English Teaching Assistant Program Application Components

The first pages of the application ask for your basic personal information such as your name, contact information, birth date, etc. Additional pages of the application also ask for the details of your academic background, occupational experience, extracurricular activities, publications, and previous foreign experience. On the Program Information page, you must include a Summary of Proposal addressing why you wish to undertake an ETA grant to the host country, along with an explanation of your plans for host country engagement and future plans upon returning to the U.S.

• Complete all required fields: You should take care to accurately complete all the required fields in this section.
• Use proper capitalization and punctuation: This is a formal grant application and you are advised to follow the English language rules on capitalization and punctuation. Do not enter responses in all caps.

• Project Title: Enter “English Teaching Assistantship” for all proposals within this category.
• Abstract/Summary of the Proposal (1750-character limit): Applicants should concisely detail why they wish to be a Fulbright grantee and undertake an English Teaching Assistant opportunity and why they have chosen to apply to the specific country
• Host Country Engagement (1750-character limit): At its core, the Fulbright program aims to promote mutual understanding and seeks individuals who can be cultural ambassadors while living abroad. This section should offer a description of the ways in which applicants will engage with the host country outside of their grant activities to fulfill this mission. How will applicants plan to share their culture and values in their host community? Specific ideas should be included.
• Plans Upon Return to the U.S. (850-character limit): A brief description of career and/or educational plans following completion of the Fulbright grant.

This 1-page document should clearly describe what you will be able to bring to the classroom in the host country, as well as explain any ideas you have on how to reach students coming from a different pedagogical tradition.

Carefully read the specific summary for the country to which you are applying: This is necessary for you to understand the nature of the program and the specific requirements, since the design of the English Teaching Assistant Program (ETA) varies from country to country. Some countries may give specific instructions on what to include in your Statement of Grant Purpose.

Address the following points:

• What specific qualifications, training, or experience will you bring to the classroom and your role as an English Teaching Assistant?
• What specific ideas do you have for engaging with students in your chosen host country and helping them learn English?
• What attributes do you possess that will assist you in the challenge of living and working in a new cultural environment? How have you demonstrated these qualities in your academic and professional life? Use specific examples.
• Do not make your Statement of Grant Purpose location-specific within the host country, unless specifically requested to do so in the country summary. ETAs will be placed by the Fulbright Commission or the U.S. embassy in the host country, so nothing addressed in the Statement of Grant Purpose should be location-specific since you will not know where you will be based and what particular resources will be available.

Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced page. The application system will not allow documents longer than one page to be uploaded.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• At the top of each page include:
• On line 1: Statement of Grant Purpose
• On line 2: Your Name, Country of Application, and English Teaching Assistant Program

The statement should be a 1 page narrative that provides a picture of yourself as an individual․ It should deal with your personal history, family background, influences on your intellectual development, the educational, professional, and cultural opportunities (or lack of them) to which you have been exposed, and the ways in which these experiences have affected you and your personal growth. Also include your special interests and abilities, career plans, and life goals, etc․ It should not be a recording of facts already listed on the application or an elaboration of your Statement of Grant Purpose․ It is more of a biography, but specifically related to you and your aspirations relative to the specific Fulbright Program to which you have applied.

 
Do not repeat information from other parts of the application.

Adhere to the proper format:

• Length is limited to a maximum of one single-spaced pages. The application system will not allow documents longer than one page to be uploaded.
• Use 1-inch margins and Times New Roman 12-point font.
• At the top of each page include:
• On line 1: Personal Statement
• On line 2: Your Name, Country of Application, and English Teaching Assistant Program

Language requirements vary by country, so before starting the application you should note the specific requirements of the proposed host country. You must possess the necessary language skills to successfully complete the project you are proposing.

For programs where language skills are  Required , you must submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form, which is completed by a professional language teacher, preferably a university professor. If the language is not commonly taught and a professional language teacher is not readily available, a college-educated native-speaker of the language can be used. The language evaluator cannot be related to the applicant. Submission of both forms is mandatory, even if you have advanced skills or native-speaker ability. Failure to submit the forms may affect your eligibility.

For programs where language skills are Recommended or Not Required, if you possess some language skills relevant to the host country, you should submit both a Language Self Evaluation and a Foreign Language Evaluation Form. It will be advantageous to have your language ability documented, even though it is not required. Remember, even if a country indicates that English will be sufficient for carrying out the proposed project, for purposes of Community Engagement, at least a basic level of language skill should be obtained prior to leaving the United States for the host country.

For programs in countries where English is one of the national languages, you do not need to submit any foreign language forms unless a foreign language is required for your project.

If you have little or no knowledge of the language relevant to the host country but plan to acquire proficiency prior to the start of the grant, you may discuss your plans in the Language Self Evaluation. You should not obtain a Foreign Language Evaluation.

Provide your language evaluator with the Instructions for Foreign Language Evaluators . You can print these out and discuss them with the person completing the form.

If you wish to have the same person complete both a recommendation and a Foreign Language Evaluation, you will need to register the person once for the recommendation and once for the Foreign Language Evaluation.

You must submit three recommendations as part of the application. The recommenders will be provided an electronic form that they will use to respond to a series of short-answer questions regarding items such as your communication skills, interest in teaching, and ability to work in unstructured environments. Recommenders for English Teaching Assistant Program applicants do not submit written letters of recommendation.

The recommenders completing the ETA reference forms should be the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to teach English in a classroom abroad based on your intellectual and professional preparation. You should provide the recommenders with a copy of your Statement of Grant Purpose before requesting the recommendations. The recommendation should NOT simply be a character reference, as this will be of no value in assessing your ability to be a successful English Teaching Assistant.

• When choosing individuals to complete the ETA recommendation forms, select the three individuals who can best speak to your ability to serve as an ETA in the host country
• It is encouraged that at least one recommender is able to speak to your skills and experiences outside of academia. Examples of non-academic recommenders include coaches, supervisors, or mentors. Recommenders cannot be related to the applicant.
• Provide recommenders with copies of your Statement of Grant Purpose and Personal Statement.
• Give recommenders at least 3-4 weeks to complete the recommendation forms.
• Provide your recommenders with Instructions for ETA Recommendation Writers.
• All recommendation forms must be completed in English.
• After the recommendation is submitted, it cannot be edited. However, if there is a significant error and the recommender agrees to submit a revised recommendation, the following process must be followed:
• The deadline to request a letter be un-submitted is Friday, October 9th, 2020 at 5:00pm Eastern Time.
• The recommender sends an email from the registered email account to FBstudentsupport@iie.org to request that the recommendation be un-submitted.
• The email to FBstudentsupport@iie.org must include the applicant’s full name and country of application.
• The recommender will need to allow at least 48 hours for the request to be implemented.
• Once the recommendation is un-submitted, the recommender can edit the recommendation and resubmit.
• All recommendations must be submitted by the application deadline, Tuesday October 13, 2020 at 5 pm Eastern Time.
  
• If a recommendation letter needs to be removed from the application after being submitted, the recommender must send an email from the registered email account to FBstudentsupport@iie.org to request that the recommendation be deleted from the application.

Note: Applicants and Fulbright Program Advisers cannot request that a recommendation be un-submitted.

Applicants can follow the status of the recommendation (in progress, submitted) from the Recommendation page of the application. Additional instructions and details on the online submission of recommendations are available within the application system.

The Fulbright Program requires a complete academic record of your higher education. You must provide transcripts from all undergraduate and graduate institutions from which you received degrees. Transcripts must also be submitted from other institutions where you studied and received credit for coursework.

Failure to submit required transcripts will result in your being declared ineligible.

• You must upload one unofficial academic transcript from each post-secondary institution from which you received a degree. Additional transcripts should be uploaded for coursework and grades not reflected on degree-granting transcripts.
• Make sure that the document that you submit clearly shows your name, the name of the institution, and appears as an academic record that is organized chronologically--with course dates, titles, credits and grades. Screenshots of online academic portals will not be accepted.
• Graduate-level students who do not include undergraduate transcripts will be considered ineligible.
• Consult the Transcript and Upload Instructions page for more detailed information.