If you join the Academic Buddy Programme, you can become an Academic Buddy to another student from a different country and university and with possibly different (academic) traditions, habits and experiences.

If you would like to go beyond this and take on an extra academic challenge by helping others improving their language skills, you also have the choice to expand your role by becoming a Language Assistant (LA).

As a Language Assistant you can help non-native speakers with their written and oral comprehension of your native language(s). These students, who will be known as Language Buddies (LB), can use your language assistance for papers, portfolios, assignments or presentations as part of a course. Sometimes, you may also be asked to assist teachers in their classes.  Please note that this role is optional and you can choose how many students and how often you would like to help.

Being a Language Assistant is a great chance to:

• Learn how to teach and explain your language to others.
• Participate in an academic activity apart from your courses.
• Help others and share your knowledge.
• Learn about the cultural and linguistic backgrounds of others.
• Receive EC and a recommendation letter for your work as a Language Assistant.

Requirements EC & Recommendation Letter

Naturally, we do not expect you to be an expert in didactics and giving peer feedback right away. Therefore, we will provide you with available examples of corrections symbols and an overview of the steps involved in giving feedback. Additionally, the programme offers two workshops on how to give peer feedback. These workshops are also a great chance to interact with other Language Assistants and share your experiences with each other.

Upcoming Workshops

Do you want to participate in the Academic Buddy Programme?

Sign up here

Of course, you can also sign up as a Language Buddy and ask for help yourself with writing and speaking in a language you would like to improve!

Are you not going to study abroad, but you would still like help with university course work (written/oral) in French, German, Spanish, English, Italian or Dutch? Asking for peer feedback by native speakers is possible throughout the whole academic year. 
Find your Language Assistant