Probably one of the most incredible cities in Europe, let alone the world, London is a place that is a melting pot of cultures. There’s so much to do, for all ages – amazing history, fabulous nightlife and the shopping is unsurpassed! A financial metropolis, an industry-leader in almost every field, it’s a place that people find themselves totally immersed and caught up in a whirlwind of activity. With so much to see – it’s no wonder that Erasmus+ mobilities are always popular!
We’re going to wind back to 2012, when London hosted the Olympics and we ran various Erasmus+ mobilities for students to experience working and studying in this superb city (we still run those mobilities today!). Perhaps we’ll tempt you into getting your students involved, to help them improve their language skills, see a different culture and gain valuable experience that will benefit their future careers?
Our 2012 Erasmus+ placements started on the first Monday of the month and lasted anything from 4 weeks plus. Bear in mind that our placements can be as short as one week or last for months, depending on your requirements. Funding is available, and can be applied for through your home country’s National Agency. Funding covers plenty, from travel to accommodation, transfers, transport in the city and a full, fun cultural activities programme. There’s no time to be bored, or to be lonely – there are lots of students that take part so friendships for a lifetime are made.
This particular Erasmus+ mobility included a language course in the morning and business work experience at a company in the afternoon. The language course covered up to 20 hours with two grammar lessons and two conversation classes a day. Accommodation was in a student flat, with all modcons and plenty of comfort. At the end of the course, students received a certificate from the language school and a TravelEdventures internship certificate to confirm successful Erasmus+ work experience completion.
This particular Erasmus+ placement used TravelEdventures, one of the fastest growing travel agencies in Austria, famed for organising hands-on marketing internships and work and study programmes for young people and students from all over the world. TravelEdventures is one of the biggest language course tour operators in Austria – well-known, respected and with an outstanding reputation.
To qualify, students needed good written and spoken English skills because the tasks involved in this Erasmus+ mobility included helping out staff at the language school, e-marketing, telephone service, translations and organising and participating in the group activities. Other tasks included web design, graphic design, business correspondence and helping out day to day at the school’s reception. All students were expected to keep an Erasmus+ work experience diary as well as complete reviews for the destination. Students were also tasked with organising and promoting a cool PR event in London, during the Olympics.
Students that attended this course were business-minded, creative and had excellent social skills, as this Erasmus+ placement was in a travel-related business, they needed to have a keen interest in the field.
As with all of our Erasmus+ and Turing placements, this one was a tremendous success. Students got to know a little about the culture of Londoners, immerse themselves in the busy city, improve their language skills and get to know what it was like to work in London. As well as that, they networked with other students from European countries (and people from London), making lifelong friendships. A placement through TravelEdventures and TravelEdventures means a foot on the career ladder – it’s an excellent CV entry and makes future employers sit up and take notice!
If you’d like to get your students involved in an Erasmus+ (or if you’re UK based the Turing Scheme) placement that they’ll never forget, we’d love to help you organise it, guide you in applying for funding and take over the arrangements so you don’t have to worry about the details. Get in touch with our team here and see what we can do for you! See London differently with TravelEdventures.
We have another interesting blog for you that compares the two famous Erasmus+ cities London and Dublin. If you want to find out more about the application process for Erasmus+ you offer you our guide for Funding applicants as well as our Handbook for Erasmus+ Project Management & Execution.
You might have encountered the term Turing Scheme while reading this article. If you a not familiar yet with this newly established funding opportunity for UK citizens, we recommend reading our blog Erasmus+ vs. Turing or BREXIT - What’s New for You? The Turing Scheme.