What do you get out of going?

Taking a part of your vocational education and training abroad gives you additional competences. You get more self-confidence and learn to deal with situations in a new and unfamiliar context. You will get to know young people attending the same type of education as yourself and learn how things are done similarly and differently across Europe.

Most study modules will have participants from several countries in Europe. English is their common language and if you are not a native English speaker, well, 3 weeks abroad will definitely improve your English.

If you are native English speaker this is your chance to train how to cooperate and explain yourself. Being in a multilingual and multicultural environment gives you a challenging and exciting platform to develop both professionally and as a person. 

Going abroad through your institution and the EMEU network ensures that the knowledge and skills you acquire are relevant for your education. At the end of your stay at an EU partner college, your learning is assessed. The contact between your own institution and the partner you have stayed with, ensures that your learning is accredited as part of your vocational education and training at home.

In some countries, it is possible to get a work placement after finishing the study module at the partner school. This gives you an additional chance to learn about the work culture and practise your knowledge and skills.

The EMEU network consists of 25 vocational schools from 8 countries; Spain,  Finland, The Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Estonia, Ireland and United Kingdom.

Not all partners and countries might provide opportunties in your particular field. You can learn more about the partners here.

How to travel and where to stay?

Your teacher or international coordinator can help you apply and help you go through all the practical matters concerning your stay abroad, such as travel, accommodation and insurance. 

Ask your international coordinator if the EMEU partner offering a module, has guidelines for you to follow, e.g. regarding college accommodation.

You will find detailed information about the partner college here. If you don’t find the information you need, please contact your teacher or take a look at the FAQ.

Where to stay and what to bring?

You are welcome to organize your own accommodation. The partner college may be of help organizing accommodation for you. For example, at a hostel, college dormitory or with a host family. In some accommodations meals are included. In some countries all students get free meals at school.

In most cases, you are expected to arrive on Sunday and start the study module on Monday morning. If you arrive before Sunday,  you need to make sure that you can have access to the college accommodation at that time. This is not always possible, so make certain before you book your flight.

Enquire with the partner college what kind of working clothes and safety equipment you should bring. The partner college will give you the tools you need to do the study module.

If your college is a member of the EMEU network, you do not need to pay for attending the module. What you have to pay for, though, is your travel, accommodation, food and your spending money.

If your college applies for Erasmus+ subsidy, contact your international coördinator to see if you can receive a subsidy as well. After all, it will help you to cover a large part of your costs.
All EMEU partners will try and help you keeping the cost of accommodation as low as possible, but some countries are simply more expensive than others. Try and take this into account when you plan your budget

Are you ready to go abroad?

To use the EMEU network for going abroad, your vocational school needs to be a memberof the network.  You should contact your teacher and together you can decide which modules are relevant for you. It is solely your teacher or international coördinator who can sign you up for a module. If the module coincides with your work placement in a company, you need to get approval  to go abroad from the company.

Most EMEU partners only accept applicants above 18 years. If you are under the age of 18, please make sure to have the approval of the receiving institution as well as a signed approval from your parents.

Before you and your teacher sign you up, you must have written your CV and a motivation letter. You find more information on how to prepare these documents here.

Can you manage on your own?

Living on your own is different from living with your parents. Washing your own clothes, preparing your own food and cleaning the room that you will probably share with a classmate, they are only a few of the daily chores. Besides that you need to be at school or work on time every morning, so you can’t do without an alarm clock. Personal hygiene is a matter of course.

You are advised to budget your money to make sure that you have money until the day you leave. Travelling from your accommodation to the college or workplace you have to organise as well. If you can, talk with a student who has lived abroad for a while as well and ask for some pointers on how to manage on your own best. 

Prepare yourself for differences!

You need to prepare yourself for challenges when you are at the new college. It is completely natural to experience a culture shock when you go abroad for more than just a short holiday. At a certain point you might ask yourself ‘why on earth am I doing this?’ but don’t worry too much about this. Everybody has the same feeling no wand then. Don’t give up; go out, meet people, visit places and make the most of your stay abroad! Make sure that you always have someone you can talk to when you need some support. Maybe your teacher, your parents or a good friend.

Who pays for the mobility? Me/the college/funds?

When your college is part of the EMEU Network you don´t pay for attending the module. You have to pay for travel, accommodation, food and allowance though.

Your vocational college will have applied for funds in the European programme for educations ERASMUS+. Contact your teacher or international coordinator to know if there are available funds. If you get an ERASMUS+ mobility subsidy it will be a considerable support to your cost and in some cases will cover all costs apart from spending money.

All modules are planned to include a group of international students. In the description of the module you can see how many international students can be accepted. You will always be together with students from the ‘home college’.

Yes, you can go more than once. If you can get ERASMUS+ mobility funding more than once depends on your college. Ask your teacher or international coordinator.

No, the intentions are that all modules in the EMEU network will be accredited as an integrated part of your education. When in doubt, your teacher can contact the teacher of the module to make sure of the relevance.

It depends on your college and national policies if your module abroad will be written on your final diploma. You will always get a certificate of the module which you can use when applying for a job or apprenticeship.

The cooperation between your college and the EMEU network ensures that your learning is accredited as part of your vocational education and training at home. At the end of module and work placement, your learning is assessed according to the assessment criteria mentioned in the module description.

The college responsible for the module will help organize accommodation. You will be accommodated at a hostel, college dormitory or with a host family. In some accommodations, meals are included.

In most cases it is possible to go even if you are not that strong in English. In the module description it is stated which level is needed as a minimum to apply for the module. You can find a link to test your English here.

All modules are taught in English. The national language will obviously also be in the classroom, so it is always a good idea to know the basic phrases of the local language as well.

It differs from college to college who organizes the trip. It also depends on whether the college has funds to support you or not. Ask your teacher or international coordinator.

It is completely normal to experience a crisis after some time abroad. This is called ‘culture shock’. But don’t let it ruin the experience for you. Talk to the teacher, the other students, call your teacher at home, your parents or your friends. Someone who can help you get a fresh perspective on things.

If you are absolutely unable to cope and get through the rough time and just want to go home – well it is possible of course. If you have an ERASMUS+ grant there are strict rules and you probably have to pay back the grant.

In theory you can stay on vacation at your own cost. In practice the mobility is an integrated part of your educational programme and you probably have to start in your own college back home Monday morning. Talk to your teacher or international coordinator what is possible in your case.

In some countries, it is possible to get a work placement after finishing the module at the partner college. This gives you an additional chance to learn about the work culture and practise your knowledge and skills.

The ERASMUS+ funds for mobility also cover your work placement period. Contact your teacher or international coordinator to know if your institution has available funds you can apply for and how the procedure is for you to obtain the financial support.