Mobility grant for an internship abroad: understanding Erasmus+ funding

What an internship mobility grant really funds

A mobility grant is not a salary. It is a flat-rate contribution towards the extra costs of a stay abroad: travel, housing, insurance and the difference in the cost of living. It is paid to the student regardless of any allowance paid by the host for the internship, and so can be combined with it, subject to the rules of the institution and the country.

The European Erasmus+ programme is the best-known source. It supports internships carried out in a host organisation anywhere in the world, except the institutions and agencies of the European Union themselves. The internship must have educational value linked to the qualification being prepared, and ideally be part of the curriculum.

The exact sum is not set by the Commission for each student: it depends on the budget allocated to your institution, the destination country, the length of stay and criteria specific to your school or university. That is why it is worth asking for the local rates before committing yourself.

Who can apply: students, doctoral candidates, recent graduates

The programme concerns students enrolled at a higher education institution holding the Erasmus Charter for Higher Education, from short-cycle courses up to doctorates. Recent graduates can also apply, generally provided they submitted their application before graduating and do the internship within a period set by the institution after the end of their studies.

Each institution sets its own selection criteria: language level, results, motivation, coherence of the project. Funded places are limited, which means that an admissible application does not automatically bring a grant. Some students go on an internship abroad with Erasmus status but no funding when the budget has run out.

Apprentices and vocational school pupils have similar but separate schemes, managed through other channels. Jobseekers, for their part, come under specific programmes run by France Travail.

How long you can go for

European support covers an internship lasting between two and twelve months per study cycle. The same person can therefore go several times, but the total of their mobility periods, internships and study stays combined, must not exceed twelve months within a given cycle: bachelor’s, master’s or doctorate.

There is also a blended format, which combines a short physical stay abroad, from five to thirty days, with a period of remote work. It suits students who cannot go away for long, for example because of a job, a disability or family obligations.

Before choosing the length, compare it with what your course requires: a compulsory three-month internship does not fit a two-month stay, and a six-month internship may need your academic supervisor’s agreement to move back the date of your thesis defence.

Where to start: the international relations office

You do not apply directly to Brussels. Your contact is the international relations office of your institution, or the internship office for the academic side. In a school offering a higher technical diploma (BTS), the Erasmus teacher in charge plays this role.

It is advisable to launch the project six months to a year before departure. That gives time to find the host organisation, pass the internal selection, sign the documents and book accommodation without paying top prices.

At your first meeting, ask concrete questions:

• What is the application calendar for my internship period?
• What is the monthly rate depending on the destination?
• Which costs is the grant meant to cover?
• On what date, and in how many instalments, is the sum paid?

Documents to sign before leaving

An Erasmus+ internship rests on a set of documents that bind three parties: the student, the sending institution and the host organisation. The most important is the internship agreement, accompanied by a learning agreement setting out the tasks, the learning objectives and how the internship will be assessed or recognised.

Added to these are the mobility contract, which fixes the amount of the grant and how it is paid, and insurance and health cover formalities. Before leaving, it is useful to register on the travellers’ registration service run by the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so that you can be contacted in a crisis.

Also check the country’s entry and work rules: within an EU state, movement is free, but for a destination outside Europe an internship visa may be required, with processing times of several weeks. A signed agreement does not excuse you from thinking about this.

A sample budget for six months abroad

Here is an illustration with round, hypothetical figures that prejudge no official rate. A master’s student goes to a large European city for six months. The internship pays an allowance of 600 euros a month, a room costs 650 euros in rent, meals and local transport cost 400 euros, insurance 40 euros, and the return ticket 250 euros.

Total spending reaches about 6,000 euros over six months, against 3,600 euros of allowance. The gap of 2,400 euros is what the grant, regional support, family help or savings must fill. If the grant is 350 euros a month, or 2,100 euros, a hole of 300 euros remains, plus the housing deposit advanced on arrival.

This exercise shows the need for a cash cushion: the first instalment of the grant may arrive after the internship has begun.

Combining the grant with other support

The Erasmus+ grant is not the only possible resource. Several local authorities offer support for international mobility: some regions fund the journey or top up the grant for company internships, while others help students on low incomes. Conditions vary a great deal from one area to another.

Top-ups may exist within Erasmus+, for example for students on need-based grants or for those who travel by a low-carbon means of transport. Whether they exist and how much they are depends on the institution and the year: ask for them explicitly, as they are not always offered spontaneously.

Also bear in mind the French need-based grants, which can be kept during a mobility period under the ministry’s rules, as well as support from associations and foundations for young people. A national directory lists them by status and by region.

Finding your host organisation and preparing your application

Funding does not replace the search for the internship itself. Start with your institution’s networks: alumni living abroad, partnerships with companies or laboratories, offers circulated by the careers service. Complete this with internship platforms and bilateral chambers of commerce, which know the French-speaking companies abroad.

Adapt your application to the country: a two-page CV is common in France, while a one-page version is sometimes expected elsewhere, with or without a photo depending on local custom. The cover letter should state your availability, your language level and your reason for choosing the destination.

Prepare for a video interview in the working language. Recruiters often check this point before looking at the substance of your project.

Mistakes to avoid before committing

The most common mistake is to budget on a grant you assume is secured. Until the institution’s decision is notified in writing, it does not exist. Another trap is buying your ticket before the internship agreement is signed, at the risk of losing the money if the placement is cancelled.

Do not neglect liability insurance and medical cover either: an accident in a country outside the Union can be very expensive. Finally, do not overlook recognition of the internship: if your course does not provide for it to be validated, the stay will not count towards your degree and the grant may be called into question.

Once there, keep your receipts, answer the surveys requested at the end of the stay and respect the end dates: some support can be reclaimed if commitments are not honoured.