You have 3 options
What can I do?
As a Modern Languages and Cultures student, you have three Year Abroad options: Studying abroad, Working abroad, and working as a British Council English Language Assistant. Which option you take is entirely down to personal choice, usually based on what you wish to achieve. For example, if you are considering the idea of becoming a teacher, then the British Council would probably be a worthwhile choice.
Deadlines for each of the options vary quite widely, with the Study Abroad application deadline as early as December of your second year, so make sure you know what the options are and what they involve as soon as possible.
Second Year Students:
If you are a student going on the Modern Languages and Cultures Year Abroad, you will be invited to a series of MLC Year Abroad talks throughout the year.
These talks will appear in your timetable under the module code MLX2001. Many of these talks are scheduled on Wednesday afternoon to avoid clashes with your other classes, and although we understand that this might clash with other commitments, we strongly urge you to attend the Year Abroad talks as they are a fundamental part of preparing for your Year Abroad. We will still try to record the talks and send the presentation slides out to all students, but nevertheless your attendance should be prioritised.
There is an introductory talk in October of your second year which is designed to give you enough of an idea about each of the options to start to make this decision. The introductory talk for the Modern Languages and Cultures Year Abroad will be held in mid-October and all second year Modern Languages and Cultures students will be invited to this talk and it will appear on your timetable under the MLX2001 module.
You will find recordings on the latest Year Abroad preparation talks on the MLX2001 (DML Year Abroad Meetings) ELE page
Current Year Abroad students:
If you are currently on your Year Abroad now please refer to the Modern Languages and Cultures Year Abroad ELE Page. Please note that the information given for your year may differ from the information given to the second years above.
Splitting your year working and studying
It is possible to split your year - working for one semester and studying for one semester; however, this has several implications and requires further consideration.
The implications are primarily that you will need to fill out a lot more paperwork and attend more briefings, but there are other considerations that will affect both your choice as to whether or not you undertake this activity, and also whether or not it's even possible. Here are some of such considerations:
- Do the term dates of the universities that you're applying to clash with the contracted dates of the work placements?
- Does one semester studying and the time that you intend to work for add up to the minimum time to be spent abroad (28 weeks)?
- Will you be able to get short-term accommodation contracts in each of the towns or cities, in which you will be participating in each activity?
- Does each of your choices of university allow you to study only for one semester?
These considerations should be taken alongside the existing points for deliberation as outlined in other literature referring to Work Abroad placements and Study Abroad placements. As with anything related to your Year Abroad, please discuss any concerns that you have with the Global Opportunities Outbound team.