You can do this too!
In 1945, Senator William Fulbright introduced a bill to Congress that would establish an exchange between students in the United States and other countries in the fields of education, culture and science in an effort to support peace. If you think about this in the context of history, our global community had just experienced war and division in some of the worst ways. WWII had just ended and the world had seen the power of Hitler to discriminate and torture a group of people resulting in large scale destruction and death. The world was facing the challenge of rebuilding towns and communities that had been shattered in the war and reuniting families that had been torn apart. The world was not peaceful, but this brave Senator decided to do something about it. The bill passed and because of it over 307,000 people have traveled to 155 countries to observe, share and work on projects that promote peace, collaboration, unity and progress. Thank you President Harry S. Truman for signing this bill in 1946! Without that vision that started 68 years ago, I wouldn’t get to study in Finland or meet such amazing likeminded people from all over Europe.
I primarily teach seniors in high school and every year help them apply for colleges. We talk a lot about applying for colleges that they feel are just out of their reach because of financial reasons or that their GPA may fall short of admission requirements. Last year, I was having this conversation with two seniors and they asked me when the last time I had applied for something that was just out of my reach. I was very convicted about the conversation and so I started to look around for professional development opportunities and found the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching program. With their encouragement, I decided to apply and follow the advice I often give others. I could not be more grateful from the gentle shove of the students as this experience has been truly a life changing opportunity.
The Fulbright Exchange programs are an excellent way to experience a new culture while gaining valuable insight into your profession. There are several different Fulbright programs that each cater to a specific area of study- pick the one that fits you best and go for it!
For American Teachers
Distinguished Award in Teaching- this is a 6 month exchange that gives teachers time to complete action research project pertaining to your field of education. The requirements are as follows:
The participating countries are: Argentina, Finland, India, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom
The application can be found here.
Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program- is a direct one-to-one exchange with teachers from primary and secondary school classrooms. The exchange is either for 6 months or a year. The requirements are as follows:
The participating countries are: Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Mexico, United Kingdom
The application can be found here.
Follow the Fulbright Teacher Exchange on Facebook or Twitter for more information and announcements.
For Finnish Teachers
Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching for Finnish Citizens- this program is for primary and secondary teachers, teacher educators and administrators to travel to the US for a semester exchange and study at an American University in Washington, DC. Participants will carry out research, participate in educational activities and field events. The requirements are as follows:
The application can be found here.
Follow the Fulbright Center Finland on Facebook and Twitter.
I primarily teach seniors in high school and every year help them apply for colleges. We talk a lot about applying for colleges that they feel are just out of their reach because of financial reasons or that their GPA may fall short of admission requirements. Last year, I was having this conversation with two seniors and they asked me when the last time I had applied for something that was just out of my reach. I was very convicted about the conversation and so I started to look around for professional development opportunities and found the Fulbright Distinguished Award in Teaching program. With their encouragement, I decided to apply and follow the advice I often give others. I could not be more grateful from the gentle shove of the students as this experience has been truly a life changing opportunity.
The Fulbright Exchange programs are an excellent way to experience a new culture while gaining valuable insight into your profession. There are several different Fulbright programs that each cater to a specific area of study- pick the one that fits you best and go for it!
For American Teachers
Distinguished Award in Teaching- this is a 6 month exchange that gives teachers time to complete action research project pertaining to your field of education. The requirements are as follows:
- Master’s degree or enrolled in a Master’s program
- Full time K-12 teaching position, including primary and secondary level classroom teachers of all subjects, guidance counselors, curriculum specialists, curriculum heads, Talented and Gifted coordinators, Special Education coordinators and media specialists/librarians
- Spend at least 50% of time interacting with students
- Five years of full time teaching experience
- Proven track record of professional development activities and leadership
The participating countries are: Argentina, Finland, India, Mexico, Morocco, Singapore, South Africa, and the United Kingdom
The application can be found here.
Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program- is a direct one-to-one exchange with teachers from primary and secondary school classrooms. The exchange is either for 6 months or a year. The requirements are as follows:
- Be a U.S. citizen
- Be fluent in English
- Hold at minimum a Bachelor's degree
- Have a current full-time professional teaching assignment in the U.S. or in a U.S. territory
- Have taught for at least five years;
- Meet current Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board (FSB) eligibility requirements regarding previous grants.
The participating countries are: Czech Republic, Hungary, India, Mexico, United Kingdom
The application can be found here.
Follow the Fulbright Teacher Exchange on Facebook or Twitter for more information and announcements.
For Finnish Teachers
Distinguished Fulbright Award in Teaching for Finnish Citizens- this program is for primary and secondary teachers, teacher educators and administrators to travel to the US for a semester exchange and study at an American University in Washington, DC. Participants will carry out research, participate in educational activities and field events. The requirements are as follows:
- Hold citizenship and be resident of Finland.
- Be full time teachers or educators; For the purpose of determining eligibility, “full-time” refers to applicants who are currently employed full time or who hold a combination of positions that add up to full time equivalency in a school, school district, or educational institution at the local, state/provincial, or national level;
- Be in at least the fifth year of full-time teaching;
- Demonstrate experience conducting and leading professional development activities;
- Demonstrate accomplishment in teaching or have previously received an exemplary evaluation by a school administrator;
- Preferably possess a paper based TOEFL score of 550 (213 Computer Based TOEFL, 79 Internet Based TOEFL) or an IELTS score of 6.5. Please contact the Fulbright Center in Helsinki if testscore is not available
The application can be found here.
Follow the Fulbright Center Finland on Facebook and Twitter.
