Fulbright FLTA participants assist in up to twenty hours of language classes a week, sharing their culture and language with American students by supporting an existing language program or helping to establish a new one on a U.S. university or college campus. FLTAs duties vary widely from institution to institution – some FLTAs are expected to teach language courses on their own with minimal in-class supervision, while others may be much more involved in extracurricular support of established language programs such as leading conversation groups, participating in community events or lectures, working in language laboratories, or contributing to language materials development.

In addition to duties as a teaching assistant, all FLTAs are required to participate in coursework. This provides an opportunity to increase their understanding of topics related to their personal and professional goals as well as to benefit from the cultural exchange inherent in sharing ideas with American students in a classroom setting. Coursework is offered on either an audit or credit basis.

Fulbright FLTA participants are also expected to facilitate in-person or virtual cultural events, language clubs, and language tables at their host institutes, as well as interact with their host communities in conversation groups, extracurricular activities, and community outreach projects.

FLTAs are required to attend two activities, which are sponsored by ECA and coordinated by the Institute of International Education (IIE), the program implementing partner. Upon arrival in the United States, attendance at a U.S.-based orientation prior to arrival at host institutions is required of all Fulbright FLTAs. Additionally, Fulbright FLTA participants will be required to attend a mid-year enrichment conference in the United States to receive additional training on teaching techniques and pedagogy and share information about their current teaching experiences with other Fulbright FLTA participants.

Fulbright FLTA Program participants will have no input regarding their placement at U.S. institutions and should know that one of the Fulbright FLTA program’s objectives is to place participants at institutions in all 50 U.S. states, which is representative of the diversity of American education.

As a Fulbright FLTA, the grantee will engage in a meaningful cultural exchange opportunity on a U.S. university or college campus while at the same time deepening their pedagogical skills, increasing English proficiency, and promoting mutual understanding by engaging with American students and getting involved in local communities.

At the conclusion of their program, FLTAs will return to their home community, making an immediate impact by sharing the skills and experiences gained from their time in the United States.

Interested candidates are encouraged to visit the Fulbright FLTA Program website to learn more: https://foreign.fulbrightonline.org/about/flta-program

The Fulbright FLTA Program supports one Mongolian English-language teacher per academic year to work as Mongolian-language teaching assistant at a U.S. university for one academic year.

To qualify, applicants must:

• Be a Mongolian citizen, currently living in Mongolia
• Be a university (including vocational training colleges) or high school teacher of English
• Hold a bachelor’s degree in education, TESOL, Mongolian language, or English language (or local equivalent) by June 1, 2024
• Be fluent in English, with minimum score of TOEFL IBT 79-80, TOEFL ITP 550, IELTS 6.0 or Duolingo 115

FLTA applicants should be energetic, early career educators capable of succeeding in the dual role of teaching assistant and student. They must be open to living with their U.S. student peers in undergraduate or graduate-level campus housing. They must also be open to engaging with faculty and staff with maturity and professionalism.

Priority will be given to applicants who have participated in U.S. Embassy-sponsored professional development opportunities in Mongolia, such as English Teaching Mentors, current or past English Teaching Assistant co-teachers, and current or past Access English teachers and alumni. Applicants are encouraged to note their involvement in these programs for priority consideration.

Applicants must reside in their home countries throughout the nomination and selection process and must intend to return to their home countries immediately following the nine-month FLTA program. Participants must fulfill the two-year home residency requirement required by exchange participants’ J-1 visas, in which they pledge to demonstrate their commitment to enhancing mutual understanding by returning to their home countries and sharing the skills and knowledge they gain as program participants.

Individuals with U.S permanent resident status are ineligible to apply. Preference is given to those candidates who have little or no prior experience living in the United States. Extensive U.S. experience includes:

• Individuals with recent U.S. experience (more than 6 months within the last 5 years)
• Individuals who have attended a graduate school in the United States for one academic year or more during the last seven years.

Fulbright policies have identified that the following persons are ineligible for grants during, and for a period ending one year following, the termination of such employment, association, or service:

1. Employees of U.S. missions abroad who work for the U.S. Department of State or the U.S. Agency for International Development. This provision includes all employees, paid or unpaid (including part-time or temporary employees, consultants, externs, fellows, and contract employees). This provision does not apply to interns.
2. Officers of an organization in the United States or abroad, including members of boards of trustees or similar governing bodies, and individuals otherwise associated with the organization, wherein the organization and the individuals are responsible for nominating or selecting individuals for participation in any exchange program of the Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs.
3. Immediate families (spouses and dependent children) of individuals described in paragraphs a-b. This provision does not disqualify self-supporting children who live apart from their parents.

In order to apply for the Fulbright FLTA Program, interested applicants must complete the online application.  Complete online applications must have following documents attached:

• Scanned copies of diplomas for all university degrees
  • The diploma scan must include all language versions (i.e., Mongolian Cyrillic, Mongolian script, English, etc.)
  • If the original is only issued in Mongolian, provide an English translation along with scanned copies of the diploma/s in Mongolian.
• Original transcript for all university degrees
  • The official transcript must be issued by the school administration on letterhead with an official stamp.
  • The official transcript must be in English or include an English translation along with the original transcript.
  • Diploma appendixes are not considered to be a transcript.
• Recommendation letters
  • Three letters of recommendation from individuals who can attest to your academic and professional abilities.
  • Note that recommendations requested via the automated online system are still due on the same day and time as the application.  Applicants should notify their reference providers regarding the deadline.  If the applicant will upload pre-secured recommendations, please note that a Fulbright Student Program cover should be attached as well.  Please have your recommenders complete the first page of the recommendation letter form.
• A scanned/soft copy of an official English language test score report
• Curriculum vitae

Things to remember when completing the online application:

• Applications must be completed in English in electronic format.
• Applicants must answer all questions in the application form.  Incomplete applications will be deemed technically ineligible. No questions can be left blank.  Put N/A if not applicable.
• Essays must be your own work reflecting your original thought.  Other people’s works/ideas used anywhere in the application must be properly noted.  Plagiarism in any part of your application will result in your disqualification from participating in the program.
• Please note any word or character limit for essay portions of the application and answer within the limit.

The online application deadline is Monday, August 28, 2023, 8 a.m. ULAT.  The embassy will announce results in September 2023 and will notify all applicants via email.  Inquiries about the program will not be answered via phone.  Please direct all inquiries to exchange@usembassy.mn.

All U.S. government scholarship programs are merit-based. Although we take into account special circumstances of candidates’ backgrounds, final decisions are made based on the candidate’s overall strength as represented by the application and interview. We also consider candidates’ ability to be a cultural ambassador and their ability and motivation to give back to the community.

Plagiarism in any form will result in disqualification of the candidate (including unintentionally or accidentally presenting limited amounts of material as his or her own).  Applications will undergo a thorough plagiarism review, including screening by plagiarism detection software.

Following are the general selection steps and timeline for the Fulbright FLTA Program:

The program is announced in June of every year and applications are received for two months.  When the application period closes, technical screening and initial application review take place August – September.

During technical screening, we check for two main things:

• If the applicant meets all eligibility requirements
• If the application and any required supplemental documents are complete

After the technical screening, all complete applications are then reviewed by an application review committee. Based on the recommendations of this committee, an interview short list is created.

Candidates who are included in the short list are invited for an interview in late September or early October. An interview panel may include representatives of the U.S. Embassy, program alumni, and other relevant professionals selected by the embassy. The panel will select the nominees from Mongolia to be submitted for final selection in the United States.

The final selection result is announced by the Fulbright Foreign Scholarship Board in March-April of the next year, and finalists will travel to the United States in July-August to start their program.

Selections will be based on candidates’ leadership skills, ability to motivate students to learn, and interest in teaching their native language and culture to U.S. students. Candidates should have a desire to meet people and become a part of their host community by participating in community events and campus activities. Candidates should also be creative and self-reliant team players, who are able to maintain excellent relationships with faculty, staff, and students.

The Fulbright scholarship covers the following costs:

All Transportation Costs: International airfare and domestic travel (including in-country visa-related travel if the candidate resides outside Ulaanbaatar).

Travel Allowance: Participants are provided a small allowance for luggage and other travel-related expenses for the duration of their program.

Living and Meals Accommodations: Participants are provided with lodging and meals and other living costs.

Health Insurance: Participants are provided with accident and sickness benefits for the duration of their program.

Visa Costs: Visa payment is waived for all U.S. government sponsored scholarship participants.

All costs listed above are only for the grantee.

Please note that the Fulbright FLTA program does not support dependents or family members.  Candidates may not have any dependents accompany them during the program. Family and friends may visit program participants during holiday periods only. Pregnant candidates may not participate in the program if the birth will occur during the program period.

June – August: Program is announced, applications are received

September: Technical screening, application review, and interview

October: Finalists selected and decisions announced

July: Participant departs to the United States to begin their program