Christopher | China
Don't be afraid to put yourself out there and try
The deadline for Fall 2023 overseas placements applications has passed.
Applications are being accepted for Spring 2024. The deadline for submissions is August 1, 2023.
Students are encouraged to maintain a high level of flexibility and understanding given the unprecedented nature of the Coronavirus pandemic. All future participants are encouraged to move forward with a parallel plan in the event that it is necessary for COST to suspend placements. In the event that COST or your home institution suspend travel for your applied semester, your application fee will be refunded.
COST now requires participants to be fully vaccinated against COVID-19 in order to participate. As the vaccine has become widely available around the world, most airlines, countries, placement schools, and host families are requiring students/travelers to be vaccinated against COVID-19. Vaccination will afford you full participation in an overseas student teaching experience.
Welcome to the Consortium for Overseas Student Teaching Website
If you are a student of a COST member institution we encourage you to review this site, learn about the program, and consider possible student teaching placement destinations. If your school is not a member of COST, you may still find valuable information in our library on international and intercultural adjustment, overseas travel, research, and other initiatives related to teaching abroad and the internationalization of education.
Established in 1973, COST is a collaboration of 16 colleges and universities in the United States that provides opportunities for its students to have quality student teaching experiences in overseas settings. Grand Valley State University currently serves as headquarters and coordinates international placements. We work closely with university and school representatives from the United States and around the world to promote global understanding, intercultural communication, and a meaningful educational experience.
Through COST, teacher candidates are placed in public and private institutions in various locations around the world where English is the language of instruction. The placement period ranges from 6-15 weeks depending on the requirements of the US sending institution. All participants return to the United States having gained firsthand knowledge and experience with professional peers, students, and their families within another cultural setting; having an increased sense of confidence and improved self-efficacy; and having a greater sense of how to integrate an international perspective into their profession as a teacher.
Spotlights
Reginald | Germany
I've gained a more diverse way of teaching music.
Zack | Mexico
A placement through COST means opportunity.
Liz | South Africa
Children are children no matter where they are from.
COST Objectives
The major objective of the COST program, as with all student teaching programs, is to provide an opportunity for the student teacher to put into practice the knowledge and skills they have acquired at their home university. The uniqueness of the COST program is the setting in a foreign country and culture in which the student teaching takes place. Therefore, in addition to achieving the objectives required for student teaching by the student's home institution, additional objectives for COST student teachers are to:
- gain non-U.S. perspectives on world events;
- gain appreciation of the differences in family life between the U.S. and the host country, all through participation in a host-family community setting;
- teach in a bicultural and/or bilingual setting;
- clarify one's position as a U.S. citizen by experiencing life in a different social and cultural milieu; and,
- consider ways to bring an international perspective back to one's classroom in the United States.