Pre-Arrival Checklist | The English Teacher Training College

Background Checks

Citizens/residents of the U.K.

We only require a Basic Disclosure, which you can obtain online from Disclosure Scotland. This works for all residents of the U.K., not just in Scotland.

Visit this website: https://www.mygov.scot/basic-disclosure/apply-for-basic-disclosure/

Citizens/residents of Ireland

A police certificate is sufficient.

Visit this website: http://www.garda.ie/controller.aspx?Page=1548

Citizens/residents of U.S.A.

We need only the most basic police background check available from your state.

Please see this website: https://travel.state.gov/content/passports/en/abroad/legal-matters/criminal-record-check.html

Insurance

For citizens/residents of the EU:

The European Health Insurance Card is sufficient for you to get treatment in Austria should anything happen to you while you are here. If you do not have one, apply for one now! They are FREE, and you should NOT apply for one through any website which charges you money.

For citizens/residents of the U.K.:

Visit this website: http://www.nhs.uk/NHSEngland/Healthcareabroad/EHIC/Pages/about-the-ehic.aspx

For citizens/residents of Ireland:

Visit this website:

http://www.hse.ie/eng/services/list/1/schemes/EHIC/apply/

Remember, however, this is just for health cover. It will do nothing for you if your bags go missing on your journey or you lose your passport. Consider taking out travel insurance as well.

For Student Teachers coming from other countries:

Visa regulations state that you must be in possession of Health Insurance which covers you for €50,000. Almost any commercially available health/travel insurance will exceed this limit comfortably. We do not have any official recommendations, but we suggest that if you do not have health/travel insurance cover through a family scheme (common in the U.S.A.) or any insurer that you use habitually then have a look at sites/companies which are well used to dealing with young people travelling abroad for longer periods of time. Companies such as STA Travel and Lonely Planet will have links with insurers used by thousands of young (and young at heart) travellers all over the world.

How to arrive to Vorchdorf campus on the first day

Your first day on the course:

Orientation begins at 07:30 on the first day of your course. Participants are fully responsible for the logistical and financial arrangements .

Airports:

The closest airports are:

Linz (LNZ) - 21mi / 34km Salzburg (SZG) - 45mi / 72km Munich (MUC) - 101mi / 163km Vienna (VIE) - 123mi / 198km

To find cheap flights you can use: www.skyscanner.com or www.google.com/flights

To get to Vorchdorf once you are in Austria the best method is to use the train. The website www.oebb.at/en has timetables and you can buy tickets online from there also. The name of the station next to the campus is Vorchdorf-Eggenberg (NOT Vorchdorf Schule or Vorchdorf Gewerbegebiet). You will most likely be coming from the main Vienna to Salzburg line, and you will need to change at Lambach. Vorchdorf-Eggenberg is the final stop on the train line from Lambach, and also the final stop of the tram line from Gmunden, coming from the other direction.

The campus is located at:

Bahnhofstraße 13, 4655 Vorchdorf, Austria

Co-ordinates: 48.000668, 13.921831

Pre-Course Accommodation

Unfortunately, the College cannot house participants until the day of the course. We do not have access to the accommodation the day before. Vorchdorf itself has a couple of guesthouses, including Gasthof Denk and Hoftaverne Ziegelböck. The local area has a limited number more, including in Gmunden, a more touristy town about 25 minutes on the tram. Larger cities such as Wels, Linz and Salzburg are all within ninety minutes on the train and have many more choices of accommodation, including hostels and Airbnb accommodation.

Useful websites:

College Accommodation

The accommodation itself is in shared dormitories (in Pressbaum) or in large shared student housing (the other campuses). Bedding, duvets and pillows are provided. You will be sharing a bedroom with up to 5 other student teachers on your course, of the same gender. Communal areas such as study zones, living rooms, kitchens and bathrooms will also be shared with fellow Student Teachers. This kind of communal living generates a family atmosphere, but of course everyone has to be considerate of the shared space and take their turn keeping the place tidy. In Pressbaum, the dormitories feature mini fridges, microwaves and kettles for storing and preparing snacks. In the other campuses, there are kitchens and dining spaces shared between all the student teachers in the house. Cutlery, crockery and cooking utensils are provided. Washing machines are available in each accommodation as well.

Spending Money

From the experience of previous Student Teachers, we suggest that Student Teachers budget an extra €150 for each month they participate on the course. This money will cover additional food, leisure travel, and recreational activities. Of course, if you want to be frugal, only eat the College-supplied food and limit your travel and socialising then you can spend less.