Languages for Work and Volunteering

International Placement Year work placements are often secured using speculative applications and through utilising networks so it may take longer than a “standard” application. Students who are unable to speak a foreign language may wish to look at larger UK companies, which have international offices or focus your search on a specific region or industry to find smaller organisations. For some placements you may need to be proficient in another language, please check the job description before you apply. For additional support, the Centre for Foreign Language Study offers a variety of language courses which may be of benefit. 

Languages for Study

Durham's Non European Study Abroad partners offer placements predominantly in English (with the exception of some specific modern languages partners). Whilst many of our European partner universities teach in English, some departments have links with universities teaching in the language of that country. You may be required by your department to have studied the language to a certain level prior to being offered a place. The typical required language level is B1. We would normally recommend an A-Level (or equivalent qualification) for students learning entirely in the host language. Students undertaking an Erasmus+ placement may have to complete an Online Linguistic Assessment (OLS). Where possible we list any language requirements against each partner, though this may change from year to year.

The languages requirements for each European university is listed on the Where Can I Go? partner pages.  On these pages you may find a table similar to this: 

 This indicates:

• F PARIS648: the entry requirement is French B2 on the CEFR scale
• D TUBINGE01: the entry requirement is German, but they have not set a defined level. In these cases, the expectation is that students are at a level to fully understand and participate in academic German.
• G ATHEINE01: the university teaches in a mix of English and Greek – if you do not speak Greek it is your responsibility to go on the partner’s website to check that you can find a sufficient number of modules in English. You may have to speak both languages.
• I PISA02: the partner teaches in English.

The following CFLS slideshow provides a description of the Common European Framework for Reference (CEFR) language levels from A1 (basic) to C2 (near native). CFLS Study Abroad Slideshow 2020 (last modified: 23 October 2020).

Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support (OLS)

The OLS system is online linguistic tool for students undertaking an Erasmus+ mobility. You will be required to do a compulsory short online assessment of your language skills before and after your placement. This is purely to assess the development of your language skills during your year abroad, and will not impact on your acceptance to the partner university. There are also optional OLS courses available to support language learning before you go on your year abroad.