The British-German Association seeks a new Trustee to head our Youthbridge work promoting German in secondary schools.
The British-German Association (BGA) is a long-established UK-registered educational charity. https://britishgermanassociation.org/
Central to our work is the promotion of German-language teaching in British secondary schools, particularly in the state sector. We describe this as our Youthbridge work. We have direct contact with over 560 secondary schools that teach German. We publish a widely followed weekly social media post on “Why Learn German.” Thanks to the Dresden Trust, we offer scholarships to UK pupils, which enable them to spend a few weeks in a German school. We offer our own modest prizes for pupils learning German. We provide information to schools about additional sources of support, for example via the Goethe Institut or the UK-German Connection. And we engage with politicians and policy-makers in order to promote German-language teaching.
Our Youthbridge work is headed by Paul Stocker, who is a Trustee of the BGA. Paul is a distinguished former Head of Modern Languages, who is also the author of the best-selling “Wort für Wort” and “A Student Grammar of German.” On a day-to-day basis, our Youthbridge work is carried out by Arne Muus, a bilingual dual national who is one of the BGA’s two executive staff.
The BGA sets a ten-year time limit for Trustees. So Paul Stocker will be stepping down as a Trustee in the Summer of 2025. The BGA is therefore seeking to appoint an additional Trustee, who would work in parallel with Paul for a year, before taking over Paul’s responsibilities once Paul steps down as Trustee.
The Board of the BGA meets six times a year. In addition, the Head of Youthbridge engages in regular correspondence with schools, and participates in discussions with partners, policy makers and politicians. So we would ideally like to appoint someone willing and able to devote a day or two a week on average to Youthbridge. It would therefore be challenging for a current full-time teacher to perform the role in the way we would wish. However, we particularly welcome applications from people who have served recently as a German teacher and/or Head of Modern Languages in a secondary school, or who are currently working part-time in these roles.
As a Trustee of the BGA, the Head of Youthbridge does not receive remuneration of any kind. However, the role offers a unique opportunity to help arrest and reverse the gradual decline in German-language teaching in the UK. Most interactions are online, by email or by telephone, so the role can be carried out from anywhere in the country. The BGA is an equal opportunities employer.
If you would like to be considered for the role, please send a CV and covering letter in confidence to [email protected] to arrive no later than 5pm on Friday April 26. We will consider applications in the order that they are received.