Destinations
United Kingdom
The exchange program to the United Kingdom (England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland) provides members with the opportunity to teach in the United Kingdom without the age restrictions that apply to working holiday visas, etc. NSW/ACT IEU members of all ages are eligible for our exchange program after teaching for a minimum of five years.
Our partner exchange organisation in the United Kingdom is the League for the Exchange of Commonwealth Teachers (LECT). The LECT is a registered charity in receipt of administration and teacher grants from the UK Government Education Departments to administer Commonwealth exchanges. LECT was founded ninety years ago and has exchanged more than 21000 teachers from the UK with 22 overseas Commonwealth countries.
General information on living and teaching in the United Kingdom follows:
AIRLINE TICKETS
Diploma World Travel Service in Sydney offer excellent travel deals to the UK.
Contact: DIPLOMA WORLD TRAVEL toll free on 131 221.
VISA/ENTRY APPLICATION
Applicants will need to contact the British High Commission to establish the entry/visa requirements for the United Kingdom. These requirements may vary if members of your family are accompanying you on the exchange.
Contact:
British High Commission
Commonwealth Avenue
Canberra ACT 2600
Telephone: 02 6257 1982
Opening Hours: 10:00am to 4:30pm
General Information
The Exchange Teacher is not required to pay for the visa/entry clearance when arranged through LECT, however a postal charge of approximately $10 will apply. Applications must be accompanied by two (2) passport photographs and the LECT confirmation letter containing details of both exchange parties.
Where a spouse is accompanying the applicant on exchange, their application for visa/entry clearance must be supported by the original Marriage Certificate and two (2) passport photographs. An application fee of approximately $70 and postage charge of $10 will apply.
Where dependent children are accompanying the applicant on exchange, their application/s must be accompanied by their full Birth Certificate and two (2) passport photographs. The application fee of approximately $70 and postal charge of $10 are per application (per person).
ADDRESS CARD
Make an address card before you leave indicating:
- Your Australian Address
- Your Australian School Address
- Your United Kingdom Home Address
- Your United Kingdom School Address
Hand these out to people you wish to keep in contact with.
Also visit the LECTwebsite
Canada
Ontario
British Columbia
Nova Scotia
Alberta
Manitoba
Ontario
In past years the IEU Teacher Exchange Program to Ontario (Canada) has been extremely popular. The majority of applicants for Ontario, and subsequently the highest proportion of successful exchanges, come from Catholic systemic schools.
Our partner exchange organisation in Ontario, the Canadian Education Exchange Foundation (CEEF), is extremely supportive of our program. CEEF is a not-for-profit charitable organisation committed to providing national and international exchange programs and services for Canadian students and educators. If you would like to find out more about the CEEF please visit their web site at www.ceef.ca
General information on living and teaching in Ontario follows:
ENTRY CLEARANCE
The Canadian Consulate General changed the way they process applications for Entry Clearance. The Consulate liaises directly with the Coordinator of the Exchange Program, rather than each individual exchange applicant. The new requirements are as follows:
- Initial applications and relevant fees must be lodged with the Consulate before 1 June (in the year preceding the exchange year) to ensure the application is fully processed by the end of November in the same year. Applications, fees and correspondence must be forwarded to the Consulate through the IEU.
- The Consulate will allocate each application with a W computer file reference number, which is provided to the IEU in writing.
- This file reference is provided to each applicant along with the instructions for undergoing the medical examination by the Consulate approved Doctor. Applicants are required to have undergone their medical examination by 1 August to ensure sufficient time for the Consulate to process the results (which is done in Singapore).
- When the application has been processed the Consulate will forward the entry clearance/employment authorisation forms to the IEU for distribution to each exchange applicant. These forms must be produced on arrival to obtain entry into Canada.
TAXATION
Exchange teachers who plan to reside in Canada for more than six months are required to pay Canadian Tax under the Double Taxation Agreement between Australia and Canada. Australian Taxation Office forms must be completed before leaving Australia to ensure tax is withheld from your pay whilst on exchange. The Canadian financial year runs from 1 January to 31 December. A Canadian tax return must be lodged before 30 April the following year.
DRIVERS LICENCE
Your international drivers licence is valid for 60 days. You cannot drive in Canada without insurance. Your international licence can be renewed by posting $10, a passport photo and a photocopy of your international licence to NRMA Australia. Should you need to complete a driving test, the cost of the manual is $8.50, $10 for an eye test, $40 to do a multiple choice written test on a computer, and $40 for a Grade 1 driving test. You are not allowed to consume any alcohol whilst on this licence. The Grade 2 licence costs $75 which allows all driving privileges - 0.05imit. You are required to have driven for two years before being eligible for this licence. This licence is for three years, therefore you are eligible for a refund after your exchange is complete.
RESOURCES
There are few resources on Australia in Canadian schools. Suggested resources include: Tape of the National Anthem; Flag; Maps; Pictures of Australian animals; Poems and Stories - for example Possum Magic and The Monster who Ate Australia. Primary schools are currently importing the W.A program First Steps, sample report card; sample planning unit; copy of SPS continuum etc.
British Columbia
Nova Scotia
CEEF also co-ordinate exchanges for the provinces of British Columbia and Nova Scotia. Information, as above for Ontario.
Entry Clearance .
Spouses of exchange partners may also apply for an open work permit to be able to work in Canada.
This must be done at the same time as the exchange teacher's application; there is a processing fee involved; but the exchange teacher is exempt from processing fees. Children may attend schools in Canada but must also apply for student permits; these are also applied for at the time of the exchange teacher's application and there are fees involved (but then again, there are no school fees in Canada!)
Alberta
The IEU has had an agreement with Alberta Learning for a number of years now and exchanges to Alberta are becoming more popular, especially with Catholic primary and secondary schools where the incoming teacher needs to be a Catholic. The exchange program is administered by Alberta Education in Edmonton.
General information is as above for Ontario.
Manitoba
The IEU is also hopefully of setting up an exchange program with the province of Manitoba in the near future.
USA
The IEU has an agreement with the Colorado Department of Education (CDE) and is pleased to offer exchange opportunities to the state of Colorado for teachers in independent schools.
CDE is the state agency for Colorado pre K-12 public education, adult literacy and state libraries. To find out more about CDE, please visit their website at www.cde.state.co.us
Visas/Immigration
Exchange teachers require an entry/work visa. This information is provided by the IEU and the American Consulate General once an exchange is confirmed.
Spouses and children of exchange teachers are entitled to apply for a work visa in the USA. Permission to work is not automatically authorised, but is determined on a case by case basis. Fees also apply.
International Schools in Europe
The IEU liaises with a representative of the European Council of International Schools (ECIS) and IEU applications are sent to that office for matching. International schools teach in English, so in most cases, there are no second language requirements.
Popular exchange destinations in Europe have been Germany, Holland, Belgium and Austria.
Specific exchange applicants from International schools are advertised in Newsmonth or on the website.
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