If you are a young member of the European Community and you want to improve yourself over the summer, read on and know more about the Leonardo da Vinci program.

Leonardo da Vinci is a program by the European Community which has a main goal to support national training strategies through funding a wide array of transnational partnership projects designed at improving quality, nurturing innovation, and promoting the European dimension in vocational training.  It was established by the EU for the field of professional training to support the partnership of EU and EEA Member States. The program promotes projects which are based on cooperation between a range of participants in vocational training such as vocational schools, universities, training bodies, chambers of commerce, businesses and a lot more.  The program which is sometimes referred to simply as Leonardo, aims at helping people improve their skills throughout their lives.

Leonardo is a program which has three major objectives such as to improve the skills and competencies of people; to improve the quality of and access to continuing vocational training and the lifelong acquisition of skills and competencies; and to promote and reinforce the contribution of vocational training to the process of innovation. The program aims to improve the quality and skills of people especially the mobility of young people in initial vocational training at all levels which can be achieved through work-related apprenticeship and vocational training with a vision to promote employability.  The program also supports measures which qualify for support from the European Community such as mobility, pilot projects, transnational networks, and reference material and language competencies.

The Leonardo program is best known for its mobility projects.  It encourages young people to spend a working period abroad from three to twelve months in order to achieve valuable intercultural and practical experiences.  The program gives grants to students from the EU Member States and EEA countries who are interested in doing internships abroad and learning new skills.  There are many reasons why you should apply for an internship such as to expand intercultural experiences, to be familiar with a foreign working environment, to apply the academic knowledge you have learned, and a whole lot more.

Some of the conditions of the internship program of Leonardo include you to be a student in one of the European Community countries; an internship that will last from three months to a year for students from universities or other institutions of higher education, or two months to one year for those who are within twelve months of obtaining a diploma or educational degree; the activities and projects to be carried out by you as an intern must be related to your studies at your home university or educational institution, if your internship is not related to your field of study you are not legible for a grant; and the internships must be accomplished on a full-time basis with at least thirty-five working hours per week.

If you already know the language being spoken in the country where you wish to be an intern, that is a bonus but if you still need to learn the language, there are several available language programs prior to your internship abroad.  Most interns are required to have at least basic knowledge of the language in the country of internship. You can avail of language courses either at your home country or the country where you are going and you need not worry since the program can refund a portion of your expenses for your language courses.  Once your internship starts, you will be able to improve your skills in your field of study and you will also be able to develop your language skills since you will be immersed in the language and the culture where it is spoken.
If I were you, I will learn more about the kinds of Leonardo grants on hand for young students by doing more research on the matter and if I will be able to avail it.  Who knows, a great adventure lies ahead!  Being an intern in another country and being able to explore and experience its language and culture is surely one great way to spend summer!

Do you want to travel to Spain during summer but do not know how to finance your stay in the country? If I were you, you should not worry since there is a program for you that will surely make your summer interesting!

Don Quijote has two well-structured and unique programs which will allow you to study and work in Spain at the same time. You can choose to study and work either in Spanish hotels or in the beautiful Marabella seaside. The first module of both programs is the Spanish language learning part and all levels of Spanish language learners are welcome! You can have a Spanish course with a minimum of four weeks if you are not a total beginner in the Spanish language; beginners however, are encouraged for a longer course so that they will be able to learn more ways in communicating in Spanish. Students who have a better command of the Spanish language will have better chances in having more interesting and better income generating job positions.

The first option is the program which is available to students from the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan, Switzerland, Norway, Iceland, together with states which are members of the European Union; is the Study and Work in Spanish Hotels program. You can study in any of the don Quijote schools in Spain for at least four weeks and you can put your Spanish language skills to good use while working in a hotel or country house either in mainland Spain, or the Balearic or Canary Islands. You will be provided with meals and accommodation during your work placement and you will be able to earn a small monthly allowance to shoulder your expenses while you live in Spain.

The other option available for you will be the Study and Work in Marabella program which is available to students from Norway, Switzerland and Iceland and EU member states except those from Bulgaria and Romania. The program will allow you to study in either of the don Quijote schools in Spain for at least four weeks and after that, work in the hospitality or retail business in Marabella, a famous beach resort in Costa del Sol. You will be able to earn a monthly salary during your working period to cover your primary expenses while you stay in Spain.

Once you have chosen your desired program and accomplished your intensive Spanish language course, you will then be assisted to your chosen kind of work. Transfer and accommodation to your workplace will be organized as well as the organization of job interviews, guidance meeting and job orientation. In order to be able to work in Spain, you will need a Social Security card and the Número de Identificación Extranjeros or NIE but don’t worry too much about that since you will be assisted in obtaining those requirements. Aside from that, don Quijote has a twenty-four hour helpline which you can contact whenever you have some concerns.

The don Quijote Study and Work programs in Spain will surely make your summer remarkable and worthwhile. You will be able to learn and polish your Spanish language skills, work in a magnificent country, and make memories that will surely last a lifetime!

It is mainly in the last century where the appreciation for teachers has seen most growth. In fact, in several countries initiated a teacher appreciation day or even, in some cases, a whole teacher appreciation week. This is an event where students can show their appreciation for their favourite teacher, on this day, or indeed in this designated week, they give their teacher gifts or make gestures to express their appreciation.

The main reason why a day such as the teacher appreciation day was founded was to keep the relation between students and teachers in a way so that they’re both happy. For example, the teacher appreciation week 2008 in the U.S. is the first week of May. In the U.S.A. this is almost the week last week of school. The end of the school year is chosen as the best time to say thanks to the teachers. It seems logical that students do this at the end of the year; it’s the least one could do to show appreciation to teachers after semesters of teaching. Most of the students can’t even imagine what a teachers feels when he/she is shown a little appreciation. They work hard to educate children and students, but they rarely get the respect for it, the teacher appreciation day 2008 is the ideal time to show appreciation to educators.

For your own feelings it’s also good to thank your teacher for what he/she has done for you in the last year. Teachers work really hard to help their students as much as they can; one could say they are a kind of a product which they’ve produced. When a student shows his/her appreciation to a teacher, the teacher will know that he/she has done a good job. Teacher appreciation week & day 2008 are an excellent opportunity to show your appreciation for your teacher. It doesn’t take a lot of work, but you’ll be amazed how your teacher will feel.

Liden and Denz russian language school in St Petersburg, Russia, has become the first langauge school in the country to be accepted to join the European Association for Quality Language Services (Eaquals).

The school, which is already a memeber of the International Association of Language Centres (lalc), plans to get its Moscow-based language school inspected by Eaquals next year. Walter Denz at the school said that international inspection schemes such Ialc and Eaquals are particularly important for language schools in Russia. “In Russia we don’t have a national inspection schemelike, for instance, the British Council for the UK. It adds credibility to our quality claims and we need to convince agents that they can trust us. Any serious inspection has always a consultancy element in it. It is a very good idea that will help us to improve our services further.”

Source: Language Travel Magazine

“Borsa di studio”:
SCUOLA LEONARDO DA VINCI awards 40 school or university students scholarships (”Borse di Studio”) entitling them to a 100 percent reduction in the cost of a four-week standard course, not including accommodation. If you wish to apply for one of our scholarships, you are requested to submit an application and registration form to the closest Italian Embassy, Consulate or Culture Institute, enclosing a reference from your Italian teacher, and stating the precise name and address of your school/university, and of the teacher concerned.

“Assegno di studio”:

SCUOLA LEONARDO DA VINCI awards 40 school or university Study Discounts (”Assegno di Studio”) entitling them to a partial reduction in the cost of a two-week or a four-week standard course, not including accommodation. If you wish to apply for one of our Study Discounts, you are requested to submit an application and registration form directly to Scuola Leonardo da Vinci through the Italian Department of your University, enclosing a reference from your Italian teacher, and stating the precise name and address of your school/university, and of the teacher concerned.

ITALIAN MINISTRY OF FOREIGN AFFAIRS SCHOLARSHIP

You can apply for a scholarship granted by the Italian government: Every year the Ministry of Foreign Affairs grants foreign citizens, as well as Italian citizens permanently residing abroad, scholarships for Italian language and culture courses.

Information on deadlines to apply for scholarships as well as regulations and application forms can be obtained from the Italian diplomatic or consular missions in the candidate’s country of origin. Ask for scholarship at SCUOLA LEONARDO DA VINCI. Applications must then be presented to the same diplomatic/consular mission. You can find the email addresses of all Italian missions abroad at the Web site of Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

Enrolment is carried out by the scholarship holder after having received the scholarship.

Please note that the final decision will depend directly by the Minister of Foreign Affairs. We, or the Italian Consulate/Embassy, are not involved in the decision.

STUDY GRANTS for Swedish students - CSN Loans Italy

Swedish students can apply for Study Grants for our schools in Florence, Rome and Siena, since they are recognized by CSN Lund - Sweden (Swedish National Board of Student Aid): Swedish students can study with State funded loans.

STUDY GRANTS for Norway students- Lanekassen Loans Italy

Norway students can apply for “Lanekassen” Loans for our schools in Florence, Milan, Rome and Siena. We offer language course (min. 13 weeks of stay - extendable) and special preparation for CILS or CELI exams at a special price.

GERMANY: BILDUNGSURLAUB

Germans can apply for our Bildungsurlaub recognized courses. Our schools are recognized from the following German Federal States regarding the “Bildungsurlaub”:

• Brandenburg;

• Berlin;

• Hamburg;

• Hessen;

• Niedersachsen;

• Mecklenburg-Vorpommern;

• Rheinland-Pfalz;

• Sachsen-Anhalt;

• Schleswig-Holstein.