Eligibility

Find out if you are eligible to work abroad with support from Erasmus+ traineeship funding.

General eligibility

You

All University of Edinburgh students currently enrolled on a degree at the University can apply for Erasmus+ Traineeship funding, including part-time and distance learners.

You can be in any school and at any study level. You can claim a maximum total of 12 months’ Erasmus funding within the same degree (Bachelor/Master/PhD). You can apply for funding more than once, but you should submit a separate application for each placement.

For students on a compulsory or voluntary traineeship or work placement, the activity undertaken abroad will be recorded on your HEAR. 

Find out more about HEAR

Please be advised that additional rules apply if you wish to do a placement immediately after your degree. These are known as graduate traineeships.

Your placement

In order to be eligible for funding, your placement must:

• Have a duration of 2 to 12 months
• Take place in Europe in an EU or EEA country
  • List of Erasmus+ participating countries
• Demonstrate a clear learning opportunity (i.e. the activity must be relevant to your degree or your future career)

Please note, if you return before two months, you will be asked to repay all Erasmus+ funding you have received in connection with your traineeship.

There are three types of placement, which are all eligible for the same level of funding:

• Compulsory placements (undertaken as part of your degree programme)
• Voluntary placements (not compulsory for your degree programme)
• Graduate placements (starting after graduation)

We cannot fund traineeships that have already started, or fund traineeships for a partial period only.

Graduate traineeships

If you’re planning to apply for Erasmus for a placement starting after your degree, additional rules apply:

• You must apply or register for funding before your graduation
• If you’ve already secured a placement before your graduation, you can apply for funding straight away
  • Find out more about how to apply for funding
• If you haven’t yet secured a placement, remember to register your interest while you are still a current student
  • Register your interest for a graduate traineeship
• Your placement must start after graduation
• If you are required by your employer to start your placement before, you should email workplacements@ed.ac.uk a letter from your University of Edinburgh school stating that you have completed all your degree requirements and are expected to graduate successfully
• You must complete your placement within 12 months of your graduation

If you have previously received Erasmus+ funding for a study exchange or traineeship, make sure your graduate placement does not exceed the total maximum of 12 months’ funding. For instance, if you received 9 months’ funding during your undergraduate degree, you can claim a maximum of 3 months’ funding towards a placement after graduation.

For recent graduates, voluntary work placements will be registered using Europass Mobility document. The document will be issued by Student Exchanges Team and sent to the students to be completed – this will be done up to one month before the end of the placement.

Find out more about the Europass Mobility document

PhD Students

If you’re studying for a PhD, the Erasmus+ Traineeship offers a fantastic opportunity to develop your research skills, grow your academic connections and put your expertise into practise. For instance, you can apply for funding towards:

• A supervised research placement at another university, an institute or with an expert in your field of specialisation
• Field work for data collecting or to test your research findings
• Hands-on experience in a laboratory or specialised organisation
• Using your expertise as a specialist within a work organisation

If you’re planning to go abroad during term time, we recommend that you ask your school for a Leave of Absence before committing to the placement.

How likely am I to receive Erasmus+ funding?

We aim to fund all work placements that meet the eligibility criteria for Erasmus funding, as long as they are submitted in full at least four weeks before the start date. Last year, we approved over 95% of applications for Erasmus+ Traineeship funding.

We can only approve your application once you have secured a placement and submitted an online application. If you’d like to know in advance if your project will be eligible for funding, email workplacements@ed.ac.uk with a summary of the placement you are planning to do (expected start and end date, outline of your position and responsibilities).