Websites for English language learning

• Visit the British Council Austria website for information on cultural events in Austria involving UK artists and performers, the Cambridge English examinations service and resources for teaching and learning English.
• The BBC World Service Learning English website provides a variety of English language learning material, including sections on news, quizzes and business English.
• Visit the English UK website for a searchable online database of English language schools in the UK, accredited by British Council.

School partnerships and exchanges

• Global Gateway is a one-stop-shop for global education issues, including how to find partner schools and colleges worldwide, information on research and developments in teaching and teaching materials. It is financed by the British education ministry, Department for Education and Skills, and managed by the British Council. 
• The Achievers International programme links school, college and youth groups in the UK and abroad in order to set up a commercial exchange project. Each group forms a virtual company which ‘virtually’ imports and exports locally manufactured products to and from its foreign partner. Please note that a membership fee is payable. 

Visiting the Embassy with school groups

The British Embassy in Vienna welcomes visits by groups of school students between 16 and 19 years of age. Visits usually last around one hour and consist of a brief presentation on the work of the Embassy, followed by a questions and answers session with Embassy officials and a discussion with the students, focusing on current EU affairs and other topical issues such as:

• Climate change:  promoting a low carbon, high growth global economy
• Developing effective international institutions, particularly the UN and EU
• EU and its near neighbourhood
• Preventing and resolving conflict

The visit is rounded off with a tour of the Ambassador’s Residence. The working languages of the visit are English and German.

We are also introducing an “open house”, starting in 2009, for school groups between 10 and 15 years of age.

For further details please contact the Press Office on press@britishembassy.at, or by calling Vienna 71613-6254.