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Dear List Members, During the course of my PhD research in the German Department at Queen Mary, University of London, I moved to the University town of Oldenburg in Lower Saxony. Here, in mid-2009, I established my own English Language Institute for adults in partnership with a Helen Doron School. In the short time that we have been in operation, we have taught 30 English language courses to adults; started courses in local businesses; established links with a school in the UK; and have already had our first language exchange, giving Germans a taster of life in the Midlands and London. As we are expanding rapidly, we are in need of young, energetic and competent language specialists to supplement our English native speaker team. I am writing to List Members (especially Year Abroad Coordinators) to invite their undergraduate students to apply for Year Abroad placements at our school in Oldenburg. We would be in a position to offer three paid placements from September 2011, two for six months and one for twelve months. If any Year Abroad Coordinators are interested in offering these placements to their students or require further information, I would advise them to contact me directly at [log in to unmask] so that I can send them the PDF poster for display on noticeboards in language departments. Depending on whether travel costs were covered, I may also be a position to present our Institution to your University students in the UK or Ireland in May of this year. The current uncertainty surrounding the issue of tuition fees and the Year Abroad represents yet another undermining of German language provisions both at University and for the Year Abroad itself. As a graduate of German from Aston University, who benefited from a Year Abroad in Germany and several months working and studying in Austria, I would like to do my bit to offer this life-changing and eye-opening experience to the dying breed of German undergraduate students at your institutions. Let me thank you in advance for your co-operation in this matter and I look forward to hearing from you in due course. With my best wishes from Oldenburg, John Goodyear