What You Need To Know...
Departure Date
|
|
|
Information about the Student Exchange to Austria:
While on an International Exchange Program students have the opportunity to learn at an international school and the "school of life" while they experience another culture, immerse themselves in the language and become a member of the host family. Begin your international experience now! Participate in an International Exchange program with YES Canada!
Information about the Student Exchange to Austria:
Education in Austria is the responsibility of the Austrian states, which have made education compulsory for nine years, approximately the age of 15. Students begin their studies in primary school. After two years, the students choose between two strands of education; Gymnasium, which focuses more on the arts, and Realgymnasium, with more emphasis on science. Their grades from primary determine their placement in the secondary streams.
Following primary, students move on to secondary education that is divided into two main streams: Gymnasium is for academic students looking to a future in university, while Hauptschule prepares students for vocational education and various programs for further post-secondary study, such as technical education, commercial academy and economic business. At the end of these periods of study, students must pass the Matura exam to determine their ability to apply to university or other vocational programs.
Austria is a beautiful country with a proud history and beautiful landscape. It’s central European location make this an ideal location for study abroad, with access to so much to explore.
School System
Responsibility for educational oversight in Austria is entrusted partly to the Austrian states (Bundesländer). School attendance is compulsory for nine years, i.e. usually to the age of fifteen.
As in Germany, secondary education consists of two main types of schools, attendance at which is based on a pupil's ability as determined by grades from the primary school. The Gymnasium caters for the more able children, in the final year of which the Matura examination is taken, which is a requirement for access to university. The Hauptschule prepares pupils for vocational education but also for various types of further education (HTL = institution of higher technical education; HAK = commercial academy; HBLA = institution of higher education for economic business; etc.). Attendance at one of these further education institutes also leads to the Matura. Some schools aim to combine the education available at the Gymnasium and the Hauptschule, and are know as Gesamtschulen. In addition, a recognition of the importance of learning English has led some Gymnasiums to offer a bilingual stream, in which pupils deemed able in languages follow a modified curriculum, a portion of the lesson time being conducted in English.
As at primary school, lessons at Gymnasium begin at 8am, and continue with short intervals until lunchtime or early afternoon, with children returning home to a late lunch. Older pupils often attend further lessons after a break for lunch, generally eaten at school. As at primary level, all pupils follow the same plan of work. Great emphasis is placed on homework and frequent testing. Satisfactory marks in the end-of-the-year report ("Zeugnis") are a prerequisite for moving up ("aufsteigen") to the next class. Pupils who do not meet the required standard re-sit their tests at the end of the summer holidays; those whose marks are still not satisfactory are required to re-sit the year ("sitzenbleiben"). It is not uncommon for a pupil to re-sit more than one year of school. After completing the first two years, pupils choose between one of two strands, known as "Gymnasium" (slightly more emphasis on arts) or "Realgymnasium" (slightly more emphasis on science). Whilst many schools offer both strands, some do not, and as a result, some children move schools for a second time at age 12. At age 14, pupils may choose to remain in one of these two strands, or to change to a vocational course, possibly with a further change of school.
