Teaching Experience Abroad Inspired VMU Student to Stay and Work in Lithuania

“Good specialists, teachers are needed here. Many tend to get away, go where better opportunities are available, but I think that if you’re a professional of your field and you love your job, you can find meaning in Lithuania as well”, says Austėja Cikanavičiūtė, a student at Vytautas Magnus University’s (VMU) Education Academy, who has explored the teaching profession through Erasmus+ internships in Sweden and Belgium.

The Child’s Needs Come First

Austėja, who is studying Pedagogy of Primary Education and Early Foreign Language Teaching, did her first internship at a school in her hometown, Alytus. “I wanted to see if this profession was really for me, to find my footing. Then I realized that I wanted something more interesting, to be able to push myself out of my comfort zone”, explains the fourth-year student, whose program requires internships every year throughout the studies.

For her second internship, Austėja chose an international BA school in Karlskrona, a small Swedish resort town, where she spent two months assisting and teaching children. In her words, as a second-year student at the time, the greatest recognition was being entrusted with an entire class and its teaching for a whole week. “I felt like a real teacher,” Austėja smiles. “The instruction was in English; it was a bit intimidating, but also a pleasant challenge. Although initially I doubted whether I could teach in English, after two months there, all the fear was gone, and now I can speak English confidently and freely”.

Austėja was most impressed by the Scandinavian approach to education: the child is always the top priority. “It’s not about the teacher or the school but the child’s needs. The child’s emotional well-being, how they are accepted or understood in class, and inclusive education itself is understood in Sweden completely differently from Lithuania. Children with special needs are not separated but integrated into the activities of the whole class”, she notes, adding that for several weeks she did not even notice whether the class had pupils with special needs.

“There, only children with physical disabilities have to receive exceptional support and an assistant. Children on the autism spectrum or with other conditions are assigned a specialist who works with them at scheduled times, but there is no publicity like we have here. I was amazed by this”, VMU student shares her experience.

Another aspect that fascinated Austėja was the freedom in the educational process. “The child is an explorer first and foremost. They are provided the conditions to explore and discover things on their own. However, the teacher doesn’t just let them be, but moderates and guides them, gives them tasks. Parents are warned that their children will get dirty, because if a child is curious about digging a cave, they are given a shovel and they dig, they examine why things collapse and where it’s best to dig. Of course, there is a curriculum that has to be followed, to ensure that children pass the national exams, but the teacher has the flexibility to adapt it based on the kids’ needs”, Austėja explains.

Received a Job Offer After Internship

Her next teaching internship offered a very different experience: Austėja taught at the European School in Brussels, where pupils come from various countries of the world. Even though she taught Lithuanian children, she was allowed to observe the workings of the entire school. This time, for a few weeks, Austėja was also entrusted with independent teaching because she had to fill in for a teacher who fell ill. 

Three thousand kids and twelve different countries under one roof: it’s hard to comprehend managing a structure of this magnitude, she admits. “For instance, at lunchtime, the canteen is like an anthill, everything seems to be bustling, and how does one not lose sight of their class’ kids”, Austėja shares her surprise. After classes ended at 3 p.m., the kids were picked up by buses or secured vehicles – she found it interesting to observe a different kind of life, although the student herself had to pass a security checkpoint every morning.

“It was a completely different experience. In Sweden, I got acquainted with different teaching methods; meanwhile, here, I got to experience how processes are managed in a large and successful school”, the VMU student elaborates, revealing that she would prefer to return to Sweden rather than to technocratic Brussels.

“Karlskrona is a very cozy and safe town: you can cross it entirely on foot. Last summer, I came back there on vacation with my sister. The people here are also very kind and well-intentioned”. Scandinavia is not foreign to Austėja: as a child, she lived in Sweden with her whole family.

Even though the mentors in both Sweden and Brussels suggested she stay and work there, Austėja intends to continue pursuing her dream career in Lithuania. “In Sweden, they asked me right away if I’d like to stay and teach there, but I was a second-year student then and thought that I should first finish my studies. In Brussels, the mentor also encouraged me to apply for a job at the European School after graduation; however, in those few months, the city did not win my heart, and the contract is signed for longer than just a year”.

An Old Dream Came True

Love for the teaching profession was instilled in Austėja by her primary school teacher. Still, the dream was overshadowed by the surrounding scepticism toward teachers – both in terms of salary and prestige.

“I was always a good student, a top achiever, so I could have applied anywhere after finishing school. That’s when I remembered my old dream and applied to VMU. I don’t even know if I could study anything else now, because it seems like I’m completely immersed in my studies, I live in them”, Austėja delights in her choice.

As the eldest child in her family, Austėja recalls always being surrounded by children. “I think kids just sense me. I like talking to them – each one has their own insights, opinions, and experiences, which they share”, she says, referring to the kindergarteners she currently teaches.

“I’m afraid of burnout – that I won’t want school or children, but for now I really see myself only in this field”, Austėja affirms, confident that she will continue her career in Lithuania – perhaps she will even establish her own school.