Scholarships for Students and Teachers
Scholarships for Students
The AGTV supports two scholarship programs for students
The AGTV have sponsored SAGSE Scholarships since 1979. Students in Years 11 and 12 may apply for a scholarship to travel to Germany to go live with a family and go to school for 10 weeks over the German winter. Students may also host students from Germany in the Australian winter.
From time to time, the Goethe-Institut offers scholarships for students.
Link to the information for students about scholarships on the student pages.
Teacher Scholarship for a Kultur und Sprache Seminar
The AGTV Committee has provided a travel subsidy for teachers to attend a seminar in Austria through a scholarship made available to the Committee from Kultur and Sprache.
Goethe-Institut Scholarships for Teachers
Many teachers of German have enjoyed a scholarship from the Goethe-Institut.
The Goethe-Institut offers scholarships for language courses and pedagogical seminars.
Applicants must be Australian citizens or a permanent resident of Australia for at least 2 years.
If you are eligible and interested, apply. If you don’t get one, apply the next year.
- Goethe-Institut Scholarships – Australian website
AGTV-BJR Student Exchange
The AGTV is a registered Student Exchange Organisation with the VRQA and the Committee has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Bayerischer Jugendring (BJR) in Bavaria, Germany.
This means Bavarian students are permitted by the Australian Government to participate in the10-week reciprocal exchange program without having to pay international student fees.
Schools must enrol the Bavarian student/s with the correct visa: subclass 500. Under this exchange, the schools must not charge fees.
The Committee appoints an AGTV-BJR Coordinator to facilitate the BJR exchange program in Victoria in collaboration with the BJR in Munich and the AGTV Committee.
Schools must also nominate a contact person for the exchange to liaise with the AGTV-BJR Coordinator. Schools are required to make a confidential recommendation about students from their school who are applying for this exchange. Each school decides on the number of exchange students the school will accept at the school.
Applications and Travel
The application process for Victorian students in Years 9 or 10 opens in February with an Expression of Interest. The matching with Bavarian students is completed by October.
The Bavarian students travel as a group to Victoria in February the following year.
The Victorian students travel as a group to Germany in late November/early December in the same year. Students stay with their exchange partner’s family. It is a direct reciprocal exchange.
The AGTV organises Group Leaders to travel with and support the Victorian students.
The AGTV appoints a travel agent to manage the group booking and to liaise with families. Students must travel with the group as a condition of the exchange.
Families are required to attend a pre-arrival and a pre-departure meeting run by the AGTV.
Further information about the exchange is on a Student page on this website:
There are brochures available about the exchange.
Contact the AGTV-BJR Coordinator, Brigitte Ankenbrand: bjr[a]agtv.vic.edu.au
Sister School Exchanges in Victoria
Federal Approval
With the introduction of the Australian Government Foreign Relations Act 2020 (the Act), all foreign arrangements including sister school partnerships are required to be assessed and notified (approved) by the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT).
The DET International Division in Victoria have produced a map to outline the approval process.
- Process Map for Sister Schools – as at Sep 2022
Sister Schools in Victoria
Prior to the pandemic, there were over 50 active sister-school arrangements in schools for students of German. The continuation of visits to and from sister-schools is a matter for individual schools under the guidelines of the Department of Education and Training (DET) or other relevant authority such as the Victorian Registration and Qualifications Authority (VRQA).
Schools may be required to sign a Memorandum of Understanding to participate.
Useful Links for Schools
Sister schools are encouraged by the Victorian Government:
- DET: Global Learning Programs – incl. sister schools
Finding a Sister School
Personal contacts are always a good starting point to begin the process of an official sister school program. This could be through relatives and friends, personal contacts in DACHL, previous Language Assistants etc.
- Partnerschulnetz – Germany
Victorian Government International Student Program (ISP)
International students come to Victoria for a range of different reasons, and only some of these international students are required to enrol in the department’s ISP and pay fees.
Information about how international students can study in Victorian government schools, including VISA requirements. International exchanges must meet state and federal requirements.
- International Student Program – Department of Education
https://www2.education.vic.gov.au/pal/international-student-program/policy
Penfriends and other Student Exchange Programs
Other options for intercultural exchange and language learning.
Briefe schreiben
Letters are a timeless way to connect with others. Some schools write actual letters and the teacher posts them. Other scan the letters and email them to the teacher.
Deutsche Post has a dedicated website with excellent teaching materials for learning how to write letters and emails. Highly recommended.
- Materialen für Ihren Unterricht – Grundschule bis Klasse 12, Berufschule, DaF
NB: Students are expected to be able to produce a personal or formal in the VCE exam.
Classroom Projects and Ideas
Bei mir – Bei dir: Our place was a collaborative project of the Goethe-Institut and AGTV in 2008, where students exchanged photos and shared stories.
Ideas for Intercultural Projects
The Goethe-Institut in Poland developed an intercultural email project called Das Bild der Anderen. Download the worksheets and teachers’ handbook.
EPALS
A site to find or advertise for partners for intercultural exchanges and projects.
There are also ideas for collaborative projects between groups.
- EPALS – electronic pen pals
Global Penfriends
Register to find a penfriend to exchange letters or emails.
World Exchange Program Australia (WEP)
The World Education Program Australia Ltd (WEP Australia) is an independent, incorporated, not-for-profit Australian student exchange organisation registered with the VRQA in Victoria and with relevant authorities in other states and territories.
Students in Years 9 to 12 can apply to participate in various short and long-term exchange programs including hosting students.
Students must have a minimum of one year of German language study at the time of application, plus ongoing study.
The cost of participating in an exchange to Germany varies according to length and includes airfares and 24-hour assistance.