The EURAXESS Intercultural Assistant for Researchers aims at raising your awareness of the complexity of the intercultural encounters you are likely to experience as a researcher on the move. It consists of four sections.
The first section,What Is Culture?, explores some basic notions about culture.
The second section,Boost Your Intercultural Competence, introduces the notion of intercultural communication and intercultural competence with a view to the intercultural experiences you are likely to have.
Here you can take a short self-access course which summarises the essence of intercultural communication challenges.
The short course will help you understand better the essence of culture and what guides your own and others’
You can also take a longer self-access course if you wish to explore in greater detail the issues raised in the short one.
You can opt for testing your intercultural competence.
The self-test takes around 15 minutes to take.
It consists of two parts. Part One provokes reflection on your attitude
Last but not least, you can watch some short video testimonials kindly provided by fellow-researchers.
This will allow you to compare their experiences to yours and consider the advice and practical suggestions for successful integration which they share.
The third section, Compare Cultures, explores one of the many approaches to describing cultural differences and allows you to compare your own and the culture of your host institution along Hofstede’s dimensions.
The fourth section, Socialising, contains practical tips about finding support while adapting to the new cultural environment.
What Is Culture?
Culture is… the way you speak, the way you behave, what you believe in, what you consider right or wrong…
Intercultural Competence
The more competent you become in intercultural issues, the better you will be able to communicate successfully with people from other cultures. You will be more aware of clashes due to cultural differences and it will be easier to overcome them.
Compare Cultures
Going through this section you will have the opportunity to learn even more about your own culture and compare its specifics with other cultures.
Get Socialised
From the first day of your mobility you enter a new world – the world of the local society. Everyday communication with people and interaction with your colleagues, making friends with locals and being in touch with expats from your own culture – in other words your active social life plays a significant role in your wellbeing.