Being a Foreign Language Assistant in Sunderland was the best experience ever!

My name is Anne-Sophie. I am French and I was a French Language Assistant in 2006-2007. I worked for Sunderland Local Authority. Every term I moved from one school to another (for the first two terms I worked in primary schools and I worked in a secondary school at the end of the year). This means that this year was very enriching and full of different experiences, which I needed as I want to be a teacher in France.

Don't be mistaken! Being an assistant is hardwork! Don't hesitate to ask for help to your tutor or your colleagues but you have to try your best and then you will enjoy the fact that your fellow-workers and your pupils appreciate you very much. As far as I was concerned, I was asked to prepare a lesson plan for each lesson I gave in a primary school. This was so unexpected and fastidious that I was reluctant at the beginning. But I have seen the difference and I soon realized that it was very useful and as I got used to doing it I found it easier to prepare. Another thing that helped me so much was the resources that we are provided as assistants. It helps you make interesting lessons. This job is a good experience.

But this job also gives you opportunities to enjoy your time. You work 12 hours a week and you get paid £800. You have enough free time and money to find entertainment  and travel    around Sunderland and in the North East of England, which is not so cold now with the global warming and the area is worth visiting! Try to find activities where you could meet people. In Sunderland, apart from football and pubing, you can take Cambridge exam course, next to Kayll Road Library, with Terry Freeman. For 3 hours, once a week you will discuss English, meet people and learn more English. Terry Freeman also sings with her husband every Saturday in Washington Art Gallery in Davylamp club. I have been once and  loved it. If you go there you will hear folk songs from the North East and all over England and you will find a very warm atmosphere and nice people. I was part of an association dedicated to the protection of Nature around Sunderland. It is called Wildspace Volunteers. You can enjoy guided walks or take part in tasks aiming at protecting nature and learn a lot of things related to nature, to Sunderland and so on. Apart from all this, you can visit a lot of museums and towns: ask advice at the tourist informationn bureau, in your branch library, ... 

Enjoy it!  

Etre assistante de français est la meilleure chose qui me soit arrivée!

Je m'appelle Anne-Sophie. Je suis Française et j'ai été assistante de langue étrangère en 2006-2007. Je travaillait pour les autorités locales de Sunderland. Chaque trimestre, je changeais d'école (durant les deux premiers trimestres, j'ai travaillé en primaire et à la fin de l'année, je travaillais en secondaire). En d'autres termes, cette année fut très enrichissante et remplie d'expériences diverses et variées, chose que je recherchais, étant donné que je souhaite enseigner en France.

Ne vous méprennez pas: le métier d'assistant demande beaucoup de travail. N'hesitez pas à demander conseil auprès de votre tuteur et de vos collègues mais il faut aussi vous investir à fond et vos collègues ainsi que vos élèves vous le rendront. Personellement, on me demandait de préparer un plan de cours pour chaque leçon que je donnais en école primaire. Cela paraissait si inattendu et difficile qu'au début j'étais réticente. Mais j'ai vu la différence et j'ai vite compris que c'était très utile et cela devenait plus facile au fur et à mesure que je m'y habituais. Les ressources informatiques que l'on nous fournit se sont également révélées d'une grande aide. Elles vous aident à faire des leçons intéressantes. Bref, ce travail est une bonne expérience.

Mais il vous laisse également des occasions de vous amuser. On travaille 12 heures par semaine pour un salaire de 800 livres. Vous disposez d'assez de temps libre pour  trouver des distractions et voyager autour de Sunderland et dans le Nord-Est de l'Angleterre, qui n'est plus si froid aujourd'hui avec le réchauffement climatique et la région vaut le détour! Essayez de trouver des activités où vous pouvez rencontrer des gens. A Sunderland, à part le foot et les pubs, vous pouvez suivre des cours pour le Cambridge Exam, près de la bibliothèque de Kayll Road, avec Terry Freeman. Pendant 3 heures, chaque semaine vous discuterez de la langue anglaise, rencontrerez des gens, approfondirez vos connaissances de l'anglais.Terry Freeman chante égalemant chaque samedi avec son mari au Washington Art Gallery au Davylamp club. J'y suis allée une fois et j'ai adoré. Si vous y allez, vous entendrez des chants populaires du Nord-Est et d'Angleterre en général. et vous trouverez une atmosphère chaleureuse ainsi que des gens sympas. J'ai fait partie d'une association dédiée à la protection de la nature autour de Sunderland. Ca s'appelle Wildspace Volunteers. Vous pourrez faire de la marche en groupe ou prendre part à des tâches dont le but est de protéger la nature, et ce en apprenant beaucoup sur la nature, Sunderland etc. En dehors de ça, vous pouvez visiter nombre de musées et de villes: demandez conseil à l'office du tourisme ou dans la bibliothèque la plus proche de chez vous.

Profitez bien de votre séjour!

When I received the email offering me the position of foreign language assistant in Sunderland I was very surprised, because I had no idea where the city was and besides I had applied for the south of England. And as if that wasn't enough, working in a primary school didn't quite fit in with my plan of being a secondary teacher.

I was wrong to be worried. The welcome in the schools was excellent, I got loads of help, I really enjoyed my stay in Clanny House (this hall of residence is nothing out of the ordinary, but I was really lucky with my flatmates), and generally speaking it has been the best year of my life.

I can't give future assistants more than the obvious advice: show an interest, because when an activity works it's really good to be there; don't be afraid to ask for help or advice, even though at times the teachers are so busy that it seems impossible; and take advantage of your stay in the north-east, which is probably the best part of England and you should visit every town. And apply for a second year, because the first doesn't even give you a start, or even better, do a PGCE!)

Hello, my name is Grimanesa, I am from Chile and I was a Spanish assistant from 2002-2003 in two schools in Sunderland.

At the beginning I didn't know anything about the city, only that it was very cold, then when I arrived in the city I realised that the people in the north-east of England were very friendly and for this reason I felt at home. I got to know lots of people, there are quite a few different assistants from different countries which meant that I got to know about countries very different from Chile, in fact I'm still in touch with them.

I should mention that on some occasions it was difficult for me to understand the children because the accent is quite different to the one I studied at University, but I gradually got used to it and then it was quite fun listening to them !

I remember Sunderland very with much fondness and nostalgia. I got to know an aspect of England that I had never imagined, the children and all the teachers at St Anthony's and Hetton were very nice to me. I have great affection for Sunderland. I don't think I'll ever forget my 9 months in England and the people I met are still in my heart. Ah, and I remember the many pubs and clubs in Sunderland !!!!

Hola Me llamo Grimanesa, soy Chilena y fui asistente de Español entre el 2002-2003 en dos escuelas en Sunderland.

Al comienzo no sabía nada de la ciudad sólo que era muy fría, luego cuando llegué a la ciudad me dí cuenta que la gente del norte de Inglaterra era muy amistosa, por esa razón me sentí como en casa. Conocí mucha gente, hay varios asistentes de países distintos lo que significó conocer culturas muy distintas a la Chilena, de hecho aún estoy en contacto con ellos.

Debo mencionar que en varias ocasiones me fue difícil entender a los niños porque el acento es bastante distinto al que estudié en mi Universidad, pero poco a poco me costumbré y luego era hasta divertido escucharlos.

Recuerdo Sunderland con mucho cariño y nostalgia, conocí un aspecto de Inglaterra que jamás había imaginado, los niños fueron muy amables conmigo y todo el grupo de profes de Saint Anthony's y de Hetton. Hay un sentimiento muy grande hacia Sunderland y creo que jamás olvidaré los 9 meses en Inglaterra y la gente que conocí está aún en mi corazón. Ah y recuerdo los numerosos pubs y clubes de Sunderland!!!!

Arriving in a region where you don't know anyone or anything and whose language you don't speak fluently can be frightening. But assistants need only a little time, once they've arrived, to get used to their new environment and really appreciate it, because everything is in place here to make sure that you don't ever regret this year.

Life in England is certainly different. The north-east is culturally a very rich region and the locals have a strong attachment to it and its peculiarities. But I was offered the warmest of welcomes. Going out and meeting English people and learning about their way of life has been completely natural.

The Sunderland region is very pleasant to live in and is very dynamic. You don't get bored there. You have to see Durham because of its historical character and its cathedral. Newcastle is in the middle of a full cultural redevelopment and it has a fantastic nightlife. Scotland is no distance at all away and the Lake District, to the west, has marvellous countryside.

Working only 12 hours a week gives you the time to go out and meet people: assistants from all corners of the world (Spain, Austria, Germany, Latin America or sometimes Asia), students or even local people. There's nothing better for making rapid progress with your English.

Choosing to work as an assistant, for most of us, is choosing to make a break in our studies to get some experience of the world of work and in particular teaching. Observing and understanding teachers' methods and working with pupils yourself is very interesting. The assistant's responsibility is especially, I think, to give pupils an idea of what France is really like. Bringing them information about France, its culture, its inhabitants is essential. Your accent, your personality, everything about you intrigues English children. They can really profit from your presence to make them realise the differences, to get rid of their prejudices and clichés, and, especially, to make them want to discover France for themselves and to make them feel the necessity to learn French.

Choisir de partir en tant qu’assistant, c’est aussi pour la plupart d’entre nous choisir de faire un break au cours de nos études pour être integrés dans le monde du travail et gagner une première experience dans le domaine de l’enseignement. Observer et comprendre quelles sont les méthodes de travail des enseignants et travailler soi-même avec les élèves apporte énormément. La responsabilité de l’assistant est surtout, je pense, de donner aux élèves une idée de la réalité française. Leur apporter des informations sur la France, sa culture, ses habitants est essentiel. Votre accent, votre personnalité, tout chez vous intrigue les petits anglais. Le tout est de profiter de cet intérêt particulier qu’ils vous manifestent pour leur faire prendre conscience de la différence, débarrasser leur esprit des préjugés et des clichés, et surtout, leur donner envie de découvrir eux mêmes la France et leur faire sentir alors la nécessité d’apprendre le français.