The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program: A Few Caveats

Abstract

The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program provides the American teacher of German with an extraordinary opportunity for professional development. Former exchange teachers have reported on the advantages of accepting a teaching assignment in West Germany,' as well as on the difficulties one might face in the German classroom.2 In the following I would like to alert future exchange teachers to a variety of potential conflicts which might detract from an otherwise fruitful year. I participated in the 1983-84 Fulbright Exchange in West Germany after having been an exchange teacher in Austria during the 1979-80 academic year. While, on the whole, the experiences which my family and I had in both countries were quite positive, our idealistic approach to the exchanges led to misunderstandings with German and Austrian partners which might have been avoided, had we had a better perspective of the entire venture. The Fulbright Teacher Exchange Program with West Germany offers a monthly cost-of-living stipend, round-trip transportation for the teacher and remuneration for certain incidental expenses, all of which supplement the teacher's normal salary. The selection process includes personal interviews at regional centers, and 20-25 Americans are approved for the exchange. The pairing process, however, is somewhat short of ideal. I had specifically requested a partner, preferably living in southern Germany, who had a residence big enough for a family of four. Nonetheless, I was paired with a single woman with a small apartment in Berlin. My ultimate partner, with a wife and two children, had been matched with a bachelor in America who lived in a small apartment. When I reluctantly declined the exchange opportunity in Berlin, I was told that it was very unlikely that another partner could be found. The very next day the Fulbright people in Washington called to offer me an exchange in Duisburg, again without the necessary housing, and indicated that something might develop in Hamburg. A few days later the partner called from Hamburg, and the exchange was agreed upon. It would seem that the respective bureaucracies are pairing names on eligibility lists and are not flexible enough to respond to individual circumstances.