What did your internship involve?
In 2013, I was a German language assistant at Tunbridge Wells Girls’ Grammar School (TWGGS, pronounced “Twigs”) in the UK. The girls learn German there from Year 7 on. I spent three months supporting the language department, headed by Herr Link, who was also in charge of German language lessons. I supported from Year 10 on (about 15 years old) and some Year 12 students as well.
During the lessons, I went with small groups of the girls to another room to talk to them in German and to let them talk in German to practise the vocabulary they had just learned. This gave them a chance to speak because during the lessons they didn’t have time. With Year 12, it was about preparing for the oral exams: if the girls continued with German to their A Levels, I was there to practise with them for their orals. I was the only assistant there. There are places for two interns each year at the school, one in each period.
How did the application process work?
I was offered an internship and then I had to apply to the school. The school checked my application and picked me. There was just a written application, no interview.
What were your initial impressions of the UK?
I hadn’t been in the UK before. I arrived at the airport and then took a train to Tunbridge Wells on my own. My host mother picked me up in Tunbridge Wells station. It was in the middle of the night and Tunbridge Wells was beautiful. It’s more countryside than town or city and not too different to Germany.
What was your accommodation like?
Herr Link asked the girls’ parents who could take an intern in and my host mother offered. She had two girls who both went to TWGGS as well. My rent was £100 a week with everything included. If they knew in advance that I wasn’t going to be there for a day or two during the holidays, my host mother reduced the rent.
With time, what cultural differences did you observe?
There was nothing really explicit. Going to the pub is different maybe in England because they usually go after work, don’t stay that long and go home early in the evening. In Germany, it’s the other way around: you go home and afterwards you go out to the restaurant or wherever. It wasn’t really that different. I was welcomed; they were open; they were supportive. It is more expensive, especially in the south of England, but it wasn’t that much of a culture shock.
I have mostly visited primary schools here in Germany, which aren’t really comparable to grammar schools. In England there aren’t many grammar schools, so the atmosphere is very concentrated and serious. They really want to achieve something and the girls are very determined. It is really different to a German Gymnasium.
Did you miss anything from Germany while in the UK?
In Germany, I missed my friends and family, of course, but I really felt very comfortable there. I enjoyed the time abroad and not being in Germany for a while. With my host family, there was always someone there to talk to. From the UK, I miss my host family. I’d like to visit them again.
How was your social life outside the job?
I mainly spent my time with my host family. I did some trips with my mentor, the supervisor of the German department, but usually I spent my time with my host sisters and mother. You could also do sports and go swimming or go to the fitness centre if you wanted.
Which must-see destinations would you recommend?
There was half-term in between and I was off school on Fridays, so I had quite a lot of time to do day trips and go away for weekends. I went quite often to London because there you can experience a lot; you can discover the whole town. I really liked London. It’s easy to get there: you just hop on the train and don’t need to change.
I went to Bath, which is quite far. The feeling was quite different there to anything I had experienced before. It feels almost Mediterranean. Brighton is very nice if you want to go to the seaside and eat some fish and chips. You could also explore a lot of castles and estates and go walking in the countryside around Tunbridge Wells.
What effect did the internship have on your teaching/English skills?
I intend to teach English at primary school later on, so I realised that it was a very different level working with the students and talking to them. It was quite interesting and lots of fun. Although the girls were not always that motivated, in general they were, and it was really fun to see how they enjoyed speaking German. There aren’t many Germans around there and German isn’t the lingua franca. I wasn’t that much older than them and they really enjoyed talking to someone who wasn’t really at the same level as a teacher.
At uni, you usually speak English at quite an academic level, which was why it was very interesting to see how I would get along with everyday language. I didn’t have that until then, as I hadn’t been in the UK. I got along fine and was able to practise a lot with my host family. I really enjoyed trying to see how I could communicate with them. My English is more flexible and spontaneous now and my everyday English for simple things, things you can’t get from uni and studying, is better.
Do you have any advice for potential future interns at TWGGS?
Just try to get the most out of the time there. You’ll have the chance to travel and to do some trips. In school, because the German classes aren’t on the whole week long, you will also have the chance to visit some other classes during your free time; you can ask the other teachers if you can visit their lessons depending on your interests and you should definitely do that.