News

German Language Student Scholarships to study in Germany

It is expected that the Society for NZ-German Student Exchange (NZGSE) in conjunction with the Pädagogischer Austauschdienst (PAD) will again offer a number of scholarships for New Zealand Y12 students who are currently studying German.
There will probably be up to five scholarships in total on offer

Society for NZ-German Student Exchange Scholarships (2-3 in total)

Scholarship winners will spend approximately 10 weeks in Germany from the end of November to early February. The scholarship covers the cost of return air travel to and from Germany, and also includes medical / accident insurance for the duration of the scholarship. Scholarship winners will be the guests of carefully selected host families where there is a boy or girl of a similar age who they attend school with. It is expected that the students host their German student brother/sister next year (June to August 2004).

Scholarship winners themselves are responsible for an adequate supply of pocket money during their stay, expenses in conjunction with organised trips, and for the cost of all travel in Europe. During the visit to Germany, all scholarship winners from New Zealand and Australia meet at camp, and travel to Bonn and Berlin just prior to their departure for home. The scholarship winner must also pay for these costs (approximately $600).

Pädagogischer Austauschdienst Scholarships (2 in total)

Scholarship winners will travel to Germany in the middle of next year (usually July) and spend 4 weeks in Germany. The students will stay with German families for some of the time, and attend a German language course. They will have the opportunity to go to a German school and get to know their neighbourhood and surroundings. They will also be taken on a tour of other areas of the Federal Republic, staying at youth hostels.

The cost of the trip, including a small amount of pocket money will be paid for by the German Government.

Selection Criteria

The selection criteria for all five scholarships is the same, and is listed as follows:

• Students must have studied German for at least full 2 years.

• They must have sat NCEA Level 1 in 2002.

• They must be studying German in Year 12 in 2003, and be continuing their German studies in 2004 (Year 13).

• They must not be native speakers of German.

• They must be NZ citizens whose secondary education has been in NZ schools.

• They must be aged between 16 and 18 in 2003.

• They must have sufficient maturity and resilience to cope with and benefit from total immersion into German Language and culture.

• They should be able to work together in teams, be socially sensitive, and have good communication skills.

• They should be knowledgeable about both New Zealand and Germany.

Selection Procedure

Initial selection will be made on the basis of the previous years School Certificate German marks. Secondary schools are asked to nominate their top one or two students who appear to meet all of the aforementioned criteria.

Please remember that the four or five scholarships are offered by two different organizations: NZGSE and PAD. To increase your students' chance of success, you should encourage them to apply for both.

Following receipt of the application, each region throughout New Zealand will be visited by the National Advisor: German to carry out oral examinations. This will take place between August and September 2003.

Winners from each of the regions will then travel to Wellington in mid September 2003 where they will be interviewed by a panel who will select the scholarship winners.

Teachers wishing to submit students for selection are requested to complete the application forms for each student and send them to:

Werner Nowitzki, National Advisor: German, ACENZ, PO Box 10-298 Wellington, Phone (04) 472 7162, Fax (04) 472 95 62, no later than 21 July 2003..