For Australian Language Teachers

The Endeavour Language Teacher Fellowships (ELTF), a part of the broader Endeavour Awards, provide opportunities for:

• practising language teachers in Australian schools
• trainee (pre-service) language teachers in Australian universities

to improve their language and cultural skills through intensive short-term study programs. The study programs take place over a three-week period in January each year. Programs may be held in Asia, Europe, Latin America or the Middle East.  Destinations may vary from year to year subject to identified need and the Australian Government’s international education priorities and taking into account the Australian Government Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade’s travel advisories.

To date, 739 practising language teachers and trainee language teachers have benefited from this intense professional learning program. Read about the experiences of previous award recipients.

The broad objectives of the ELTF program are to:

• provide practising language teachers and trainee language teachers with the opportunity to improve their knowledge, skills and understanding of the language and cultures about which they will teach;
• help develop a pool of language teachers with recent in-country experience and expertise as a resource at school, system, state and national levels;
• strengthen linkages between educators in Australia and in targeted countries;
• promote the value of languages education in Australian schools; and
• strengthen mutual understanding between the peoples of participating countries.

More specifically the ELTF program aims to:

• provide intensive professional learning to increase language proficiency levels of language teachers and trainee language teachers
• strengthen networking among language teachers and trainee language teachers nationally and in each state/territory.

The ELTF is available to two categories of applicants – practising language teachers and trainee (pre-service) language teachers. The eligibility requirements are:

(i)  Practising Language Teachers

To be considered for an ELTF Award, an applicant must:

• complete the application form (available when applications are open)
• address each of the selection criteria (set out in the application form)
• agree to a criminal history check (if required) by completing the National Police Check Application and Consent Forms
• provide the relevant documentation (as specified in the application form)

meet the eligibility criteria set out below:

• be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status in Australia and provide certified documentary evidence of Australian citizenship or permanent resident status in Australia
• be of good character and conduct
• be currently employed as a teacher in an Australian primary or secondary school for the year in a part-time or full-time position and be teaching the language of the nominated study program applied for
• have the written support of his/her school principal
• not have participated in an ELTF study program previously.

(Eligibility requirements are subject to change and full details are set out in each year’s application pack)

(ii) Trainee (Pre-Service) Language Teachers

To be considered for an ELTF Award, an applicant must:

• complete the application form (available when applications are open)
• address each of the selection criteria (set out in the application form)
• agree to a criminal history check (by completing the National Police Check Application and Consent Forms); and;

meet the following eligibility criteria:

• be an Australian citizen or have permanent resident status in Australia and provide certified documentary evidence of Australian citizenship or permanent resident status in Australia;
• be of good character and conduct;
• be currently enrolled in an approved primary or secondary teacher education course in Australia to be a teacher of one of the languages of     Arabic, Chinese, Japanese, Korean or Indonesian and provide certified copies of transcript of academic record of tertiary language and teacher education studies (listing subjects/units studied or enrolled in and results obtained);
• have the written support of his/her Faculty/Department/School at the university he/she attends; and
• not have participated in an Endeavour Language Teacher Fellowships study program previously.

(Eligibility requirements are subject to change and full details are set out in each year’s application pack)

Applications for the 2009 ELTF are now closed.

Applications for the 2010 ELTF will open in April 2009.

• 2008 Study Programs
• 2007 Study Programs 
• 2006 Study Programs
• 2005 Study Programs