Traineeships

What is Erasmus+?

1. Students can use the Erasmus+ programme to spend some time abroad at an institute, company or foreign (partner) university.
2. These exchanges are funded by the European Commission. The Erasmus+ programme aims to stimulate cooperation in higher education.
3. All UvA degree programmes participate in the European Erasmus+ Programme.
4. This means that the individual degree programmes have concluded student exchange agreements with partner universities in the European member states, Iceland, Liechtenstein, North Macedonia, Norway and Turkey.
5. Check your faculty’s website for an overview and for more information about the registration procedures. You can also take a look at the UvA World Map.
6. More general information about Erasmus+ can be found on www.wilweg.nl (in Dutch).
7. Are you already nominated to go on exchange? Then you can find all the necessary information at the International Office of your faculty, and the Central Erasmus Office which will contact you as soon as you have been nominated.

1. You can go abroad for a study and/or internship as part of the Erasmus+ Programme for a maximum of 12 months in each phase of study. This means you can spend up to 12 months abroad during your Bachelor’s study and up to 12 months abroad during your Master’s study for an exchange, research project, or work placement.
2. An internship period has to be 2 to 12 months, a study period has to be 3 to 12 months.
3. You may go abroad multiple times for study and/or an internship, provided that you do not exceed the 12-month limit for each phase of study.
4. The same applies to PhD students: you may also go abroad for study and/or an internship for up to 12 months.
5. However, keep in mind that you might only receive an Erasmus+ grant once.

1. As an Erasmus+ student, you can apply for an Erasmus+ grant which you can use to help cover additional living and travel costs during your stay abroad.
2. The grant amount is determined annually by Nuffic, the Dutch organisation for internationalisation in education, and is linked to the destination country.
3. The available amounts for a traineeship exchange are shown below per destination.
4. The grant is awarded based on the actual duration of the stay abroad. This year, there is no maximum grant period.

 

Maximum available amount	Destination
€480 per month €16 per day	Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, Sweden, United Kingdom, Liechtenstein, Norway
€420 per month €14 per day	Austria, Belgium, Germany, France, Italy, Greece, Spain, Cyprus,  Malta, Portugal
€360 per month €12 per day	Bulgaria, Croatia, Czech Republic, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Slovakia, Slovenia, North Macedonia, Turkey

The general conditions regarding eligibility for an Erasmus+ grant are available on www.wilweg.nl (in Dutch). We have provided a quick overview for you here:

1. You remain enrolled at the UvA.
2. Study programmes can set their own additional requirements and conditions.
3. You will only be eligible for the grant if you are selected for a place at an institute, company of foreign (partner) university by your faculty. Students who are selected for this by their study programme will be automatically nominated for an Erasmus+ grant by the Central Erasmus Office of the UvA.
4. Your activities abroad must be part of your studies and you must receive credit points.
5. It is a full-time work placement/research project (35-40 hours per week).
6. The institute at which you are going to do your traineeship is willing to sign and complete an Erasmus Learning Agreement for Traineeships.

You need to have registered for Erasmus+ at least one month before your traineeship begins. Ask your faculty's international office which registration procedures you need to follow.

1. The Erasmus+ programme also gives you the opportunity to do a work-related internship abroad with an Erasmus+ grant after you graduate.
2. The internship can start before or after your graduation. It has to finish in the first year after your graduation.
3. This can be a fantastic springboard for an international job, because this will enable you to gain foreign work experience. You can also use this to expand your CV.
4. Apply for this grant through the International Office of your faculty. It is mandatory to apply before graduating, while still being in your final academic year.

1.1. What do I have to do if my traineeship/internship has been cancelled, interrupted, or if I continue it from the Netherlands, due to the corona crisis?

If your traineeship/internship has been postponed, cancelled, interrupted, or if you continue it from a different country, you have to apply for force majeure to retain your right to the Erasmus grant.

Namely, it might be through force majeure that you are not able to satisfy the usual requirements set for Erasmus traineeships/internships. The UvA has to apply for force majeure regulations for you at the national Erasmus organization. If the application is approved, you retain your right to the Erasmus grant, while some requirements will be cancelled.

Only when you continue your internship/traineeship assignment from the host country, you don’t have to apply for force majeure. In this case it doesn’t matter if you follow the courses digitally or not.

Please note: for all other cases of force majeure (that aren't related to the corona crisis), see the general conditions of the Grant Agreement.

 

1.2. How do I apply for force majeure, and what do I need for this?

For the force majeure application you need to provide a few documents.

For the students who left the host country and are not proceeding with their traineeship online or in any other way, the following documents are required:

1. A Learning Agreement – After Mobility which states the real begin and end date of the traineeship/internship. The end date in this case is the day on which you left the host country. A template of the Learning Agreement – After Mobility can be found at your faculty International Office.
2. If applicable an e-mail/letter from the host institution that the traineeship/internship has been cancelled or that working at the institution is no longer possible, if you received one.

Please send the documents in one e-mail to erasmus-sts@uva.nl, with subject ‘Force Majeure Traineeship – [Student name]’

For the students who have left the host country and are online continuing with their activities the following cases are required:

1. An email in which you declare that you have left your host country and are continuing online with the traineeship/internship activities.
2. If applicable an e-mail/letter from the host institution that the traineeship/internship has been cancelled, if you received one.

Please send the documents in one e-mail to erasmus-sts@uva.nl, with subject ‘Force Majeure Traineeship – [Student name]’

For the students who already have send us an email no further action is required. Only for the students who are continuing online a Learning Agreement – After mobility is needed after they have completed their online activities.  

 

2. The host institution is closed, but I can work on my internship assignment from the Netherlands. Does this suffice to keep the Erasmus grant?

Yes. You can keep the grant if you can continue the internship activities online. In this exceptional situation caused by the corona virus it does not matter if you do these in the Netherlands, the host country, your home country or any other country.

Please note: in this scenario you have to apply for force majeure, except when you continue your traineeship/internship from the host country.

 

3. Can I keep my whole grant amount, even if I have cancelled my traineeship/internship due to force majeure?

Yes, you retain the right to the grant. If your traineeship/internship ended earlier than planned due to corona, and the force majeure application is approved, your grant amount will be as mentioned on the Grant Agreement, based on the planned end date of the traineeship/internship instead of the actual end date. But the grant amount can change if the begin date on the Grant Agreement differs from the one on the Learning Agreement – After Mobility.

 

4.1 Can I receive a higher grant amount than what is stated on my Grant Agreement?

That is possible. If you made extra costs, for example when you had to buy an extra ticket due to repatriation or continuing rent, these costs can be reimbursed through the Erasmus program. An application for a Travel Grant is only possible when:

1. The costs cannot be recovered elsewhere, e.g. through travel insurance.
2. The total amount of the grant is less than the specified costs.

In case you are not fulfilling the above mentioned points it is not useful to email us that you still want to apply. These are the requirements set up by the European Union from which we cannot deviate. For the Travel Grant application you need to provide the following documents:

1. The invoice, or other proof of the specified costs.
2. Proof that the specified costs cannot be recovered elsewhere. For example a confirmation e-mail from the travel insurance or landlord.

Please send the documents in one e-mail to erasmus-sts@uva.nl, with subject ‘Travel Grant Traineeship – [Student name]’.

 

4.2 What is the total amount of my grant?

An estimate of the total amount for the mobility can be found on you Grant Agreement. It might happen that the start- and/or end date differ. If this is the case, the total grant can be compensated with the grant per day for the days the mobility period differs. The grant per day can also be found on the Grant Agreement.

 

5. My traineeship/internship is cancelled due to the corona crisis, but costs have already been made. Which costs can be reimbursed through the Erasmus program?

The actual made travel costs can be declared, but also extra accommodation costs. You need to be able to show a proof of payment for these extra costs. The application for this is the same as in point 4.

 

6. I can postpone my traineeship/internship to next year, but I have already bought a ticket. Can these costs be reimbursed?

Yes that is possible. The instructions are the same as for a cancelled traineeship/internship.

 

6.1. I am interrupting my traineeship/internship, what are the possibilities?

Please ask your faculty international office.

 

7. Are a second OLS assessment and doing the EU Survey mandatory in case of force majeure?

No they are not mandatory. You will still automatically receive an invitation for the second OLS assessment and the EU Survey. Especially when you were abroad for a longer period of time, we strongly prefer you do the EU Survey.

 

8.1. Is a Learning Agreement – After Mobility with the real begin and end date mandatory if I interrupt my traineeship/internship?

Yes. The Learning Agreement – After Mobility with the actual begin and end date is necessary as evidence that you worked at the host institution, and for which period.

 

8.2. Which end date should be on my Learning Agreement – After Mobility?

If you interrupt your traineeship/internship and don’t continue it online, the last day before the closing of the host institution can be filled in. The end date on the Learning Agreement – After Mobility will not influence your grant amount.

If you continue your traineeship/internship online from another country than the host institution’s country, it is mandatory to submit a Learning Agreement - After Mobility with the exact start and end date after the last day of your online activity in order to fully complete your dossier.  When this document is approved we will proceed with the reimbursement of the last instalment.
In case you already have submitted a Learning Agreement – After Mobility for the application of the Force Majeure, you still need to resubmit the document after you have completed the online activities with the exact start and end date. In this case the already sent Learning Agreement – After Mobility is considered as not being sent.

 

9. I have returned to the Netherlands sooner than planned. What do I have to with with the public transport reimbursement (OV-vergoeding)?

Please contact DUO (the Dutch Executive Education Agency). The UvA does not communicate to DUO when a student returns, and the UvA has no authority over the public transport reimbursement.