Socrates / Comenius Grants for Teacher of English as a foreing language  

Am I eligible for a grant?    What the grant covers     How and when to apply for a grant      

   What you need to know...........     

The European Union offers, through the Comenius action of the Socrates Programme, a series of grants in the school education field. This article deals with the Comenius 2.2 action of the programme in which the promotion of the learning of languages is one of the principal objectives. Under Comenius 2.2, grants are provided to teachers of foreign languages including English, to improve the quality of teaching and the pedagogical skills of language teachers.

Am I eligible for a grant? Check this carefully.......

1. You must be........ 

A citizen or resident of one of the 15 member states of the European Union or various associated countries. This is the list – no one else may apply.

Austria, Belgium, Bulgaria, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden... (plus Great Britain & Ireland of course!!)

2. You must be one of the following:

A qualified and practising teacher of English
A trainer of English language teachers
A teacher re-training as an English language teacher
A primary or pre-primary teacher who may have to include teaching English in the future
A teacher of other subjects through the medium of English
An English teacher returning to the profession after a time away from teaching
An inspector or advisor in the field of English teaching

3. Other conditions of Eligibility

Private Language schools are not considered part of the Educational “landscape” so teachers from this sector are not normally eligible. In all countries the Education Authorities will have defined those kinds of school which are eligible in their country. Check with us before applying

You are not eligible if you have already received any kind of Socrates grant for teacher training within the past three years.

In addition to the general criteria above, the Socrates National Agency to which you send your application, will pay attention to the compatibility of the course chosen with the objectives that you indicate and your capacity to show how you and the school where you work will benefit from your attending the course.

If you meet the above criteria, you are probably eligible and may apply for a Socrates/Comenius grant under action Comenius 2.2. 

(Please note that from 2000, the Comenius 2.2 programme replaces the old Lingua Action B programme.)

   What you need to do..........   

This is a simplified guide to Comenius 2.2. You can read the complete official explanation “Guide to Applicants” in your own language by connecting to the Internet and pressing this button coded to your own country  - but before printing it please note that the guide is about 140 pages!!

What the grant covers

If you are successful in obtaining a grant, your travel costs including airfare will normally be paid in full, along with part of the course fee, accommodation and other incidental expenses. Your National Socrates Agency will decide on the amount of the grant they offer you. (Most National Agencies fix a maximum amount and award the grant according to the circumstances.) 

How and when to apply for a grant

1. Choose the course you would like to attend. Preference will be given to applicants who apply for courses in the Comenius database, but you can apply for any course (except pure language enhancement courses) providing you can justify your choice to your National Socrates Agency. Courses already in the Comenius database are marked . The contact address(es) in your country can be obtained from any BCTT office.

From July 2003, the number of courses appearing in the database will be smaller because 
only courses developed in the framework of Socrates-funded projects will be included. Your
National Agency will continue to assess applications individually. 

2. Apply to the school for a provisional registration. You must do this before you apply for the grant, so leave enough time before the final date. The school will provide you with a letter (often by fax if the date for applications is near). If you are booking through a BCTT office, we will ensure that the school sends the letter to you in time. Then apply for a grant to your National Agency (or to the Regional Authority responsible for applications), using the application form which they will supply. Download a copy of the application form in the language required here. The letter from the school confirming your pre-registration must be submitted with your application.

3. When you know that you have obtained a grant, inform the school immediately so that they can register you on the course (provided places are still available). If no place is available or if the course is cancelled for any reason, your National Agency may allow you to choose another course with similar characteristics. If you have booked through a BCTT office, tell us too so that we can keep you fully informed.

4. National Agencies may advertise the availability of grants at various times and with different deadlines. Most of them will do so early in the year (between January & March), but may do so more than once during the year. Information is normally available from the headmasters of all State schools and in any case on the website of your National Agency. Up-to-date information can also be found on the portal inforteach www.inforteach.com under the menu information by country or from any BCTT Office.

 The BCTT Booking Service is absolutely free. Addresses