Under the Erasmus+ programme, students at Erasmus+ institutions in Europe can apply to spend 2-12 months of their course as a trainee at another Erasmus+ institution. Aston recognises the benefit of such traineeships and the impact they have and therefore welcomes students on work placements across many departments.

Students can enhance their CV by undertaking a traineeship, developing intercultural communication, language skills, adaptability and professional skills. It is also an excellent opportunity to expand their professional network and trial certain careers paths before they graduate.

Brexit update: Please see our Europe page for updates on the UK’s departure from the European Union, and how this may affect Erasmus+.

Key Action 103 (Mobility of Individuals Programme Countries)

Who can participate?

Students from any Erasmus+ institution in a participating country (EU or EEA countries including Turkey, Norway, Lichtenstein, Macedonia and Iceland) can request a traineeship at Aston. In many instances, these initial enquiries can be directed to the International Office (erasmus@aston.ac.uk) as a first contact point. Students should specify the area they would like to work in, as well as attaching a recent copy of their CV and this query will be passed on to the relevant school or department. The minimum requirement for an Erasmus+ traineeship is 2 months (60 days), up to a maximum of 12 months (360 days).

The school/department will then review whether they have the capacity to host an Erasmus+ trainee. Normally, this will be an unpaid internship (unless budget is available), and all that will be required from Aston is to supervise the trainee and ensure they have everything they need to complete the internship. The supervisor will also be required to sign off Erasmus+ paperwork that the student will provide from their home institution. The student will receive an Erasmus+ grant from their home institution and all financial arrangements will be made outside of Aston.

Where can students find an Erasmus+ Placement?

Erasmus+ traineeship opportunities are advertised on the ErasmusIntern webpage. If Aston has specific roles available they will be included on this page, however in many cases students roles can be made available based on student enquiries.

If you are a staff member at Aston and would like to promote an Erasmus+ traineeship within your school/department, please contact erasmus@aston.ac.uk

How much funding will student trainees receive?

The grant rate for each country varies depending on the home institution location, the host institution location and the duration. Student applicant’s should first check with their Erasmus+/exchange office that grants are available, and consider whether they have the financial capacity to support themselves whilst abroad.

Key Action 107 (Mobility of Individuals Partner Countries)

This key action is referred to as ‘International Credit Mobility’, which enables mobility to and from partner countries (outside of the EU). A list of participating countries can be found here. To date, successful student exchange projects have included activity in Brazil, Russia, Taiwan, Thailand, Ukraine, USA and Uzbekistan amongst others. Students cannot apply for this funding and instead will be contacted if eligible (applications are made by the University for Specific Areas each year and is highly competitive).

If you are a student from an institution outside of Europe, you may still enquire about traineeships however Erasmus+ funding is not guaranteed.

Find out more

To find out more about the scheme, discuss a potential opportunity or ask a question, please contact the Erasmus+ Team on erasmus@aston.ac.uk and visit the Erasmus traineeship webpage for further guidance.

If you have any questions about the Erasmus+ programme, please feel free to contact the team on erasmus@aston.ac.uk.

Funded by the European Commission and jointly delivered by Ecorys UK and the British Council.

Information last updated 11/02/2021