A long way away

Text: Irena Walinda

As part of the Jena Model, students in their fifth or sixth semester spend several months immersed in everyday school life—if they wish, at one of the approximately 140 German schools abroad. Around ten per cent of students choose to spend their school placement semester abroad.

Sarah Riedel completed her school placement semester from February to June 2025 at the German School in Valencia, Spain. It was her sixth semester; a summer semester—a combination that presented a number of organizational challenges, as her placement began while the academic semester was still underway. »But with good organization, forward planning and by discussing matters with the lecturers, most challenges can be easily resolved,« reports the now 22-year-old, who is studying to become a teacher of history and German.

Looking back, she is incredibly grateful for her time abroad. »Valencia is a fascinating city with a great quality of life—I would have loved to have stayed longer.« She found the interaction with other teacher training students who had come to Valencia from all over Germany particularly enriching.

Many foreign schools are all-day schools. This opend up opportunities beyond the classroom.

Sarah Riedel

Like her school, many foreign schools are all-day schools. It is not only primary school children but also many teenagers who spend their afternoons on school premises, taking part in study groups, extra-curricular activities or leisure pursuits. For Sarah, this approach opened up new opportunities beyond the classroom.

Students taking a practical semester in Europe usually receive an Erasmus grant of 750 euros per month. Those attending a school outside Europe can apply for a DAAD grant of around 1,000 euros a month, usually supplemented by travel and insurance costs. »At the University of Jena, more than half of the applicants receive this funding,« as Britta Möbius from the Centre for Teacher Training and Educational Research relates.

For 23-year-old Philipp Jentsch, the decision was quickly made: if he was going to do a school placement semester, it had to be as »exotic« as possible. The student teacher, who hopes to teach geography and PE in the future, spent his school placement semester during the winter semester of 2023/24 in Rio de Janeiro, again at a partner school of the University of Jena. While looking for a suitable school, he researched, among other things, the PASCH network run by the Federal Foreign Office and the University of Jena’s websites. The university’s partner schools reserve a certain number of places for students from Jena. Philipp sent out around 30 applications and received several offers—including one from Rio.

Like Sarah, he attended language courses at the university beforehand. Although lessons at German schools abroad are predominantly taught in German, a basic knowledge of the local language makes everyday life easier. At the same time, many pupils have a bilingual background: often at least one parent speaks German, or both parents are German citizens living and working abroad, reports Philipp. For student teachers, this means working with a linguistically and culturally diverse student body.

As well as my school experience, I'll always remember visiting the Maracanã stadium.

Philipp Jentsch

The time Philipp spent abroad had a profound personal impact. »My highlights were a visit to the legendary Maracanã Stadium, where Germany won the 2014 World Cup, and watching the sunrise from Dois Irmãos—that’s something I’ll always remember.«