The Fulbright Commission invites Nepalese educators to apply for the Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (Fulbright TEA) Program for the academic year 2024-25. This initiative brings secondary-level teachers from around the world to the United States for a six-week period. Participants engage in academic seminars aimed at professional growth at a designated university, observe classrooms, and contribute their knowledge to both the host university and local secondary schools. Throughout their stay, Fulbright TEA participants actively engage with Americans, particularly in classrooms, fostering positive interactions. They also have the chance to observe, co-teach, and share their expertise in U.S. secondary schools.
Program Components
Teachers will be placed at competitively selected universities. The program will consist of general academic seminars focusing on new teaching methodologies, student-centered learning, content-based instruction, lesson planning, and instructional technology training for teachers. Intensive English language instruction will be offered to teachers who need additional practice.
The program will also include a practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher in a secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment. Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support will be provided to participants throughout the program. The program will provide participants with practical resources they can use in their teaching, as well as skills to train trainers.
Upon returning home, teachers will be expected to share the knowledge and experience gained through the program with teachers and students in their home schools and within their communities.
University Coursework: Weekly Seminars: Teachers will participate in weekly seminars at their host university featuring presentations and discussions led by university staff, faculty members, and invited educational experts. The Fulbright TEA Program provides academic seminars focusing on new teaching methodologies, student-centered learning, content-based instruction, lesson planning, and instructional technology training for teachers.
U.S. School Placements: The program will also include a practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher in a secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment. Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support will be provided to participants throughout the program.
Online Professional Learning Community: Each Fulbright teacher will participate in a virtual community with other international educators to collaborate and share best practices about education and leadership in the participating countries.
Gender and Girls Education Program for Teachers: The Fulbright TEA program will designate one cohort to examine gender-in-education themes in depth. Applicants interested in this topic will be given the opportunity to self-designate in the application materials. The gender-in-education cohort will likely take place in spring 2025. Please note that not everyone who requests to participate in this cohort will be selected, as the number of slots is limited; however, some gender and girls’ education sessions and materials will be included in every cohort.
What the Program Covers
- J-1 Visa support
- Travel: International travel to and from the program locations in the U.S. is covered.
- Housing: Participants will live on or near the host university campus in housing in single rooms arranged for them by the university. Dependents are not permitted to accompany the teachers on this program.
- Maintenance Allowances: Each Fulbright teacher will receive a maintenance allowance during the program to cover expenses such as supplies for classes, household items, personal items, and cultural and other activities. Included in this total is a daily stipend.
Eligibility
- Must be current secondary school-level, full-time teachers of English, math, science, foreign language, social studies, journalism or communications. This includes special education teachers in schools that primarily serve public and private school students. Secondary-level teachers include both middle and high school teachers serving students between approximately 12 and 18 years of age.
- Applicants must hold a four-year Bachelor’s degree. If the Bachelor’s degree is less than three years long than a two-year Master’s degree is required
- Have five or more years of classroom experience in TEA teaching disciplines
- Be citizens and residents of Nepal
- Be proficient in written and spoken English with the ability to obtain good score on the Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL)
- Demonstrate a commitment to continue teaching after the completion of the program
- The most competitive applicants will have shown evidence of leadership in their schools.
- Educational administrators (such as representatives or officials of the Ministry of Education) and school administrators who do not teach at least fifty percent of their time, full-time teacher trainers, university faculty, private English Language tutors, and teachers from schools primarily serving expatriates are not eligible.
Program Timeline
- Virtual Information and Q&A Session: January 08, 2024
- Application Submission Deadline: March 02, 2024
- Final Interview: April 2024
- Commission nominates Finalists and Alternates to IREX: May 2024
- Final selection by FFSB: August 2024.
Interested Candidates can apply for the Exchange Program online HERE
The selection process for this program is highly competitive, and only a limited number of participants from Nepal will be selected. The Fulbright Commission will contact all applicants after the application deadline to notify them of their status. Applicants are not required to have taken the TOEFL exam prior to submitting an application but should be prepared to take the exam if selected by the U.S. Embassy.
For more information, contact (9863026750/ 9851123258) between 2:00 p.m.-4:00 p.m. (Monday to Friday) or email fulbcomm@fulbrightnepal.org.np
