Program Benefits

The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program provides opportunities for qualified educators to participate in direct exchanges of positions with colleagues from other countries for six weeks, a semester, or a full academic year. The purpose of the program is to promote mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the peoples of other countries through educational exchange. In exchanging positions with foreign teachers or administrators, program participants have the opportunity to live and work in the cultures of their host countries, an experience which has benefits for the teachers, their schools, and their communities.

Benefits to Teachers and Administrators:

	increased understanding of host country, language, and academic field;
	opportunity for a career-enhancing experience which allows teachers to gain new perspectives and be exposed to new teaching methods and administrators to share professional expertise;
	opportunity to develop lifelong friendships and professional relationships and to become a member of an "international community of scholars."

Benefits to Schools:

	opportunity for students to learn foreign languages from native speakers;
	increased global awareness on part of students taught by foreign exchange teachers and returned "Fulbrighters";
	increased knowledge and international awareness on the part of professional colleagues through interactions with exchange teachers;
	development of a professional relationship between the two participating institutions, which can lead to privately arranged teacher exchanges, student linkages, and future student exchanges.

Benefits to Communities:

	presence of foreign teacher and his or her family as resources in the community, allowing whole community the opportunity to learn of another nation and to see Americans as others in the world see us;
	opportunity for increased awareness of diversity of ideas, values, world views, and ways of life.

To learn more about the experiences of teachers who have been on exchange, see our alumni stories.

To learn more about experiences of principals who have hosted an international teacher, please see our Host School Experiences.

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