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.

This corona FAQ applies to all traineeships/internships started 1 October 2020 and later. If you want the FAQ applicable for traineeships/internships started prior to 1 October 2020, please contact erasmus-sts@uva.nl.

 

1.1. When should I apply for force majeure?

You have to apply for force majeure to retain your right to the Erasmus grant if your traineeship/internship has been interrupted, that is you already started your exchange and you had to leave your destination country due to corona developments. This includes

• continuing online from a different country,
• postponing the rest of the exchange to a later date,
• ceasing the exchange completely.

If your traineeship/internship has been cancelled, you lose your right to the Erasmus grant. If you already made costs, there is a possibility for compensation. In this specific case, you need to request force majeure.

Please read section 6 for the effects on your grant amount.

Only when you continue your traineeship/internship assignment online from the destination country you do not have to apply for force majeure. However, please contact your International Office with any changes in your situation.

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

1.2. How do I apply for force majeure?

You can only apply for force majeure if your Grant Agreement and Learning Agreement – Before Mobility are approved. To apply for force majeure, you need to provide a few documents. Please send the documents in one e-mail to erasmus-sts@uva.nl, with subject ‘Force Majeure Traineeship – [Student name]’.

If you left the destination country and you are continuing your traineeship/internship online, the following are needed:

1. An e-mail in which you inform us that you have left your destination country and you are continuing your traineeship/internship online.
2. An e-mail/letter from your host institution that work on site is no longer possible, if you received one.

If you left the destination country and you are not continuing your traineeship/internship in any way, the following are needed:

1. A Learning Agreement – After Mobility. The end date in this case is the day on which you left the destination country. The Learning Agreement – After Mobility can be provided by your International Office.
2. An e-mail/letter from your host institution that the traineeship/internship has been cancelled or that work on site is no longer possible, if you received one.

Please note that if you are continuing your traineeship/internship online a Learning Agreement – After Mobility is still needed after completing your (online part of the) traineeship/internship (see section 6).

 

2. The host institution is closed, but I can start my traineeship/internship online from the Netherlands. Does this suffice to keep the Erasmus grant?

No. In order to obtain the right to the Erasmus grant, you must start your traineeship/internship at the host institution. If you started your traineeship/internship assignment at the host institution, you retain your grant right if you can continue the traineeship/internship activities online. In this exceptional situation caused by the corona virus it does not matter if you do this from the Netherlands, the destination country, your home country, or any other country.

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

 

3.1. My traineeship/internship is interrupted due to corona. What are my grant and reimbursement possibilities?

Your traineeship/internship is interrupted if you already started your exchange and you had to leave your destination country due to corona developments.

If you continue your traineeship/internship in the Netherlands through online means, you keep your right to the grant. You can receive Erasmus+ grant for the time your traineeship/internship was done online.

If you are planning to continue your traineeship/internship in your destination country at a later time, please inform your International Office about your plans and inform erasmus-sts@uva.nl about the new timeline. You will not receive Erasmus+ grant for the time in between your exchange periods. You can receive Erasmus+ grant for both exchange periods.

If you cannot continue your traineeship/internship online, you can only get Erasmus+ grant for the time you did the exchange in the destination country.

You might have made expenses in preparation for your traineeship/internship before you knew it was postponed. If these expenses were made when the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a green or yellow travel advice for your destination, they might be reimbursable through the Erasmus programme. Please contact erasmus-sts@uva.nl for these reimbursement possibilities. You can find the ministry’s travel advice in Dutch here.

Please note: if you did your exchange to a country with an orange or red travel advice from the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs (which the UvA does not facilitate) or the exchange period is shorter than two months, you lose all right to the Erasmus+ grant. Any grant instalments you might have received, will have to be reclaimed by us. No force majeure application is possible. 

3.2. My traineeship/internship is cancelled. What are my grant and reimbursement possibilities?

Your traineeship/internship is cancelled if you were not are able to start your planned exchange due to corona developments.

Your Erasmus+ grant will not be awarded. Any grant instalments you might have received, will have to be reclaimed by us. Please contact erasmus-sts@uva.nl.

You might have made expenses in preparation for your traineeship/internship before you knew it was postponed. If these expenses were made when the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a green or yellow travel advice for your destination, they might be reimbursable through the Erasmus programme. Please contact erasmus-sts@uva.nl for these reimbursement possibilities. You can find the ministry’s travel advice in Dutch here.

3.3. My traineeship/internship is postponed to next year. What are my grant and reimbursement possibilities?

Your Erasmus+ grant will not be awarded. Any grant instalments you might have received, will have to be reclaimed by us. Please contact erasmus-sts@uva.nl.

You can be awarded a new Erasmus grant+ for the traineeship/internship you are planning to do next year. Please contact your faculty’s International Office if you are not sure about the (re)application process.

You might have made expenses in preparation for your traineeship/internship before you knew it was postponed. If these expenses were made when the Dutch ministry of Foreign Affairs gave a green or yellow travel advice for your destination, they might be reimbursable through the Erasmus programme. Please contact erasmus-sts@uva.nl for these reimbursement possibilities. You can find the ministry’s travel advice in Dutch here.

 

4. Can I receive compensation for costs higher than my grant amount?

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 reimbursement of the extra costs is only possible when:

1. The costs cannot be recovered elsewhere, e.g. through travel insurance.
2. The awarded 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]’.

 

5. What will be the amount of my Erasmus+ grant?

An estimate of the Erasmus+ grant amount can be found on your Grant Agreement. The grant is determined on the length of your exchange (or equivalently, the number of ‘grant days’). You can find this on your Grant Agreement, articles 2 and 3.

If your exchange is altered by the corona pandemic, its influence on your grant depends on your situation. Please check section 3 to see the effects of interrupted, postponed or cancelled traineeships/internships on the grant.

You might also receive reimbursement on top of your Erasmus+ grant. For these possibilities, please check section 4.

 

6.1 My traineeship/internship is interrupted due to corona. Which documents/activities are mandatory?

Your traineeship/internship is interrupted if you already started your exchange and you had to leave your destination country due to corona developments.

In this case, you need to request a force majeure through the Erasmus office (see section 1). You need to hand in your Learning Agreement - After Mobility and complete the Participant survey. In this case you do not need to complete the second OLS test.  

6.2 My traineeship/internship is cancelled. Which documents/activities are mandatory?

Your traineeship/internship is cancelled if you were not are able to start your planned exchange due to corona developments.

If you have not started your traineeship/internship, no documents are required. You need to update your International Office and erasmus-sts@uva.nl.

In this case your Erasmus+ grant will not be awarded, please check section 3.2. If you have already made costs, there is a possibility to acquire compensation (see section 4). In this case, you need to contact the Erasmus office to request a force majeure (see section 1.2).

6.3 My traineeship/internship is continued online. Which documents/activities are mandatory?

If you have continued your traineeship/internship online, you need to fulfil the standard requirements of the Erasmus+ programme. This means you hand in your Learning Agreement – After Mobility after completing your traineeship/internship, you complete the second OLS test, and you complete the participant survey.

Please be aware: If you continue your traineeship/internship in your home country, you must request a force majeure (see section 1.2).

 

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

If you interrupt your traineeship/internship and do not continue it online, the end date on the Learning Agreement – After Mobility should be the last day before the closing of the host institution. Please check section 5 for the influence this new end date might have on your grant amount.

If you continue your traineeship/internship online, the end date on the Learning Agreement – After Mobility should be the last day of your online activity.

 

8. I have returned to the Netherlands sooner than planned. What do I have to 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.