would cover the majority of the costs of the course.

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The course fee covers:

• Accommodation with families on a bed and breakfast basis (own room guaranteed)
• Course and tuition fees in Berlin
• A subsistence allowance towards meals
• A programme of events, an excursion and a travel card for all public transport for the area of Greater Berlin
• Course leaders from the London and Berlin Goethe Institut, who are native speakers, plus a CILT Language Teaching Adviser.

You or your school will also need to pay for:

• Travel to Berlin
• Your own travel insurance
• Your own social activities
• Your own day-to-day expenses.

The first and last days of the course will be travelling days.

Funding

Teachers can apply for a grant of up to 1800 euros for two week courses through Socrates Comenius 2.2 funding. Teachers in Adult Education should apply for a grant through Grundtvig funding. This grant would cover the whole course fee. To receive a grant, applicants must not have been in receipt of a Socrates Comenius 2.2 award for in-service training in the last three years.

Building on the success of previous courses, we are pleased to facilitate a multilateral approach to recruitment of participants for these courses and they are, therefore, open to teachers from all over Europe. It is anticipated that participants will have an interest in the potential of establishing links with colleagues they meet on course to support co-operation between pupils and teachers after the course.

Applicants should know that grants are administered by the National Socrates Agency in your country of residence (in the case of the UK, the British Council) and not by CILT. The grant is usually paid 80% before the course and 20% on completion of the course. CILT will give you information to help you obtain the grant, however, it is occasionally the case that we require payment in full for the course fee before any part of the grant is received by a school.

Applicants should be aware that a non refundable deposit of one third of the fee is payable on confirmation of the place, and the full amount is due no later than one month before the start of the course. Failure to do this may jeopardise any offer of a place.

Please note that if you are applying from outside the UK and are making a payment by Euro transfer, there may be a small banking charge in addition to the course fee.

Cancellation and changes

As this brochure is prepared well in advance of the events themselves, CILT reserves the right to change details of these events. We will endeavour to keep these changes to a minimum.

In order to keep prices low, it is our policy not refund fees for cancellations received once a place has been accepted unless we are able to refill the place.

This course is organised by CILT - The National Centre for Languages, 20 Bedfordbury, London, WC2N 4LB, in association with the Goethe Institut.

For all queries regarding the course please contact Claire Cooper on 020 7379 5101 ext 287 or email claire.cooper@cilt.org.uk