Welcome to the 2022-2023 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program (Fulbright TEA)!
Are you a teacher of mathematics, science, social studies, English, or do you teach children with disabilities at the secondary level? Do you want to improve your teaching skills and learn about life in the USA? Then the six-week teacher training Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement program is for you.
The Public Affairs Section of the U.S. Embassy in Croatia is pleased to announce a call for applications for the 2023-2024 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program. This program will provide Croatian teachers with unique opportunities to develop expertise in their subject areas, enhance their teaching skills, and increase their knowledge of the United States.
The Fulbright TEA is a six-week non-degree, non-credit academic program at a U.S. university. 168 international participants will travel to the United States for one of two six-week professional development programs in either in Spring 2024 or Fall 2024. Fulbright TEA provides academic seminars on teaching methodologies and strategies, curriculum development, lesson planning, and instructional technology training. Intensive English language instruction will be offered to teachers who need additional practice. The program will consist of general academic seminars focusing on new teaching methodologies, content-based instruction, project-based learning, infusing thematic topics into curriculum, lesson planning, and instructional technology training for teachers. The program will include a practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher in a U.S. secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment. Cultural enrichment, mentoring, and support will be provided to participants throughout the program.
After returning home, teachers who successfully complete the program will be eligible to compete for small grant awards for essential teaching materials, follow-on training for other teachers, collaborative projects between participating American schools and their home schools, and other activities that build on the exchange experience.
The safety and security of participating Fulbright TEA teachers and their home and host communities is our priority. If the COVID-19 pandemic continues into 2023 and 2024 or there are other emergencies, the program may need to be adjusted (program rescheduling, quarantining upon arrival, briefer school visits and field experiences, hybrid, or virtual components, etc.).
If you have participated in other U.S. government-funded professional development exchange programs, please contact the U.S. Embassy in Croatia to inquire about your eligibility. Staff or families of staff at a U.S. Embassy are not eligible to apply.
The Fulbright TEA Program promotes diversity in the classroom and in learning. The Fulbright TEA Program supports inclusion and strongly encourages teachers with disabilities to apply.
Fulbright Teacher Exchanges are sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX.
About the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs, U.S. Department of State
The Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA) of the U.S. Department of State fosters mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries around the world. ECA strives to achieve this goal through a wide range of international exchanges as authorized by the Mutual Educational and Cultural Exchange Act of 1961, as amended. ECA works in close cooperation with U.S. Embassies and bilateral Fulbright Commissions overseas to promote personal, professional, and institutional ties between private citizens and organizations in the United States and abroad.
About IREX
IREX is a global development and education nonprofit organization whose mission is to build a more just, prosperous, and inclusive world by empowering youth, cultivating leaders, strengthening institutions, and extending access to quality education and opportunity. The U.S. Department of State awarded IREX a grant to implement this program on its behalf.
Teaching disciplines for the Fulbright TEA Program are:
- Mathematics
- Science
- English or English as a Foreign Language (EFL)
- Social Studies (social studies, civics, history, geography, etc.)
- Foreign Language
- Special Education teachers in the disciplines listed above
Eligibility and Selection Criteria
- Current secondary-level, full-time teachers of English, English as a Foreign Language (EFL), math, science, foreign language, or social studies including special education teachers in those subjects, at institutions serving primarily a local population.
- Bachelor’s degree or equivalent.
- Minimum of three years of full-time teaching experience by the start of program, with a preference for those who have completed at least five years of full-time teaching.
- Demonstrated oral and written English language proficiency.
- Citizen and resident of Croatia.
- Other requirements as indicated in the application.
- Obtain a minimum score of 450 on paper based TOEFL or equivalent English language examination. (Please note that candidates do not need to take the test before applying. If selected after an interview, candidates will be required to take TOEFL iBT test, with financial support from the U.S. Embassy. A limited number of participants with TOEFL scores between 425 and 450, or equivalent, will be accepted for the program into a special cohort with additional English language training included in the professional development program;).
- Demonstrate a commitment to continue teaching after completion of the program; and
- Submit a complete online application.
* Please note that this is a program for practicing teachers of Croatian students. Ministry of Science and Education officials, full-time principals or educational administrators, full-time teacher trainers, university faculty, private English language tutors, and teachers from schools primarily serving expatriates are not eligible.
Selection Timeline
- February 27, 2023: Deadline of Online Application
- March 2023: Interviews for shortlisted candidates/TOEFL iBT test in Zagreb
- May 2023: Embassy submits nominees to IREX
- August 2023: Finalists confirm acceptance of award, sign and submit all necessary documents.
- September 2023: Embassy confirm finalists’ acceptance of award and submit required documents: signed Terms and Conditions for both Spring 2024 and Fall 2024 cohorts and completed participant medical forms for Spring 2024 Cohort only.
Instructions & Submission Guidelines
How to Apply
The online application is available here.
- Please answer all questions on the application.
- If a question does not apply to you, enter “N/A” (Not Applicable).
- Include your full, legal name as spelled on your passport (if available) or other photo identification.
- Include complete contact information (House number, street number, city/province, state).
- Please indicate in which cohort (spring or fall of 2024) you would prefer to participate in. (Please note that every effort will be made to accommodate your first choice; however, applicants will be considered for both cohorts and placement in your first choice is not guaranteed.)
Institutional Support and Reference Form (ISRF) and Leave Approval Form
- The ISRF must be completed by the applicant’s supervisor. Please provide an English translation if it is not written in English (informal translation is acceptable).
- The ISRF is required for an online application. There is a section within the online application where you are prompted to print the form. You then need to upload the completed form and reference to the same section of the application for it to be considered “complete.” The Online Application System will not let you submit your application without uploading the ISRF.
- As an applicant for the Fulbright TEA program, you must also include a completed and signed Leave Approval Form as part of the application. The form must be completed and signed by the school director where you are employed. Please upload the completed form to the online application.
Travel:
IREX will provide all teachers with an international airline ticket. Participants will be given the option of traveling after the end of their program during the 30-day grace period of the J-1 visa. Post-program travel will be approved only if the following conditions are met: participants are in good standing with the program; participants arrange and pay for their own travel and accommodations, including all applicable airline ticket change fees; and participants provide IREX with proof of health insurance coverage for the additional time they will be in the U.S., a post-program itinerary that includes contact information while traveling, and their revised return international flight information. Please note that program elements such as post-program travel are subject to change, given travel restrictions in the U.S. and internationally due to COVID-19. Participants will receive additional information on post-program policies upon arrival in the United States.
Dependents:
Dependents are not permitted to accompany participants on this six-week program.
How to apply:
Applicants must submit a complete application through the Online Application System by February 27, 2023. To apply click here.
For more information about Fulbright TEA Program, please visit TEA’s website.
Deadline for submission: February 27, 2023
For additional information please contact:
Public Diplomacy Section/Fulbright Program: fulbrightcroatia@state.gov .
If you would like to schedule a phone consultation, please email fulbrightcroatia@state.gov for an appointment.
- Additional resources:
- FTEA Program Information Sheet
- FTEA Online Application Guide for Applicants
- FTEA Institutional Support and Reference Form
- FTEA Leave Approval Form
In order to maintain the transparency of the selection process and ensure due process for all candidates, we ask you to please refrain from contacting any of the panel members, or having others contact them, on your behalf, as they will not be permitted to respond to your inquires and your application might be disqualified. Instead, please send any inquiries to the U.S. Embassy in Zagreb email contact for Fulbright: fulbrightcroatia@state.gov.