Uzbekistan
15 English Teaching Assistant Award
Accepted Degree Levels
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Grant PeriodSeptember StartGrant Length10 Months |
Award Type
Award Profile
The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant (ETA) grants provide participants with the opportunity to improve English language abilities and knowledge of the United States for both Uzbek students and teachers through formal English classes and a variety of extra-curricular activities. Placements are available in public schools and universities. The program seeks flexible, independent, and resilient applicants, who can adapt to an under-resourced environment and who are eager to immerse themselves in the local culture.
With the creation of the “English Speaking Nation” initiative by the Ministry of Public Education, the Uzbek government aims for all graduates to be proficient in English. This has created an enormous demand for native English speakers in classrooms across the country.
Main Focus:
- Core skills of speaking, listening, writing, reading, as well as grammar and vocabulary
- Content-based instruction
- Student-centered learning techniques
- TESOL methods and techniques
- Materials development
- English for Academic Purposes (EAP) (For example – but not limited to – Academic Writing)
- English for Specific Purposes (ESP) (For example – but limited to – Law, STEM, Tourism, Business)
- Proficiency exam preparation (including: TOEFL, SAT, GRE)
- American culture, studies, and/or literature
Grant Length
Grant Period
ETA grants are expected to begin in late August or early September and end in early July.
Orientation
Candidate Profile
Applications are welcome from articulate and flexible graduating college seniors, recent graduates, or Master’s students who demonstrate a high level of maturity and the initiative to co-teach English at the high school and university levels. Candidates must be native English speakers. Candidates from all majors are welcome to apply, but those with degrees in English, Education, TEFL/TESOL, hospitality and tourism, law, and STEM fields are encouraged to apply. Some previous teaching/tutoring experience is preferred.
In many cases Fulbright grantees may be the only American in their host region, requiring independence and resilience. The educational system and school or university environment may not be as organized as a U.S. institution, so flexibility is necessary. As a majority Muslim country, Uzbekistan can be significantly more culturally conservative than the United States.
Eligibility
8 Months
Applicants of Uzbek heritage or citizenship are permitted to apply. Preference will be given to applicants who have spent a significant time living in the United States and have native English speaking abilities.
Accepted Degree Levels
- Bachelor's
- Master's
Special Application Instructions
As part of the selection process, U.S. Embassy Tashkent will invite a limited number of semi-finalists to participate in interviews by video conference. An invitation to an interview is a further step in the selection process and not a guarantee that the semi-finalist will be selected for the grant in Uzbekistan.
Foreign Language Proficiency
Recommended but not required. Either Russian or Uzbek language would be helpful in daily life as ETAs are often placed outside of the capital region with few English speakers. All ETAs are provided with a stipend to study a local language while in-country.
Placement Type
- Middle School
- Secondary School
- University/Post-Secondary Institution
Placement Locations
- Regional City
One or two placements may be available in Tashkent, but the majority of ETAs are placed in regional cities. While these are developed towns and not villages, they are often remote and without significant modern amenities.
Supplementary Project
Housing Arrangements
ETAs will stay in a hotel during the arrival orientation in Tashkent and will receive their own apartment upon arrival to their host city. ETAs may choose to share an apartment with a fellow ETA of the same gender if both agree. The Embassy and host institution will identify and locate acceptable housing options in advance of the ETA's arrival.
Dependents
Nature of Assignment
ETAs serve as native speaker resources to remote areas of Uzbekistan and often work with underserved communities. The Public Affairs Section (PAS) of the U.S. Embassy in Tashkent will make all host institution arrangements. As in-class teaching assistants to an Uzbek co-teacher, most institutions will require ETAs to contribute to lesson planning, though some may be asked to teach independently if comfortable. ETAs are encouraged to propose creative ideas for programming to engage students and other audiences in order to share American values and culture. ETAs are also encouraged to use their personal expertise to conduct additional professional development workshops for teachers as applicable.
Teaching responsibilities are broken down in the following activities:
- 16 hours per week of in-classroom teaching at host institution which could be a high school, university or other higher educational institution. ETAs will generally assist in teaching conversational English with an Uzbek co-teacher.
- 4 hours per week of lesson preparation, planning, and office hours.
- 5 hours per week working with the Embassy’s English Access Microscholarship Program in co-teaching after-school English classes to underserved high school students. (If an Access program is not operating in the ETA’s host city, PAS will assign an alternate activity.)
- 5 hours per week of extra-curricular activities such as conversation clubs, film clubs, sports groups, or other activities at the host institution or American Corner.
Under the guidance of PAS, ETAs will also have the opportunity to participate in community outreach and cultural activities, events at the American Center or American Corner, and assisting PAS with a variety of conferences and other programs.