The ITESS degree at NHL Stenden teaches you how to think and work in a multicultural environment and from a cross-cultural perspective. The programme focuses on the skills and knowledge needed to become an international teacher, such as didactics, classroom management, inclusivity, citizenship and pedagogy.
The programme offers a range of general courses and specialist subjects and has a strong practical focus. You will gain extensive experience teaching at international secondary schools in the Netherlands and abroad. There you will work on developing educational, pedagogical and teaching skills in the context of a multicultural classroom.
Specialisations:
In your first year, year 1, you explore what it means to assume the role of a teacher in international education. You become aware of your own cultural identity and acquire intercultural skills. You encounter the social aspects of learning and teaching in a global context through the course units of Exploring the world of international education, Citizenship and Educational Studies. In the DBE lab, you'll work on creating a lesson using the design cycle, collaborating with students from different specialisations.
Design-based Education Lab: explore the MYP curriculum together with all specialisations
You'll also follow courses in your main subject (Maths, Science, English, Social Studies History or Social Studies Geography). You broaden and deepen your knowledge and skills in your main subject field. You apply what you learn in practical tasks and you gain experience by designing and developing educational activities in your subject field. In this year, you will gain an advanced understanding of the English language in the international classroom.
During a three-week Teaching Practice, you observe and experience teaching in an international context, together with two other ITESS students. This is at a secondary school within a 600km radius from Meppel. Your coach will help you prepare for this first teaching practice with weekly meetings throughout the year.
Study load: 12-20 contact hours, 24 self study hours | 60 ECTS per year
Prepare for your teaching practice by further developing your didactical skills. You learn how to work with students of different levels in your classroom. You also explore the theory and practice of research.
Design-Based Education Lab: focusing on formative assessments
Focus on deepening your knowledge and skills of your specialisation subject and extend your knowledge and didactical skills before embarking on your teaching practice.
You prepare for eight weeks of Teaching Practice. This will involve teaching the main subject of your choice at an international school abroad, together with two other ITESS students. It's a phase we refer to as the empathise phase as you learn to understand more about your pupils. You will initially shadow a secondary school teacher before teaching, under supervision, a series of activities yourself. Your coach will help you prepare for this teaching practice with weekly meetings throughout the year.
Study load: 12-20 contact hours, 24 self study hours | 60 ECTS per year
In preparation for your teaching practice, you focus on differentiation and pedagogy. You learn about inclusive education. You also do more advanced research into didactics based on your personal and professional view of teaching your subject in international education.
Design-Based Education Lab: focusing on differentiation
In the first semester, you prepare for another nine weeks of Teaching Practice.
Under supervision, you teach the main subject of your choice at an international school abroad. Your coach will help you prepare for this first teaching practice with weekly meetings throughout the year.
During your minor you focus on a specific subject or expand your knowledge by taking an additional subject. This allows you to truly take charge of your education by ‘customising’ your course.
You can take these minors on the NHL Stenden campus in the Netherlands or at one of the NHL Stenden Grand Tour locations in South Africa, Bali or Thailand. You can also choose from minors offered by other courses and universities of applied sciences via an Exchange programme – this is all part of broadening your academic skills.
Read more about the options available and where you can take your minors in the section below on minors and specialisations.
Study load: 12-20 contact hours, 24 self study hours | 60 ECTS per year
For the first semester of year 4, you further develop the theory and practise of your specialist subject and develop your English language skills even further (C2). You then put your knowledge into use during your final eleven-week Teaching Practice.
In this final year, you show all-round professional competences at bachelor level in teaching practice and by means of a final portfolio. You demonstrate your didactic know-how in a final paper and through a captivating educational event. You prove your academic capability in a bachelor thesis relevant to international education.
60 ECTS per year
Download the brochure to get a really useful one-page overview of the curriculum with a description of the modules and a list of subjects per year, the study load and the ECTS you can earn. Use it to compare the programme with other studies you’re interested in.
In the third year of ITESS, you get to specialise by taking a minor.
We aim to help you put theory into practice as quickly as possible. Through our educational concept, Design-Based Education (DBE), you work in small teams of students, teachers, researchers and industry professionals. You tackle current, real-life issues developing and adapting your visions and ideas to form a solid solution. And you gain yet more practical experience during your internship in your final year.
We want to prepare you for an international, intercultural, and ever-changing environment, so that you can dive into the unknown and gain experience in an international context. It is possible with our Grand Tour, Exchange programme or one of our mobility options offered by RUN-EU. Or you can choose to do your internship abroad. You’ll be able to put together the right combination of courses and internships to develop both your professional and personal skills – and develop your own network for the future.
If you’re curious about life in the world of International Teacher Education, then check out the ITEtalks podcast. Host Melinda Karaca invites guests from far and wide to give you the inside scoop on life as a student and future teacher.
Tune in for chats about teaching, the qualities of a good teacher, student life, getting motivated and motivating others, hear about different internships, and get inspiration on a range of topics all related to international teaching, from gender and feminism to creating curriculum, from cultural identity to global citizenship.
If you're confident this degree is the one for you, then why not apply online straightaway? Or pick one of the other options to help you take the next step.
