Earlier chapters in this book have focused on ‘learners’ rather than ‘teachers’ but teachers too have been and remain learners, continuing to develop their linguistic and cultural competences. In particular, teachers are conscious that in order to develop the intercultural competence (IC) of their learners, they themselves need more than knowledge and skills in and about language. Sometimes they question whether they can teach IC adequately unless they have themselves had experience in a country where the language they teach is spoken. This is an important issue we cannot enter into here, although responses to this and other ‘frequently asked questions’ are available in Byram et al. (2002).

On the other hand, we should not assume that mere experience of another country equips teachers to teach IC without further ado, and so in this chapter we focus on different modes of experience and what research tells us about them. We shall begin with ‘Study Abroad’, whereby university students of any subject may spend part of their required period of study in another country at another university. Secondly, we shall turn to the more particular experience of students of languages – many of whom will become teachers – who are encouraged and sometimes required to study or work abroad as a means of developing their linguistic and other relevant competences. Thirdly, this chapter includes the small amount of research on the experience of those who are already language teachers and are given the opportunity of experience in a country where their language is spoken.

The main conclusion of this review will show that there is a need for thorough preparation and follow-up to residence abroad for all types of sojourner and we will address this issue in more depth by considering approaches through workshops and similar activities.