Honours track: U-TEAch

Period 1 and 2 (first semester)

During the first semester you will focus primarily on gaining knowledge and skills you need to be able to teach in the lower forms (onderbouw). You will develop professional (teaching) competences during your internship at either an international school or a bilingual school (tto).

In the first semester, classes at the university are one day a week on Mondays. During the rest of the week you are at your (internship) school, teaching, observing and working on assignments. In January and/or February the schedule differs slightly, with some weeks having classes on Mondays as well as Tuesdays.

Courses (30 EC):

• Teaching Methodology 1 (5 EC)
• Subject Teaching Methodology 1 (overview in pdf) (5 EC)
• Teaching Practice 1a (10 EC)
• Teaching Practice 1b (10 EC)

Apart from the courses mentioned above, you will also start with Content and Language Integrated Learning (5 EC), a course you will finish at the end of the second semester.

Classes are all in English, except for lectures of Subject Teaching Methodology (Vakdidactiek). Moreover, certain documents or video lectures may be in Dutch. We provide English translation or subtitles as much as possible.

Period 3 and 4 (second semester)

During the second semester you will continue to develop yourself as a teacher as you move on to vocationally-oriented courses aimed at the upper forms (bovenbouw). You will also complete the course CLIL which you started in the first semester. Moreover, the second semester includes an internship abroad (see ‘Internship and in-service students’).

In the second semester, classes at the university are one day a week on Tuesdays. During the rest of the week you are at your (internship) school teaching and working on assignments. When abroad, the schedule will differ.

Courses (30 EC):

• Teaching Methodology 2 (2.5 EC)
• Subject Teaching Methodology 2 (overview in pdf) (7.5 EC)
• Teaching Practice 2 (10 EC) – ABROAD
• International and Cross Cultural Education (2.5 EC)
• Internationalise Your Classroom (2.5 EC)
• Content and Language Integrated Learning (5 EC)

Classes are all in English, except for lectures of Subject Teaching Methodology (Vakdidactiek). Moreover, certain documents or video lectures may be in Dutch. We provide English translation or subtitles as much as possible. Some classes might be on Monday and Tuesday in January and/or February, because of the internship abroad.

Internship during the first semester for pre-service students

As a pre-service student you will be placed at a bilingual or international school in the Netherlands by our Internship Office. You are required to teach your subject in English. If you are placed at a bilingual (tto) school you may also teach a number of lessons in Dutch.

Teaching practice abroad for pre-service students

For pre-service students, the internship abroad in the second semester is mandatory and will take place between March and June. You will go abroad for 12-14 weeks, usually in pairs or threes. You will be placed either in a bilingual, mainstream or international school abroad.

You will be asked to teach and assume responsibility for a number of classes at one of our partner schools, though the ultimate responsibility for your classes rests with your school supervisor. At this moment internships are being offered in South Africa, Norway, Poland, Sint Maarten, Saba and Latvia.

Students may apply for Erasmus+ grants to cover some of the costs of going abroad. Other grants might also be available and the International Office might be able to assist you. See ‘Financing’ at the bottom of this page for more information.

For in-service students

Students who are already teaching can choose to do the in-service variant. This means that instead of doing an internship provided to you by the internship office, you continue to work at your own school while doing U-TEAch.

To enter the U-TEAch as an in-service student, you need to have a suitable job at a bilingual or international school in the Netherlands. Specifically, you need to be teaching a minimum of five and an absolute maximum of 12 lesson hours (of 50 minutes) per week (max. 0,5 fte). Please note that in the second semester you are required to teach at least 60 lesson hours (of 50 minutes) in the upper forms. For further requirements, including mandatory supervision, please see the U-TEAch job requirements (pdf) or contact the Internship Office via stagebureau.gst@uu.nl.

As an in-service student, the internship abroad is not mandatory. However, you do have the possibility to go abroad for a short period of time if your job allows it.

Students who are doing part of their study programme abroad must register this fact in OSIRIS. If you are eligible for a public transport reimbursement (see ‘Financing your internship abroad’ below), you can only receive it if you are properly registered. In order to do this, complete the following steps:
 

• Fill in the form Approval of internship/research/fieldwork abroad (pdf) and have it signed by your supervisor.
• In OSIRIS, click on the 'International' tab, select 'New request' at the bottom of the page and select the option Internship / (field)research / other stay abroad.
• Fill in the form completely and do not forget to upload the signed form as an attachment.
• The International Office will assess your request within a few days. If everything is in order, the status of your request will be set to 'approved'.
• Once this is done, your registration in OSIRIS is complete.

International internships or research projects often entail extra costs. It is wise to keep this in mind and ensure proper financial planning. There are different possibilities in order to get a grant to cover (part of) the costs.

Erasmus grant

For internships within Europe, you can apply for an Erasmus grant. For more information about the Erasmus grant, contact the university’s International Office.

Utrecht Network Young Researchers Grant

If you are going to a university that is associated with the Utrecht Network, you may be eligible for a Utrecht Network Young Researchers Grant.

Public transport reimbursement

For the months that you spend abroad, you can convert your public transport card (OV) into a reimbursement ( OV-vergoeding ). See the procedure on the DUO website (in Dutch). You can get the form signed at the Student Information Point (STIP). Please note, however, that the form will only be signed if you are registered in OSIRIS and your registration is approved by the International Office (see ‘Registering your internship abroad in Osiris’ above).

Other funds and grants

You can apply for a variety of private funds and grants for your international research or internship. A useful site with an overview of funds is www.beursopener.nl (mainly in Dutch).