British Council Language Assistants

Celebrating the 120th Anniversary

Celebrate the 120th anniversary of the Language Assistants Programme with us as we speak to former language assistants from the past four decades. Listen as they share th

Culture Shock: Episode 2

Welcome to our second episode on culture shock. This episode, Rand and Sian will be speaking to three former language assistants who have all had very interesting and dif

Culture Shock : Episode 1

This episode explores the foundation for understanding culture shock. Join the language assistants team with Saskia, Rand and Aobh as we dive into what culture shock is,

What to pack?

Finola chats to Ellie who was an ELA in Austria during 2020-21 about what is best to pack as a Language Assistant. Listen for top tips on what you really need to bring an

Documenting Your Time

Finola speaks to Georgia and Mabel about their experiences as assistants and how they kept a record of their time. They discuss their favourite memories and the joys of l

First Experiences of Teaching as a Language Assistant

In this episode, we speak to former English Language Assistants Fran, Dylan and Haleema about their first experiences in the classroom. Providing quality first teaching t

Settling In

We hear from assistants Kate and Georgia about their experience of settling in as an ELA during 2019-20. From Welsh-cake candles to brass bands, listen to all their top t

Chile

Join us for a trip to the country of the poets in South America with colleagues and assistants. First up, we hear from Gaurav and Ceana. Now both working at the British C

Spain

Finola and Leona speak to former ELAs and current Ambassadors Lucy and Laura about their experience as an ELA in Spain.  From sunsets overlooking the Alhambra to chocolat

Germany

Joined by team member Elena and former assistants Luis and Ffion, Fin hears all about life in Germany. From admin to bakery etiquette, listen in to hear about the assista

Lockdown Learning

2020 has been a very different year for the Language Assistants programme, and this podcast looks to explore how this group of assistants and teachers have adapted in the

Preparing to Teach

In this episode, former Language Assistant team members Bethan and Beth share their top tips for teaching. They explore how to prepare, what to bring and activities to tr

Exploring Gender Equality: Language Assistants and Beyond

With International Women's Day on 08 March, the Language Assistant podcast has carried out a special episode exploring gender within the programme itself and the British

Canada

In this episode, Finola is joined by Renaud and Rhianna as they discuss life in Quebec. Featuring ski-doos, poutine and the topic of Canadian French, be sure to listen fo

Austria

In this episode, Finola speaks to two former language assistants: Luke and Katrina about their experience in Austria. Both share their key top tips about life, admin and

Wellbeing

In this episode, Bethan and Andrew from the British Council discussing the importance of and ways to wellbeing for Language Assistants, with helpful links and their own p

France

In this episode, Finola speaks to three former language assistants - Jason, Clorrie and Isabel - about their experience as a language assistant in France. Starting with t

Italy

In this episode, Olivia is joined by Felicity and Emma who look back on their time as a language assistant in Italy. From delicious food to Romeo and Juliet, this podcast

China

In this episode, Felicity gives the lowdown on eligibility criteria for China and Finola speaks to Jasper and Lorna - two former English Language Teachers in China. They

How to Apply

In this episode, Finola and Olivia look at the application process, how it works and what we are looking for in English Language Assistant candidates.