Question 1

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY?

Accepted Answer

Applicants must be employed full-time as an educator of social studies or STEM subjects in the Unites States or Canada.
Applicants must submit a letter from their supervisor confirming their employment status as a full-time social studies or STEM educator in good standing.
Eligible educator roles include classroom teachers (grades K-12), general education/elementary educators, university methods professors, curriculum coordinators, principals, applicable curriculum authors, applicable district, state, federal employees, etc.
Applicants who feel they qualify as a social studies or STEM educator but do not fall within the aforementioned eligible roles should contact TOP directly.
Instructional coaches, librarians, teaching assistants, part-time teachers, are not eligible to apply at this time.
Opportunities for student-teachers may be announced at a later date.
Opportunities for those seeking to learn about the German apprenticeship system may be announced at a later date.
TOP Alumni are not elligible to re-apply.

Question 2

CAN AN APPLICANT APPLY FOR BOTH TYPES OF TOURS?

Accepted Answer

You may apply for the both the social studies and STEM tours if you are an educator in both fields, but, if accepted, it would only be for one tour or the other, not both.

If you have already traveled with TOP in one tour, you may not apply to participate in the other type of tour. Educators may only travel once with TOP as a participant.

Question 3

WHAT ARE THE STUDY TOUR DATES?

Accepted Answer

In 2024, the TOP study tours are scheduled to take place during the following dates:

Social Studies:

8 June – 22 June, 2024
22 June – 6 July, 2024
6 July – 20 July, 2024

STEM:

22 June – 6 July, 2024

Note: TOP study tours are subject to 2024 budget approval and safe travel conditions for participants, hosts, and employees.

Question 4

WHAT IS THE COST?

Accepted Answer

Thanks to the support of its public and private partners, TOP pays for most domestic and international transportation fees, hotel accommodation, two meals per day while abroad (usually breakfast and dinner), and any mandatory study tour related fees, such as museum entry, etc. Each participant will have his or her own hotel room.

Fully-funded TOP study tours include:

Airfare to Germany and back.
Ground transportation in Germany (trains, busses, public transit).
Accommodations in Germany – each participant will have their own hotel room.
Two meals per day: typically breakfast and one group meal.
Entrance fees for group visits to museums, historical sites, city tours, etc.
Resources and materials for your classroom.

Note: TOP study tours are subject to budget approval and safe travel conditions for participants, hosts, and employees.

Participants will be responsible for their own airline baggage fees when incurred; transportation fees (metro, taxi, ride sharing, etc.) from the airport to the hotel in Germany; incidental hotel costs; and any passport/visa renewal fees that may be required for the participant to travel to Germany. TOP strongly suggests each participant budget $300.00 USD for study tour related gifts, gratuities, and one (1) meal per day during the two weeks abroad.

A refundable deposit is required upon acceptance. The deposit amount for 2024 participants is $350.00 USD. Deposit refund depends on the successful completion of the participant’s post-tour lesson plan and workshop.

Question 5

HOW PHYSICALLY INTENSE IS THE EXPERIENCE?

Accepted Answer

While groups travel long distances by plane, train, or private bus, participants should be prepared for a fast paced, often physically demanding tour where they may walk up to 20,000+ steps a day. Public transportation, such as public bus, subway, etc. is the primary mode of transportation for TOP study tour groups due to environmental concerns.

Punctuality is paramount, so walking briskly is sometimes necessary.

Participants are responsible for carrying their own luggage, which typically weighs 50-70 pounds (23-32 kilograms), and should be prepared to carry luggage up several flights of stairs and on and off of trains during the tour.

The nature of summer weather in Germany, from hot to cold temperatures to frequent rain, can pose unique challenges to travelers. Please note that air conditioning is not common in northern Europe.

Alternative arrangements may be made for participants with disabilities.

Question 6

WHAT IS THE TRAVEL ITINERARY?

Accepted Answer

Each study tour is designed with the specific areas of interest of the selected participants taken into consideration. Please consider this when answering the applicable question on the application form regarding topics of interest!

The emphasis will be on contemporary German issues relating to either social studies or STEM topics depending on the type of tour. The TOP study tours are designed to provide a comprehensive, 360-degree perspective of contemporary Germany within the European context and typically include visits to schools, businesses, government offices, non-profits and civic organizations, historical sites, museums, etc.

Participants should keep in mind that this is a group study tour designed for their professional development. The majority of their time in Germany will be spent with the group and the scheduled daily program will typically be from morning until evening. Participants are required to participate in all scheduled group meetings and activities. Some free time will be built into the schedule, but will likely not be more than two half days or one full day.

Question 7

IS GERMAN LANGUAGE FLUENCY A REQUIREMENT?

Accepted Answer

No. All meetings during the study tour will either be conducted in English or will be translated from German to English by an interpreter.

TOP will offer participants 60-90 minutes of "German for travelers" instruction by professional German language instructors of the Goethe-Institut prior to the study tour.

Question 8

WHEN IS THE APPLICATION DEADLINE?

Accepted Answer

The deadline to apply for a 2024 TOP study tour to Germany has passed. The submission deadline and application link for the 2025 study tours will be posted here in the fall.

Question 9

HOW MUCH TIME DOES THE APPLICATION REQUIRE?

Accepted Answer

Based on the feedback of successful applicants, the process takes an average of 5-10 hours. This excludes the time required to obtain the letter from the direct supervisor.

Question 10

WHAT ARE THE APPLICATION REQUIREMENTS?

Accepted Answer

The TOP study tour application requires personal and professional contact information, travel availability (select and rank dates if applicable), topic of interest selection, resumé upload, employment verification (your direct supervisor must upload a letter), and three essays:

Professional statement of purpose (3,000 characters).
My contribution to the group (1,500 characters).
Lesson plan (4,500 characters).

The application grading rubric is heavily weighted towards essays 1 and 3 above!

All information submitted to TOP is subject to strict German and EU privacy laws.

Question 11

WHAT IS THE EMPLOYMENT VERIFICATION LETTER?

Accepted Answer

You will need to coordinate with your direct supervisor to submit an “Employment Verification Letter.”

You can download instructions for your supervisor using the link in the application on the “Employment Verification Letter” page. In the application you will need to submit the name and email address of your direct supervisor. They will receive an automated email with a unique link that they must use to access the system and upload the letter.

We recommend discussing the letter and sharing the instructions with your direct supervisor before entering their information into the application system, so that they can be looking for the automated email when it comes through. You cannot submit your application until your direct supervisor has submitted their letter for you. You will be able to see in the system once the employment verification letter has been uploaded but you will be unable to read/access the letter itself.

Question 12

HOW CAN AN APPLICANT IMPROVE THEIR CHANCES?

Accepted Answer

Leading a TOP professional development workshop is NOT a requirement for the application.

However, your application can be enhanced by leading a TOP professional development workshop at your school, district, or at an applicable professional development day or conference. Workshop evaluation forms must be submitted on or before the study tour application deadline to be considered as part of your application evaluation.

If you are interested in leading a TOP professional development workshop as part of your application, please email us at top@goethe.de.

Question 13

WHAT RESPONSIBILITIES DO APPLICANTS HAVE IF ACCEPTED?

Accepted Answer

We ask that all participants come prepared, ready to assume the role of a student and willing to consider new ideas, to proactively engage themselves, to be inquisitive, to be flexible, and to learn as professionals during a fun, yet mentally and sometimes physically intense experience in Germany. To adequately prepare participants for their study tour, we ask for participation in pre-departure webinars that are important for enhancing background knowledge, setting the stage, and providing a foundation for group cohesion. We also require that participants complete pre-departure reading assignments.

Upon returning from Germany, every participant is required to 1) author an original unit of learning consisting of one or more lessons and 2) conduct one TOP professional development workshop.

The ‘unit’ may consist of any ‘contemporary-Germany-related’ topics of the participant’s choosing but should be aligned to C3 (College, Career, Civic Life) or NGSS (for STEM) standards for learning with the goal of enhancing and assessing students’ global competence. The necessary lesson plan authorship templates are provided by TOP.

Question 14

DO I NEED TO APPLY FOR A PASSPORT NOW?

Accepted Answer

You are not required to have a valid passport as part of the TOP study tour application process. However, we do reccomend that you begin the process of obtaining a passport as soon as possible in order to avoid processing delays, should you be accepted.

If accepted, you MUST have a valid passport (and non-U.S. and non-Canadian participants may also need to obtain a visa) in order to travel to Germany.

Accepted applicants will be informed in the spring, but often this is still a tight timeline for obtaining a vailid passport. Starting the process now will make things less stressful later, should you be accepted.

Question 15

WHEN WILL APPLICANTS BE NOTIFIED?

Accepted Answer

Applicants will be notified about their status (accepted, wait listed, not accepted) in the spring of 2024.

Question 16

MAY PARTICIPANTS EXTEND THEIR STAY IN GERMANY?

Accepted Answer

This policy, also known as the "deviation policy" in travel agency terms, remains dependent on the contractual arrangements made between TOP, its travel agency, and the air carrier providing the service. It also remains dependent on the capacity of TOP personnel to make such arrangements in a manner that is fair to all participants.

The deviation policy for the 2024 study tours will be announced to successful applicants in the standard acceptance packet documentation in the spring of 2024.

Any/all applicable increases in airfare as a result of a potential deviation remain the full responsibility of the participant. TOP is only responsible for participants during the specific study tour dates and assumes no responsibility outside of the specific study tour dates.

Question 17

WHAT ABOUT SPOUSES/FAMILY MEMBERS?

Accepted Answer

Accepted study tour participants travel to Germany at the official invitation of the Federal Republic of Germany. This invitation is extended to accepted participants only. An accepted participant may not under any circumstances bring their spouse, significant other, family members, friends, pets, etc. Accepted participants may not share their hotel accomodations.

Question 18

EXPERIENCING DIFFICULTIES WITH THE APPLICATION?

Accepted Answer

Two common issues have been reported, both having to do with the employment verification email.

Issue: Emails from the Goethe-Institut Application Portal (GAP) are not being received. This may be because the receiver's email server is blocking emails from the "@goethe.de" domain.
- Potential solution: check the SPAM inbox. If emails are not there, add "gap-no-reply@goethe.de" and/or emails from the "@goethe.de" domain to the "safe senders" list.
- Potential solution: try sending emails to a different address such as Gmail, Yahoo, etc.
Issue: The supervisor receives the email, completes the recommendation letter, clicks the upload link in the email, but cannot upload the recommendation letter. This may be because the upload link has expired.
- Potential solution: the supervisor should ask the applicant to log into GAP to re-send the email to the supervisor. The supervisor will receive a new email containing an updated link. This link should be used to upload the completed recommendation letter.
- Potential solution: the supervisor must create a GAP account using their default internet browser and be logged into the GAP portal in order to upload the letter. After the supervisor has completed the letter, they should open their default internet browser, log into GAP using their account information, then finally click the upload link in the email, which should open in a new tab/window in the same default browser. We will try to eliminate this step in the future.

For additional assistance, please e-mail TOP at the address below.

top@goethe.de

STUDY TOUR INFORMATION

INTRODUCTION

ELIGIBILITY

DATES

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

QUESTIONS?