NILE English Language School and Teacher Training Courses

In May 2007 the Lifelong Learning Programme (LLP 2007 - 2013) was launched, including Comenius action grants of 906.1 million Euros, 13% of a total fund of 6,970 million Euros.

Comenius is a major strand of the funding programme, alongside Erasmus (for higher education), Grundtvig (for adult education), Leonardo (for vocational education) and the Transversal Programme, which includes elements of study such as ICT, language learning and study visits.

Teachers of English in schools are eligible for Comenius grants. Teachers in adult education should apply for Grundtvig funding.

The most significant change effected by these new measures is the introduction of Europe-wide deadlines for applications.

Prospective course participants at NILE are most likely to be interested in Comenius 2.2, which provides in-service training grants for language teachers. Some 6,000 - 7,000 teachers obtain grants every year through this programme. For more information, please click here.

Under Comenius 2.2 grants are available to enable teachers and other categories of staff working in the school education sector to participate in in-service training courses lasting between one and four weeks in a country other than the country they normally work.

To qualify for one of these grants, teachers must come from an eligible country and an eligible institution. Currently, the Comenius programme is open to participants from the following countries:

The Comenius programme applies to all institutions involved in school education. It also applies to those bodies responsible for school education systems and policies at local, regional and national level, to associations working in the field of school education, social partners, companies and trade organisations. It should be noted that in most cases individuals can only participate in Comenius through the institution in which they work.

Comenius 2.2 applicants must be one of the following:

A qualified and practising teacher of an official language of the EU (or Irish or Luxembourgish) as a foreign language;

A trainer of foreign language teachers;

A teacher retraining as a foreign language teacher;

A primary/pre-primary teacher whose responsibilities include/will include teaching foreign languages;

A teacher of other subjects through the medium of a foreign language;

A language teacher re-entering the profession after a period away from teaching;

An inspector or advisor in the field of language teaching.

The Comenius grant awarded will be calculated in accordance with guidelines for National Agencies agreed at European level. This grant will help cover travel costs to and from the country where the course is organised, subsistence costs, language preparation costs and course fees where appropriate.

Applying for a Course

1. Contact your National Agency to obtain a Comenius application pack.

The National Agency can also offer information about application deadlines, which differ from country to country.

You can find a list of National Agencies here.

2. Choose a course and check the availability of places from the course organiser.

Click here to view NILE's courses for 2009.

If you require any further information about courses at NILE, or to check availability, please contact the Registrar.

3. Submit your completed Comenius application form to your National Agency by the closing date.

Ensure that you include:

4. Wait.

Teachers are generally notified whether their application has been successful or not at the latest 6 weeks before the course start date.

5. Register for your course

When you receive notification that your National Agency has approved your funding application, inform the NILE Registrar, who will register you for the course, provided places are still available.

Scholarship Support

In recognition of the fact that teachers from some EU countries have difficulty in obtaining full funding for NILE courses, NILE has decided to set up a scholarship support scheme in relation to course fees. If you are from one of the following countries, you may be eligible for support:

We may consider requests from additional countries in very exceptional circumstances.

If you would like to be considered for a scholarship please contact us here and provide contact details, including your name and address and a telephone number, the institution you work for and your approximate annual salary, and we will indicate what we can offer you. All details will be kept strictly confidential.

Comenius Funding

Scholarship Support