The months following the interviews are devoted to the matching process, in which the State Department’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs works together with FHI 360 and partners in the participating countries to match recommended U.S. applicants with international applicants. A number of criteria are considered when making matching recommendations, including similarity of teaching assignments, similarity of schools, training and years of experience, location, housing availability, and personal qualities and plans as revealed in the applicant’s essay. Before being recommended for a match, applicants to some countries may need to participate in an oral language evaluation.
Preference is given to applicants who have not previously participated in the program, and may be given to applicants who have not previously lived in the host country. Other factors being equal, and to the extent possible, applicants are chosen to represent a broad ethnic and geographic diversity. Where possible, preference is given to veterans. Not all applicants recommended by the Peer Review Committees will be selected for a grant. Regrettably, the number of qualified candidates always exceeds the number of available grants.
International teachers, who must apply in their country of residence, are screened and recommended according to FSB policies by Fulbright Commissions or other educational authorities abroad. Recommended international teachers are then matched with U.S. counterparts, and are proposed for exchange at the same time as their U.S. partners.
Teachers selected for an exchange will be required, at their own expense, to have a physical examination for themselves and all accompanying dependents. Final FSB approval of an exchange is contingent upon the candidate’s submission of a satisfactory medical report. Teachers will also be required to attend a day-long spring preparatory meeting in May and a week-long pre-departure orientation in August. These sessions are considered an essential part of the exchange, and therefore applicants should not make travel or vacation plans for the first week of August.
Teachers who are not matched with an international teacher are eligible to apply for future program cycles.
| DATES |
DESCRIPTION | |
| October 15, 2011 | Application and reference postmark deadline for 2012-13. |
|
| October-November 2011 | Applications screened for eligibility and completeness. | |
| November-December 2011 | Peer Review Committees conduct phone interviews with eligible applicants. | |
| December 2011 - January 2012 | All applicants are notified of their status after completion of all Peer Review interviews. | |
| Spring 2012 | Candidate matching process takes place between January and March. Those applicants proposed for a match are required to submit additional documentation and undergo a medical examination by a physician. Final FSB approval of an exchange assignment or seminar is contingent upon the candidate's submission of a satisfactory medical report. Candidates who are not matched are notified by mid-April. |
|
| May 2012 | Matched candidates and school administrator participate in a preparatory meeting in Washington, DC or another U.S. city. | |
| August 2012 | Orientation in Washington, DC, for selected exchange teachers. Teachers begin Fulbright grants. |
| Application Information |
 Download the 2012-13 Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program Application. |
|
| Download the 2012-13 Fulbright Classroom Teacher Exchange Program information booklet |
