The Teachers of English for Future Europe (TEFE A+) Blended Intensive Programme (BIP) has received the Profformance+ International Higher Education Teacher Award – the Best of the Czech Republic, recognising its innovative contribution to international teacher education. The award was presented on 16 October 2025 in Budapest, where Dr Alena Prošková, Vice-Dean for Teacher Education Programmes, Accreditation and Quality Control at the Faculty of Arts, accepted the prize on behalf of the Czech team from the Faculty of Arts, University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice.
The awarded methodology – the TEFE A+ BIP International Teaching Practice (ITP) Induction Course – was developed collaboratively by six European universities: Aston University (United Kingdom), Comenius University (Slovakia), Eötvös Loránd University (Hungary), Public University of Navarre (Spain), University of Passau (Germany), and University of South Bohemia in České Budějovice (Czech Republic).
Designed as a preparatory course for international teaching practice placements, the TEFE A+ BIP enables future English teachers to develop professional competences in intercultural, reflective, and collaborative teaching. Each year since 2023, a new cohort of student teachers has taken part in this innovative course, which combines online and face-to-face components and is hosted in rotation by the partner universities.
Throughout the programme, student teachers work in transnational teams, engage with the TEFE Framework (2023), and take part in school observations, peer feedback sessions, and structured reflections under the guidance of mentors and teacher educators. This approach has been recognised for its functional model of internationalisation, student-centred pedagogy, and experiential learning design, now featured in the Profformance+ Teaching Excellence Database as an example of best practice in European higher education.
At the University of South Bohemia, the TEFE A+ project, which has led to the development of the TEFE A+ BIP, is coordinated by Dr Helena Lohrová (project coordinator), together with Dr Alena Prošková, Dr Tomáš Jajtner and Dr Ivo Petrů. The internationalisation agenda is managed by doc. PhDr. Rostislav Smíšek, PhD., Vice-Dean for Foreign Relations and Development. The Faculty of Arts serves as the lead institution of both the TEFE and TEFE A+ projects, continuing the university’s vision for innovation and international collaboration in teacher education.
"The TEFE A+ BIP is more than an exchange — it is a shared European classroom where future teachers learn to teach across cultures. The award confirms that internationalisation in teacher education can be meaningful, structured, and competence-based,” said Associate Professor Rostislav Smíšek, Vice-Dean for International Relations.
The award represents a shared success of the TEFE A+ consortium and the many teacher educators, mentors, and student teachers who have contributed to the programme. It recognises the collective effort to create an inclusive and sustainable model of internationalisation in teacher education — one that prepares future teachers to connect, reflect, and teach across borders.
