An invitation to a second interview!! :)

Dear Louise,

It was a pleasure speaking with you on 05.12.12 during your interview.
I apologise for my delayed reply, but I was out of the office due to illness.

You made a very good initial impression and I would therefore like to 
invite you for a second telephone interview.

We are out of the office until early January, but how would 
Thursday, 03.01.2013 at 3.30 PM your time suit you? 
Please confirm this appointment with me via email if works for you.


If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Please let me 
know if the above appointment suits you.

Have a nice day.

Sincerely,

Lucy Stubley
Sprachcenter Mouroum

Interview!!!!!

Dear Louise,                                                                                                                   

 

Thank you for your application for the English Language Instructor position and your interest in conducting an internship with Sprachcenter Mouroum. Sprachcenter Mouroum is located in the centre of Berlin, a city in the heart of Europe, full of culture, history, and a thriving night-life. We offer language courses of all levels throughout the year and provide translation and interpreting services. Our main concentration, however, is teaching Business English and English to children, ages 3-10, in kindergartens and primary schools throughout Berlin. Teaching English as a second language to young children is a challenging, yet very rewarding occupation. 

We are looking for responsible, energetic, motivated and fluent English speakers to work with us in the coming academic year. We are offering an 11-month paid internship, from 05.08.13 until 30.06.14, to students in the Germanic Studies or Education fields, or students who will finish their university studies this year and are looking for an exciting and challenging work placement abroad. A teaching qualification is not required, however, prior teaching experience and interaction with young children is advantageous. A proficient knowledge of German by the beginning of training is necessary. Our staff offers support and guidance for all new teachers throughout the year. Our team comes from Australia, Canada, Ireland, New Zealand, Scotland, U.K, the U.S.A., and, of course, Germany.

 

I would like to conduct an initial interview with you via telephone on Wednesday, 05.12.12 at 9AM your time. Please confirm with me via email if this appointment suits you and provide a Skype username under which you can be reached. Alternatively, please provide a landline telephone number where you can be reached (no mobile phones). This interview will be conducted in both English and German.

 

After applicants are selected for this internship, the next phase will take place in July in Berlin.

Full training will be provided by our experienced staff. There will be a three-week intensive training course, taking place from 12.07. 13 - 02.08. 13, in order to prepare our teachers for the academic year beginning on 05.08.13. The training will familiarise our interns with our curriculum, teaching methods, teaching material, and child learning and development theory. Our teachers are provided with all the necessary material needed for instruction throughout the year, to include a monthly syllabus and seasonal material, so there will be no additional work costs. Liability coverage is provided during the training and throughout the year during instruction.

 

The interns will be personally supported by our head teachers throughout the duration of the internship. Head teachers are experienced instructors who are responsible for acting as a mentor and liaison for their assigned interns. Personal as well as professional support will be provided throughout the year. At least once a month the interns will have an individual meeting with the head teachers and the internship programme director. Support will also be provided by head teachers in the classroom during actual instruction.

 

Additionally, during the three-week training period, all necessary registration and administrative processes will be carried out, housing placement will be arranged, and interns will become better acquainted with Berlin through various activities.

 

With the commencement of the academic year on 05.08.13, interns will teach between 5 and 20 classes per week. Classes take place Monday through Friday, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 5:00 PM. Interns will be paid per class taught each week and pay will be transferred monthly.

 

Current students who are required to complete an Erasmus or Study Abroad Programme are also welcome to apply. We have worked in cooperation with the Life Long Learning Erasmus Programme in the past and encourage applicants to take advantage of this opportunity.

 

Interns will be responsible for the following:

 

-Obtaining a tax number*

 

-Filing a tax declaration*

 

-Being medically insured (either in your home country or in Germany)

 

-Opening a bank account in Berlin*

 

-Setting up home email access

 

-Obtaining a German mobile phone / phone card

 

-Ensuring their German is proficient enough to understand and hold a conversation.

 

-Housing* Sprachcenter Mouroum will provide housing for a limited number of interns beginning as early as July. A monthly rent will be required for SCM housing. Those interns not provided SCM housing will be responsible for arranging their own accommodation, with our assistance of course.

 

-Transportation costs to, from, and within Berlin.

 

*Our staff will assist interns with the above-named responsibilities during the training period as well as throughout the duration of the internship. We understand it can be difficult adjusting to life and employment in a foreign country, so we will ensure that you have any necessary support during your time with us in Berlin. Our friendly and helpful staff will help in any way they can.

 

This is a wonderful opportunity to further your career, increase your German proficiency, gain life experience in a foreign country, and meet people from all over the world. After successfully completing the internship, interns will possess the skills necessary to work professionally with children in the education field.

 

If you have any further questions, do not hesitate to contact me. Please confirm if the interview time suits you.

 

I look forward to hearing from you.

 

Sincerely,

 

Lucy Stubley

Sprachcenter Mouroum

How exciting is that!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All it takes is a little faith...

So today I got an email back from the Sprachcenter (the multilingual nursery/primary school in Berlin) about a job interview!!!

This is what they said:

Dear Louise,

Thank you very much for your email and for your interest in Sprachcenter
Mouroum.

Since Monday, 12.11.12, we have indeed been accepting applications for
the coming school year. If you could send me your CV and cover letter I
can review your qualifications and experience and begin the application
process.

I look forward to hearing from you,

Best wishes from Berlin,

Lucy Stubley
Sprachcenter Mouroum

So now, as you can imagine, I am rather excited!! It really would be my dream job to live and work there :)
I am worried that my CV and cover letter will be full of mistakes, but I also know that all I can do is try my best and proof-read it plenty of times before sending. We'll see what happens...

Of course, I'll keep you updated as and when I know more.

Alles liebe,

Louise :)
x

From Glühwein to Jungle Speed, Hog roasts to Conga Lines...

I'm sorry I haven't updated my blog for a little while guys, I've been away in Leeds for the weekend and so haven't had a moment to myself for quite a few days!

Right now I'm in the zone of tiredness where I'm in real danger of drifting off to sleep in lectures or during conversations. Why, you might ask? Snowed under with work? Too many nights on the town? Both reasonable guesses, but, well, no. In fact, this weekend was the Big (North East) CU Houseparty weekend. 

For those of you who don't know, all of the universities in the UK have a Christian Union, and every year we each hold a weekend mini-break which we call Houseparty. 

This year, for the first time, all 16 CU's in the North East of England (from Sheffield to Newcastle and everywhere in between!) got together for a joint Houseparty and descended upon a beautiful church in Leeds, pictured below.

There were over 500 of us!!

We spent the weekend exploring Leeds (including a German Weinachtsmarkt), singing songs, eating hog roast and Chocolate Orange Tiffin (thanks Andy Violet!), looking at bible passages, praying together, watching MIB3, listening to talks by the lovely Becky Manley-Pippert, and playing Jungle Speed (the Raving Rabbids version, obviously).

I'm so glad I went, even if we didn't win the Bake-off. It certainly was a lot of fun! 

Now I'm just trying to get back into a routine whereby sleep will allow me not to rely on caffeine to get through my morning lectures. 

Na ja, das Leben geht weiter...

On an unrelated note, I have started applying for jobs in Germany. I haven't heard back from any as of yet, but that doesn't mean I won't keep trying. I'll keep you posted as and when I know more!

Alles Liebe,

Louise :) x

Utter blogging laziness...

So today I'm going to do something a little outrageous.

Instead of writing a blog post of my own, I'm simply going to post a link to another one:


Click on me- go on... you know you want to!

*Ghasp*
I know!!! Utter laziness!!!

My reasoning was thus:
1. I am feeling extremely lazy today
2. I have work to do
3. I saw that blog post and felt it was relevant :)

So I hope that you will be intrigued and click the link to find out more. And please please do ask me any questions you want- no matter how daft they might seem- by posting a comment, facebook, email, text etc.

Alles Liebe,

Louise :)
x

Remember, remember, the Fifth of November...

Tonight is Bonfire night. Yippee!

So, to mark the occasion, I decided to do a little research into the background of it.
As I was looking, I discovered some rather interesting stuff, so I thought I would share it with you wonderful people :)

As most of you probably know, Guy Fawkes night is celebrated on the fifth of November, in commemoration of the day in 1605 when the plot to blow up the Houses of Parliament with gunpowder was discovered in time to prevent the explosion from destroying parliament. Primary school stuff, right?

Well did you know that even now, before every official state opening of the UK Parliament, there is a full-blown search of the building, top-to-bottom, by men in 16th century Yeomen's outfits?
True fact.

Did you also realise that there was, in fact, an act of Parliament decreed in January 1606 (2 months after the event), establishing the 5th November as a national public holiday? There was even a special prayer of thanks included in the Book of Common Prayer, and a special protestant church service dedicated to the divine intervention which saved King James' life, which was listed in the Anglican church calendar every year until 1859.


So why should we celebrate it?

Just imagine what would have happened if the plot had not been uncovered! It would have been the 17th century equivalent of 9/11 and the death of Princess Diana combined. There were 36 barrels of gunpowder found under the House of Lords, and according to a TV programme from 2002 entitled 'The Gunpowder Plot- Exploding the Legend' even if only half of the Gunpowder had exploded, every person in the building and in the area around it would have been killed. Instantly.

So this bonfire night, as you brave the cold to stand in a field and make the typical 'ooh!' 'ahh!' 'eee!' noises required at these sorts of occasions, just remember how Bonfire night is a celebration of much more than just an excuse for writing your name in sparklers (fun though that is!).

Alles liebe,

Louise
x

"How lovely is your dwelling place" (Psalm 84v1)

How different Newcastle is when the sun shines!
A city known down south only for its grey, dreary industrial buildings, its football club, its own brand of ale and its incomprehensible accent continues to astound me every time I go exploring.
Yesterday, as I cycled back from university, I was reminded of a time when I was walking back to my uni house with a good friend of mine.
We had walked via the local park, chatting as friends do about the most random of topics, when suddenly my friend stopped dead.
"What's the matter?" I asked
"Come here- you have to see this!"
So I walked over to where he was stood, followed his gaze across the park, and instantly I saw what he meant.

I couldn't see any buildings!

Now, for those of you who don't know Newcastle, let me just explain how unusual that is. Newcastle is built in a sort-of bowl shape around the quayside and the city centre. So a normal view of the city from a viewpoint half an hour's walk outside the centre would include an awful lot of houses and skyscrapers and churches and other buildings. The trees in this particular place just happened to align with every skyscraper, church spire or building, and allowed us to see the natural surroundings a little closer to how they were originally intended to look. What a blessing that was, to know that this industrial city can be so incredibly beautiful, if only you know where to look!!

I will certainly miss this place.

Alles Liebe,

Louise
x

P.S. It's now snowing here... I think it's time for some childish fun!!

"never trust a man who left alone with a tea cosy does not put it on his head"

so today, I want to ask you a question.

Have you ever seen a tea cosy, and felt the need to put it on your head??

Well, I certainly have, and I don't think I'll ever really understand why. 

Some people say, that because a tea-cosy is so similar in shape and size to a hat, it seems logical to want to try it on your head. Even if you know it's a tea cosy. But that would seem a little silly, if you know that it's meant to be put over a teapot, wouldn't it?

Apparently not. The internet is crazy about it- google has 2,480,000 image results for the phrase 'tea cosy on head', and there is even a day (27th October) dedicated entirely to wearing a tea cosy on your head for Charity (National Wear-a-Tea-Cosy-On-Your-Head Day)!

White Stuff (who are organising the campaign) have managed to rope in celebrities including Jessica Wright, Jamie Oliver, Harry Hill, KT Tunstall, Newton Faulkner and Ben Shephard to help out as well. They're all donning tea cosies and posting their pictures on White Stuff's Facebookpage or tweeting them with the hash tag #teacosy to raise awareness and funds for 85 charities.

 The third annual day takes place on September 27, with last year raising over £30,000. Tea cosies are being sold online for £3 from August 28, and on the day, White Stuff shops are hosting tea parties instore.

Personally, I'm rather excited. Life is so much better when tea parties are involved, and to think that you can drink tea, look silly and raise money for Charity at the same time can surely only be a good thing!!

So what do you have to lose?

Alles Liebe,

Louise 
x

Welcome!

This is the majestical blog, on which you will be able to follow the ins and outs of my unique and exciting life, should you so wish.

So what I wanted to do today to kick things off, is just to tell you a little bit about myself.

So this is me! My name is Louise, I'm a 20 year old student, currently making the most of life at Newcastle University. 

I am a keen salsa dancer, musician and linguist, from a farming family on the south coast of England, and I'm setting up this blog as I wanted to document the exciting whirlwind that is the lead up to my year abroad next year. It's only mid October, and I already have to start planning it!! 

Our second briefing for the Jahr im Ausland happened today, and quite honestly I'm overwhelmed. So many things to consider, organise, decide upon, and all in what seems like an extremely short space of time. This time next year I will hopefully have already been in Germany (or Austria/Switzerland... I still don't know!) for a number of weeks, maybe even months, and I just wonder how different my life will be then.

So I hope that you'll enjoy having a little nosey around, and I will try to keep my blog updated as and when I can!

Alles Liebe,

Louise x