Erasmus+ traineeship grant
The Erasmus programme, the premier scheme for students throughout the EU who wish to study abroad, comes with a series of possible scholarships that are designed to aid students in funding the international internship programme of their choice. International internships give students an invaluable international experience. Prospective employers often favour candidates with such international experience when considering job applications.
General terms and conditions of Erasmus+ traineeship abroad
Where and for how long?
- Traineeship can be carried out in EU member countries as well as in Iceland, Norway, Liechtenstein, Turkey, Republic of North Macedonia and Serbia. Traineeship in UK can be carried out until May 2022.
- Each student must find the traineeship positionship on his/her own. You can see some recommendations for finding a position here. You may complete your traineeship in any company or organisation (including higher education institutions) whose area of activity or profile corresponds to the requirements set for your traineeship. You cannot do your traineeship in institutions of the European Union or organisations implementing programmes of the European Union. Embassies and consulates are allowed for the traineeship.
- Exceptions include physiotherapy students who compete for the traineeship grant through the student exchange competition due to contracts with partner universities. Such students must compete once a year for study exchange grant under the terms and conditions of student exchange.
- The traineeship minimum period is for 2 months (60 days) and one time maxium period is for 6 months (in some cases, extension of the grant might be possible). At the same time Erasmus grants may be received several times for study or traineeships abroad, totalling up to 12 months maximum per each level of study. For example you can get Erasmus grant: 5 months for studies, 5 months for traineeship and 2 months for recent graduate traineeship.
Study related requirements
- The traineeship to be carried out within the Erasmus programme must be a part of the student's study programme at UT. That means traineeship needs to be done under any kind of traineeship course available at UT. There is no minimum or maxium credit points requirements. The content of the traineeship abroad should be previously agreed on with the programme manager of your studies at UT or with the traineeship supervisor at UT and the host institution. Before going abroad for the traineeship, the student must apply for a recognition of the traineeship abroad: that means a study plan with a traineeship plan and Online Learning Agreement (OLA) for trainee must be submitted to the Institute/College/School's office.
- During your traineeship, you will be registered as a study abroad student. It is possible to get extention of your nominal studies only in case your traineeship course gives at least 15 ECTS of your curriculum at UT.
- Students studying in fee-based places must pay 30% of their tuition fee to the UT during their traineeship abroad.
- Please also see: Regulations for studying abroad
PhD students traineeship
A traineeship abroad can be counted as a practical part of a doctoral thesis. ECTS for the traineeship will be recognised at attestation.
Recent graduates traineeship
- Application for the Erasmus grant has to be submitted before graduation.
- Traineeship must be carried out during the 12 months after the date of your graduation.
- Traineeship is not part of the study programme and student will not get ECTS for the traineeship abroad therefore the study and traineeship plan are not necessary.
- Recent graduates traineeship period is calculated based on the amount of time spent in Erasmus during the student`s most recently completed study level (for example, if you have done an internship and/or studied with the Erasmus+ programme during your Master's studies for a total of 9 months, then as a recent graduate you still have the possibility to do an internship for 3 months).
- During your entire traineeship period you cannot be a student in any educational institution.
Insurance during the traineeship
Student needs to have a valid health insurance policy for the periood of traineeship. If the receiving organisation does not provide the trainee with accident and liability insurance, it is, according to the Erasmus training agreement, up to the student to find his/her own insurance plan.
Deadlines and application documents
Deadlines
If you would like to apply for a grant to fund your traineeship, the next deadlines are:
15. April 2021
31. May 2021
15. August 2021
The minimum period for submitting the documents is at least 1 month before the start of the traineeship! NB! Please note, we can give the traineeship grant only in case it takes place physically at least for 2 months from the whole period!
Application documents
In order to apply for a grant for a traineeship abroad, applicants must submit the following documents:
1. Erasmus traineeship grant application
2. Erasmus+ Online Learning Agreement (OLA) for Trainees: learning-agreement.eu When completing you "OLA for Trainees" please note the following:
- Sending Institution contact information: University of Tartu, Ülikooli 18, Tartu 50090, Erasmus code: EE Tartu 02, contact e-mail: erasmustraineeship [ät] ut.ee, phone +3727376019
- Receiving Organisation/Enterprise contact person: the one who is going to sign your agreement (your direct supervisor).
- Responsible person at the Sending Institution is the University of Tartu contact person
- OLA is touchscreen signed by all sides. Once it is signed, you will receive signed pdf document to your e-mail. Please send the final OLA version to Erasmus coordinator erasmustraineeship [ät] ut.ee
3. Certificate which proves B2 level of the language, depending of the language of instruction of the traineeship (English language certificate is not required if you are studying in English taught programme at UT)
In order to get approval to your Erasmus Training Agreement by UT side (required!), you should additionally submit to your Insitute/Collage/School the following documents (not required from recent graduates):
- a study plan (to open the link in Goolge Chrome, please click "open link in new window")
- a traineeship plan
- OLA for Trainees
The Erasmus grant
The Erasmus grant agreement
Before going abroad, you should enter into an Erasmus programme grant agreement with UT. Under this agreement, students undertake to do the traineeship at the foreign university or other institution during the period set out in the agreement and to submit written confirmation from the partner university of their traineeship achievements. The agreement also stipulates the amount of the grant. In the event that students fail to perform their obligations under the agreement, the university is entitled to demand repayment of the grant and cancel the traineeship period.
Grant
The Erasmus traineeship grant does not cover all of the expenses of working abroad. The grant is first and foremost meant to cover your travel costs and the gap in living standards in different countries. Be prepared to cover the cost of your traineeship to a certain extent yourself. The university will transfer your grant to your (Estonian) bank account immediately prior to the traineeship period (usually within two weeks of you signing the grant agreement). The size of the grant is determined separately each year and the exact size of the grant is not known at the time the competition is going on. NB! The host institutions do not offer free accommodation!
The European Commission's grant amounts for academic year 2020/21 and 2021/22 (2019 and 2020 project) for UT students for traineeships abroad are the following:
Group of receiving countries |
Countries |
Monthly grant |
Countries with high cost of living
|
Ireland, Island, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, Sweden, Finland, Denmark, United Kingdom.
|
720 euros per month (30 days in month) |
Countries with medium cost of living | Austria, Belgium, The Netherlands, Spain, Italy, Greece, Cyprus, Malta, Portugal, France, Germany. | 720 euros per month (30 days in month) |
Countries with low cost of living |
Bulgaria, Croatia, Macedonia (FYROM), Lithuania, Latvia, Poland, Rumenia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Czech Republic, Turkey, Hungary. |
670 euros per month (30 days in month) |
Erasmus online language test and language course
The Online Linguistic Support (OLS) language assessment is mandatory for all participants with one of the following languages as the main language of instruction at the host: English, French, German, Dutch, Italian, Spanish, Polish, Czech, Danish, Greek, Portuguese, Swedish, Bulgarian, Croatian, Hungarian, Rumanian, Slovakian or Finnish (with the exception of native speakers).
You must take the assessment twice - before and at the end of your mobility period. The online assessment assesses your language skills - listening, reading and writing - according to the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). In addition, selected participants may follow an online language course to improve their competence. Assessment results do not prevent you from taking part in the mobility program. The invitation to the assessment is sent to you via OLS to your e-mail.
Insurance contract
All Erasmus+ traineeship going students must have medical, accident and liability insurance in order to take part Erasmus traineeship abroad programme. If the receiving organisation does not provide the trainee with accident or liability insurance, it is according to the Erasmus training agreement up to the student to contract insurance. Here are some liability and accident insurances by Protrip-world and EduCare24, but you can choose also any other insurance company.
Reporting and sharing
After returning to Tartu, you have to submit the following to the Study Abroad Centre within 1 month of the expiry of the agreement:
- Traineeship certificate, indicating the length of your traineeship period with the respective dates and a short evaluation (written by your supervisor in host organisation, copy); and
- EU-survey report (the link is sent to the e-mail);
- OLS II language test (the link is sent to the e-mail).
In order to credit the traineeship made abroad as part of your own study programme at the University of Tartu, you should submit the report or other practical training results to your traineeship supervisor, the grade or result for the internship course will be written to the Traineeship plan (Annex of the Study plan) and the institute/college will transfer the ECTS to your curriculum. This is also an important requirement of the traineeship abroad regulations of UT and the grant agreement that the traineeship subject credits will be transfered and shown on your diploma (akadeemiline õiend).
If you need any further information on Erasmus programme, you are always welcome to contact the Study Abroad Centre.
Share your experience
If you are a University of Tartu student that has returned from an international traineeship, and you feel you would like to contribute to our Traineeshio Blog then please tell us about your experience to help other UT students to find the traineeship place!
As you fill out the form, please think about how you would discuss your experience in a semi-casual yet professional setting. Such as to a group of unfamiliar students or to a future employer. Avoid acronyms and jargon that may be unfamiliar to readers. Feel free to write in a more narrative style than a research report. Be candid and honest!