Being a language assistant at the VBS HAK/HAS Mödling

As you may know, my name is Ollie and I have been the English Language Assistant at VBS HAK/HAS Mödling for this academic year. I am from a small town in Southern England near the coast, which is surrounded by beautiful places, such as The Purbecks, Durdle Door and Sandbanks.

I chose to come to Austria because I love it here. Austria has so much to offer and has such a rich, interesting and diverse culture and history. I first came to Vienna in 2018 and I vividly remember my first walk through Museumsquartier, eating schnitzel and drinking Sturm, meeting friendly natives in restaurants and never stopping to be amazed by the architecture. These things have kept me coming back time and time again, and are the reason that I chose Austria as my destination whilst applying to become a Language Assistant.

I could not have been happier with my school placements. Classes have been motivated, interesting and full of discussion when covering any kind of topic. I am proud that we have been able to work together to form different and individual lessons based on the input in almost every class. We have been able to talk about all kinds of topics, including Brexit, Chavs, tattoos at work and even had fun with ‘desert island survival’. Online classes presented a different challenge, but also an opportunity to adapt and shift the focus of our classes, although, there is a certain appeal to rolling out of bed and onto Teams.

This past year has not felt like work, but like fun, a valuable experience to interact with great people. I have definitely not just been here to teach, but to learn, and we have been able to do that during every opportunity to speak within or outside of class. Teachers and students alike have taken every possible opportunity to welcome and support me. In conclusion, I would ask everyone to appreciate their year, even throughout all of the hardships, and take time to recognise your exceptional levels of English and an ability to not only speak, but to truly communicate in a meaningful way. I really hope to return again for another year.

P.S. I’d like to give a shoutout to the whole teaching staff, who are just great!