The 2025-2026 Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement Program

The Fulbright Teaching Excellence and Achievement (Fulbright TEA) Program will bring international secondary-level teachers to the United States for a six-week program to take academic seminars for professional development at a U.S. host university and to observe and share their expertise with teachers and students at the host university and at local secondary schools.

The Fulbright TEA Program is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State’s Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs (ECA), with funding provided by the U.S. Government and administered by IREX in collaboration with the Fulbright Commission.

Program Activities

• General academic seminars focused on new teaching methodologies, student-centered learning, content-based instruction, lesson planning, and instructional technology training for teachers. Thematic cohorts also available on gender education, environmental education, and media literacy;
• A practicum of at least 40 hours with a U.S. partner teacher in a secondary school near the host university to actively engage participants in the U.S. classroom environment;
• A variety of relevant professional development and cultural activities.

Eligibility Requirements

Applicants must:

• Be current secondary-level, full-time teachers of English, math, science, Romanian language, foreign languages, social studies (history, civics, geography, global studies, media studies, law, journalism, communications, etc.), including special education teachers in the disciplines listed above, at high schools or middle schools serving primarily a local population;*
• Have Romanian citizenship, reside and work in Romania at the time of application and of program participation;
• Have earned a Bachelor’s degree;
• Have a minimum of three years of full-time teaching experience by the start of the program, with a preference for those who have completed at least five years of full-time teaching;
• Demonstrate oral and written English language proficiency;
• Demonstrate commitment to continue teaching after completion of the program;
• Have submitted a complete application.

* Important notes:

• Secondary-level teachers include both middle and high school teachers serving students between approximately 12 and 18 years of age.
• Teachers responsible for teaching additional grade levels must teach middle or high school students (grade levels V-XII) more than 50% of their work time in order to be eligible.
• Educational administrators (such as representatives or officials of the Ministry of Education) and school administrators who do not teach at least fifty percent of their time, full-time teacher trainers, university faculty, private English Language tutors, and teachers from schools primarily serving expatriates are not eligible.
• Teachers working in institutions dedicated exclusively to extracurricular classes and optional activities (e.g. Palatul Copiilor) are not eligible. Only applications received from teachers working in middle or high schools will be taken into consideration. In addition, substitute teachers or guest teachers are not eligible for this program.
• Former participants of the Teaching Excellence and Achievement (TEA) Program, the International Leaders in Education Program (ILEP), the Edmund S. Muskie Graduate Fellowship Program, the Partners in Education (PiE) program, or Fulbright Distinguished Awards in Teaching Program for International Teachers Program are not eligible to apply.

Each applicant is required to submit:

• A complete online application form: https://fulbright.irex.org/ (including the Institutional Support and Reference Form completed by your supervisor (head of department, deputy director, or school director); and the Leave Approval Form completed by your school director**);

**The Institutional Support and the Leave Approval forms can be downloaded directly from the online application; the documents should be hand signed, scanned and then uploaded to the relevant section of the online application.

Note:

• Please make sure to include your complete teaching schedule in the appropriate section of the online application. This schedule should include all classes you are currently teaching each day of the week, including planning and preparation time, as well as additional responsibilities outside of teaching (if applicable). If you teach in more than one school, please indicate the school name. The purpose of you providing your schedule is to demonstrate that you are a full-time teacher in your community (please double-check the total number of teaching hours in your schedule before submitting the application).

English Proficiency

All candidates nominated for the program are required to submit a TOEFL test score. Participation in the Fulbright TEA program is primarily open to teachers who are able to demonstrate English language proficiency by attaining a minimum score of 45 on the internet-based TOEFL.

TOEFL test scores are not compulsory in the first stage of the competition. Score reports will be required prior to May 15, 2025. Test vouchers for exam registration will be provided to the Romanian candidates nominated for the program.

Selection Criteria:

• Demonstrated commitment to teaching in the field of secondary education;
• Demonstrated leadership potential;
• Professional and educational experience and achievements;
• Potential for developing long-term linkages between U.S. and home country educational institutions and schools;
• Preparedness (including maturity, flexibility, and ability to function independently) for an intensive U.S.-based training program;
• Willingness and capacity to work and live collaboratively with international peers to foster a positive learning community for professional development;
• Articulated ideas for applying program experience to improving secondary education in the home country;
• Ability to express ideas clearly and effectively;
• Oral and written English language skills sufficient to manage coursework, participate in specialized seminars, and deliver presentations in U.S. schools;
• Applicants who have had few or no opportunities to travel to the U.S. will be given priority;
• Preference will be given to applicants who are members of or who work with students from underserved communities or traditionally underrepresented groups including but not limited to women, racial, ethnic and religious minorities, people with disabilities, the LGBTQIA+ community, and people from diverse geographic areas of the country.
• Preference will also be given to applicants who have not previously received a Fulbright grant.