The Intercultural Teacher Education (ITE) programme responds to the challenges posed by multiculturalism and globalisation to the teaching profession. ITE offers a professional teaching qualification, but contains some distinctive features.

• consideration of teaching in a heterogeneous classroom
• courses on the background and shape of education abroad
• studies of global matters and international relations
• guest lecturers from other countries
• a period of study abroad
• teaching practices abroad and in international schools
• internships in government and non-government organisations
• global education studies (peace and conflict research, equity and human rights, environment)
• study of overseas development policy

The versatile contents of the programme offer good opportunities for future employment with a variety of teaching and education related duties. The education provides competences to work in educational tasks both in Finland and abroad. The main language of instruction is English.

Applications

Finnish universities use a joint online application system. All applications to the ITE programme should be submitted by filling in an application at www.yliopistohaku.fi or www.universitetsansokan.fi.

If you do not have an opportunity to submit an electronic application, you may order a printed application form during the application period from the National Board of Education, tel. 020 690 696 (+358-20-690696). Local call or mobile call charges apply from anywhere in Finland. When you are ordering the form, you should indicate all the programmes (name of university and programme) that you are applying for, as well as your mailing address. Application forms will not be sent in response to e-mail messages.

The universities’ joint application period starts on March 4 2013 and ends at 4.15 p.m. on April 3, 2013. You must save and submit your online form not later than 4.15 p.m. on April 3. If you choose to send by mail a printed application form it should arrive at the National Board of Education by4.15 p.m. on April 3, 2013 at the latest.

The full admission guide can be found here (Page 13 onwards in English and page 18 in Finnish)

Motivation essay

In addition to the centralised application, all ITE applicants must write a motivation essay to be sent to University of Oulu Admission Services (P.O. Box 8100, 90014 University of Oulu, Finland), no later than April 12, 2013. It can be a free-form essay, but it needs to include the reasons why the applicant is applying for the programme and an account of any qualities, characteristics, experiences or views relevant to the field of intercultural/international education that may support his or her selection. The essay may be written in either English or Finnish, and should be 1-2 pages long (font size 12, spacing 1.5)

Entrance examination and interview

After a preliminary selection procedure (for full details c.f. pp 13-17 of the document to be found at http://www.oulu.fi/sites/default/files/content/Valintaopas%202013.pdf), a number of applicants will be invited to a written entrance examination and interview. The examination will be held at the university on June 11, 2013 at 8 A.M. in lecture hall L3 and the interviews will be held on June 11-12, 2013.

The following publications must be studied for the examination:

Clayton, Jacklyn Blake: One Classroom, Many Worlds. Teaching and Learning in the Cross-Cultural Class-room. Portsmouth, NH: Heinemann. 2003.

and:

Kaivola T. & Melén-Paaso M. (eds.) Education for Global Responsibility – Finnish Perspectives. Publications of the Ministry of Education 2007:31. Helsinki University Press. ISBN 978-952-485-429-0 (pbk.) ISBN 978-952-485-430-6 (PDF) ISSN 1458-8110

The book can be ordered from the following addresses:

books@yopaino.helsinki.fi

www.yliopistopaino.helsinki.fi/en

Helsinki University Press

P.O.Box 4 (Vuorikatu 3)

FI-00014 University of Helsinki

Tel +358 9 7010 2363

Fax +358 9 70102374

It is also available on the Ministry of Education English web pages in pdf format: http://www.minedu.fi/OPM/Julkaisut/2007/Education_for_Global_Responsibility.html?lang=en&extra_locale=en

The purpose of the literature examination is to establish the applicant’s ability to analyse and structuralise the range of topics dealt with in the book.

The purpose of the interview in English is to establish the applicant’s aptitude for educational work and international tasks in education. The applicant’s social skills and language skills in English will also be assessed. The time reserved for interviewing each applicant is about half an hour.