What is the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme and how can you participate?
Lingoda recognises that Covid-19 poses an economic challenge and has affected many people professionally. We therefore want to help people in need to rebuild their careers, find work or improve their economic situation through language learning.
We have paired the Lingoda Language Challenge with the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme: we will donate to the Scholarship Programme 20% of the number of classes attended by the students who completed the Language Challenge. These classes will fuel a minimum of 5 scholarships, but the more learners complete the Language Challenge, the more scholarships will become available for applicants.
Find out here if you’re eligible and how to apply for the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme!
What does the scholarship include?
All scholarships of the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme begin in February 2021 and learners have one year to complete their courses. The selected scholars will complete a language proficiency test before starting so they can take classes based on their current learning level.
Each scholarship consists of 200 hours of Lingoda language classes in a group setting. As a scholar, you can choose from English and Business English, German, French and Spanish.
How our language scholarship will help our scholars
Here’s how language learning can benefit our scholars’ career development:
- Business: learning a new language enhances creativity, skill for solving problems and making decisions and keeping an open mind, which incidentally serve your business acumen as well.
- International job market: Being bilingual or even speaking multiple languages allows you to apply at international companies and compete on the global job market.
- Networking: The more languages you have under your belt, the easier you can communicate within your network and expand your professional relationships across different languages, cultures and countries.
- Professional appeal: Language references are a way to distinguish yourself as a candidate and make your CV stand out. Employers will perceive you as more suitable and instantly know through proven language skills that you can successfully dedicate yourself to a task.
- Cost efficiency: Language services such as translation and localisation are a business expense you can cut if you have language skills of your own. Whether for your employer or your own business, handling things yourself lets you reduce language costs and improve turnaround time.
The Lingoda Language Challenge and the Language Scholarship Programme
As we’ve outlined above, the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme guarantees a minimum of five scholarships. More will become available depending on the number of participants in the Lingoda Language Challenge who successfully complete their courses.
As a scholarship applicant, you don’t have to take part in the Language Challenge. In fact, you cannot be a currently active Lingoda language student, which we’ll outline in the scholarship eligibility criteria below.
Who is eligible for the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme?
Participation in the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme is open to people from all over the world, provided applicants meet the following requirements:
- You must be at least 18 years old.
- You must be new to Lingoda, meaning you cannot have a currently active account. This means Lingoda language students and Lingoda Language Challenge participants are excluded.
- You must have been significantly impacted by the Covid-19 health crisis.
The economic impact of Covid-19 on your economic situation will be checked individually on the basis of a short, personal essay (see below also). To be eligible, you have to show the impact of Covid-19 on your main source of income or revenue from March 2020 on. The type of contract or work doesn’t matter, so temporary jobs and internships also count! Even if your situation has improved after your application to the programme, you can still take advantage of the scholarship.
How to participate in the Lingoda Language Scholarship Programme step by step
- Double-check the criteria above to make sure you’re eligible for participation. Be sure to read through the FAQs and the rules.
- Fill out the application form below in English, German, French. We’re asking for your contact information and some personal information as well as details on how Covid-19 has impacted your professional life.
- A key part of your application is a short essay of 500 to 750 words in which you outline the expected outcome of your participation in the scholarship programme. Specifically, we want you to answer the question: How can language learning help you rebuild your career, realise your projects and achieve your goals?
- Submit your application before the deadline!
The deadline for applications is the 30th November 2020.
Our dedicated Lingoda committee will then select a minimum of five scholarship recipients and notify them in February 2021.
The selected scholars have to begin their language classes by the end of February 2021 and finish their course within one year.
