The Go Abroad for Staff programme provides funds for a range of short training and teaching activities abroad.
Visits normally last around a week, with a minimum of 8 hours of training or teaching activity required per week (or part of week if the visit is shorter).
Training visits
Academic and professional services staff can apply for funding to support short training visits abroad to partner institutions to support their professional development. Visits normally last one week and funds can support a range of professional development activities.
Any member of staff (academic or non-academic) with a current contract of employment with the University of Edinburgh may apply for this funding.
What kind of training can I do?
Funding can be used to support a variety of professional development activities. These could include:
- Job shadowing or observation periods
- Attendance on workshops, courses or specific competence-building events
- Participation in a European staff training week
Training programmes should be built around personal and professional development, and may include knowledge transfer, sharing good practice, learning from shared experience, acquiring practical skills or discovering new ideas for learning and teaching.
Applicants should note that conferences cannot be funded through this programme.
Staff training weeks in Europe
Many HEIs in Europe offer staff training weeks which offer a fixed training programme and provide an opportunity to meet with colleagues from many other universities in related fields at the same time.
Staff weeks may include a combination of presentations, workshops, networking activities and cultural activities. They may be themed to attract participants from the same area of work. They can be a good introduction to your host institution and country and, as there are usually participants from many institutions and countries, can be a good networking opportunity.
Please note that some training weeks have an attached cost and the Erasmus+ grant does not cover course or registration fees charged by the host institution. The Erasmus+ subsistence grant may be used towards such costs. Alternatively, applicants may wish to discuss with their line managers whether any departmental funds are available to support staff training or professional development activities. Where neither option will cover costs, then the cost of the course would fall to the participant.
Find International Staff Training weeks in Europe
The course was fantastic, the people hosting were fantastic and the people on the course were fantastic – a great experience… I have met many new people who I have no doubt I will continue to keep in touch with and undoubtedly assist or point in the right direction when they or their colleagues have any questions, comments or enquires regarding University of Edinburgh.
Wendy Groome-Vine, Estates Financeattended a Staff Training Week at UP Valencia
Teaching visits
Academic staff can apply for funding to support short teaching visits abroad to partner institutions. Teaching activity may take the form of lectures, seminars, one-to-ones, PhD supervision, etc. It can be at any level and could include teaching a summer programme.
It's also possible to combine a teaching and training week, with a reduced teaching load of 4 hours per week - this could enable academic staff to gain some teaching experience as well as attending a workshop or training course or participating in a collaborative activity, research or similar.
You can apply for funding to support a teaching visit to any non-UK European university with which we have a valid Erasmus+ bilateral agreement or to one of our partners outside Europe.
I just completed the week in Munich and it has been great, with a high attendance to my lectures and a very fruitful exchange with staff and students.
Manuel Fernandez-Gotz, ArchaeologyUndertook a teaching visit to LMU Munich
Find an opportunity
It's up to you to identify and secure your own teaching or training opportunity. Here are some of the ways you could investigate your options:
- Check the websites of our existing Erasmus+ and ICM partner institutions to see what staff mobility opportunities they offer.
- Speak to colleagues and contacts at UofE and elsewhere. Find out which institutions are good at what you want to learn.
- Join the Go Abroad Staff Facebook group to get in touch with other UofE staff who have applied or participated.
- Visit the Teaching Matters blog to find out what others have done.
Read about the experiences of Maria Fusco, Kelly Hall, Janet Forbes, Hillary Cementina, Jan Gardiner and Nicola Galloway. They participated in a range of activities, including being a visiting academic, and job shadowing:
Read about the experience of Lorna Bruce, who participated in a staff training week in Lisbon:
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