Language assistant teaching girl in the UK.

Would you like to spend a year living and working in the UK, helping students to improve their knowledge and understanding of your language and culture?

Become a Modern Language Assistant in a UK school, college or university and you can do just that.

What will I be doing?

Language assistants in the UK work in the classroom with teachers or on their own with small groups. They spend up to a year helping students improve their confidence with foreign languages and increase their cultural awareness.

You will get the chance to experience teaching in the UK, develop your English language skills and gain important transferable skills to help you in your career, whatever industry you choose to work in.

You will also get the opportunity to live in the UK and visit England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

Find out more about the role and benefits of being a language assistant in the UK.

Languages covered

You can become a language assistant if you are a fluent speaker of the following languages:

  • French
  • German
  • Irish (for placements in Northern Ireland only)
  • Italian
  • Mandarin Chinese
  • Spanish.

How do I apply?

To become a language assistant in French, German, Italian, Mandarin Chinese or Spanish in the UK, please apply to the relevant partner agency in your home country. You will find the contact details for these agencies below. 

Every year, we also seek to recruit fluent speakers of Irish to promote and support the teaching and learning of the language in schools throughout Northern Ireland. For more information, please visit the Irish Language Assistants page or contact us.

If your home country is not listed, you cannot become a language assistant in a UK school with our programme at this time.

Argentina

British Council
Marcelo T de Alvear 590, 4th Floor 
C1058AAF Buenos Aires 
Argentina
 
Telephone: +54 (0)11 4114 8652

Austria

Ulla Riesenecker
Österreichischer Austauschdienst
Sprachassistenzprogramm
Universitätsstraße 5
1010 Wien
Austria
 
Telephone: +43 1 523 8765-58

Belgium

Le service des bourses internationales
Wallonie-Bruxelles International
Place Sainctelette 2
B-1080 Bruxelles 
Belgium
 
Email: bourses@wbi.be
Website: www.wbi.be

Canada (Québec only)

Renaud Brissonneau 
Équipe des Programmes internationaux d’assistantes et d’assistants de langue
Éducation internationale
3005, 4e avenue, bureau 300
Québec (Québec) 
G1J 3G6
Canada
 
Telephone: +1 418 651-4667, poste 144 (Renaud)
Sans frais au Québec 1 877 651-4667

China

Application information is available on the CLEC website or through your local Confucius Institute.

Colombia

Application dates and requirements are published through British Council Colombia.

France

Polina LEVKINA
France Éducation international
Chargée de coopération internationale – Programme d'échange d'assistants de langue (Royaume-Uni)
1 avenue Léon-Journault 
92318 Sèvres Cedex 
France
 
Telephone: +33 (0)1 45 07 60 46
 
You must be registered as a student at a French university to apply to the France Éducation Internationale.

Germany

Nadia Lange
Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD) der Kultusministerkonferenz
Nationale Agentur für EU-Programme im Schulbereich
Graurheindorfer Straße 157
D-53117 Bonn
Germany 
 
Telephone: +49 228 501322

Website: www.kmk-pad.org   

Italy

Ministero dell'Istruzione, Universita e Ricerca (MIUR)
Dipartimento per la Programmazione
Direzione Generale per gli Affari Internazionali
Ufficio V
Viale Trastevere 76/A
00153 Roma
Italy
 
Telephone: +39 055 2380348 - Tuesday: 10.30 – 12.30 / Wednesday: 10.30 – 12.30 e 15.00 – 16.00 / Friday: 10.30 – 12.30

Spain

Elisa Guinea González, Jefa de Servicio - Difusión de la Lengua y la Cultura
Subdirección General de Promoción Exterior Educativa
Ministerio de Educación, Cultura y Deporte
Paseo del Prado 28, 5ª planta
28014 Madrid
Spain
 
Telephone: +34 91 506 5594

Switzerland

Effingerstrasse 47, 3008 Bern  

Jana Kupiec (Projektverantwortliche Sprachassistenzprogramm im Ausland) 

Tel: +41 31 303 22 26 
Mail: sap@movetia.ch  

Prepare for your placement

If you have been accepted to be a Modern Language Assistant in the UK, you will be provided with information and resources to help make your placement a success. 

Find out more about the role and benefits of becoming a Modern Language Assistant, including the support provided to help you make the most of your time in the UK.

Feedback, Complaints and Appeals

Our team aims to provide a high standard of service to our customers. Please see our feedback, complaints and appeals page for further information on how to submit a complaint or give other feedback.

Back to Study and train in the UK.