Internship Mobility

Erasmus+ Internship Mobility

The Student Internship Mobility activity involves a student enrolled in a higher education institution undertaking an internship at a company, research institute, laboratory, or other organization abroad, related to their field of academic study. Coursework at a higher education institution is not considered an internship.

Internship mobility also includes teaching practice for student teachers, research assistantships for students, and relevant research activities for doctoral candidates. The internship activity must be an integral part of the student's study program. Student mobility can be in any subject area/academic discipline. To ensure high-quality mobility activities with maximum impact on students, the mobility activity must be consistent with the student's degree-related learning and personal development needs.

The duration of the activity is between 2 and 12 months, applicable separately for each level of study. Internship activities can be carried out during the study period in each class and within 12 months after graduation for students in the final years of their study programs. For internship activities to be carried out after graduation, the application must be made before the student graduates (while they are still an associate degree, bachelor's, master's, or doctoral student). Graduated students cannot apply. Post-graduation internship mobility must be completed within 12 months of the graduation date.

The internship activity must be full-time. A full-time internship is one in which the student works full working days throughout the duration of the activity. Full working days are determined based on the weekly working hours of full-time employees in the host country.

Where possible, internships should be an integrated part of the student's study program.

Note: The information note above is an excerpt from the European Commission website. For the full text, please click here.

For more information, please visit the Turkey National Agency website.

What are the Application Criteria for KA 131 Internship Mobility?

To apply, the candidate must be a full-time student enrolled in a higher education program at any level of formal education within a higher education institution.

If the candidate has previously benefited from activities within their current level of education, the total mobility period, including the new activity, must not exceed 12 months.

The general academic grade point average must be:

• 2.20/4.00 for undergraduate students,
• 2.5/4.00 for master's or doctoral students.

The applicant must have any of the foreign language scores announced by the LHU Erasmus Office*.

Where can internships be done?

Any public or private sector organization in a country where internship activities can be carried out, in the labor market or in the fields of education, training, youth, research, and development, can be an internship location. Although not an exhaustive list, the following organizations can be considered examples of suitable internship locations:

- Small, medium, or large-scale businesses belonging to the public or private sector

- Local, regional, or national public institutions

- Embassies or consulates of the sending country abroad

- Any type of business-related organization/association, such as chambers of commerce, trade unions, stock exchanges, and guilds

- research institutes

- foundations

- schools/institutes/education centers (any type of educational institution from preschool to high school, including vocational training or adult education)

- non-profit organizations, associations, NGOs

- institutions offering career planning, professional counseling, and information services

- Higher education institutions (Higher education institutions located in countries associated with the Program must be ECHE holders; higher education institutions in countries not associated with the Program must be recognized by a competent authority in accordance with their national legislation and must have signed a bilateral inter-institutional agreement with the sending institution prior to the internship activity)

The following organizations are not eligible for higher education internships under Erasmus+:

The following organizations are not eligible for higher education internship activities under Erasmus+:

- European Union institutions and EU agencies (see https://europa.eu/european-union/about-eu/institutions-bodies_en )

- National Agencies and other organizations implementing EU programs.

Can departments without mandatory internships benefit from the activity?

The internship activity is not expected to be mandatory for the student's degree program. However, the economic sector where the internship will take place must be related to the student's current vocational education program.

Can graduates benefit from the internship activity?

The internship activity can be carried out during the study period in any class and within 12 months after graduation for students in the final classes of their study programs. For internship activities to be carried out after graduation, the application (acceptance letter and board decisions reaching the Erasmus Office) must be made before the student graduates (while they are still an associate degree, undergraduate, or graduate student). Graduates cannot apply.

Post-graduation internship mobility must be completed within 12 months of the graduation date. For recent graduates who are called up for military service during this period, their military service time is added to this maximum 12-month period. The total duration of the post-graduation internship period and the mobility period completed by the student at the same level must not exceed 12 months.

Can I benefit from the Erasmus+ Internship Mobility Program more than once?

If the student wishes, they can use their 12-month entitlement more than once in different application periods for study or internship.

When calculating the total academic achievement and foreign language score of students who have previously benefited from higher education student or internship mobility under the Lifelong Learning Program or Erasmus+ within the same level of education, a deduction of 10 points is applied for each activity previously benefited from (without distinction between study and internship).

Can I benefit from internship mobility without a grant?

Students can become Erasmus+ students without receiving a grant if they wish. Students without grants are also subject to general evaluation along with other applications and go through the same process as Erasmus+ students with grants.

In which cases will my internship grant be reduced?

Participants who fail to fulfill their responsibilities as interns during their internship period abroad, or who achieve a total evaluation score of less than 75%, will have 20% deducted from their total grant. In addition, participants who fail to complete the return survey will have 20% deducted from their total grant.

What happens if I return early after going on the internship?

If the student returns before completing the mandatory 2-month internship, they must return the grant they received. Students who return early due to force majeure receive the grant for the period they stayed abroad and return any excess amount.

“Force majeure” means any exceptional circumstance or event beyond the control of the parties, which prevents either party from fulfilling any obligation arising from the contract; which is not due to the fault or negligence of the parties, their subcontractors, affiliates, or third parties involved in the implementation; and which is unavoidable and unforeseeable despite all due care and attention. Failure to provide a service, defects in equipment or materials, or failure to prepare them on time cannot be claimed as force majeure unless they are directly caused by force majeure and not by labor disputes, strikes, or financial difficulties.

Am I required to take out insurance?

In order to carry out an Erasmus+ internship abroad, the following insurance policies must be taken out by the institution where the internship will take place or by you.

Health Insurance Coverage Generally, the participant's basic expenses are covered by national health insurance through the European Health Insurance Card while they are in another EU country. However, the European Health Insurance Card or private insurance coverage may not be sufficient, especially in cases of repatriation or specific medical interventions. In such cases, supplementary private insurance may be beneficial.

Liability Insurance Covers damages caused by the student while abroad (regardless of whether they are at work or not). Different countries participating in transnational internship mobility have different regulations regarding liability insurance. Therefore, interns are at risk of being outside the scope of insurance coverage. For this reason, there should be at least a liability insurance that will cover the damages that the participant may cause at the workplace.

Accident Insurance Coverage This insurance covers damages that employees may suffer due to accidents at the workplace. In many countries, employees are insured against such accidents at work. However, the extent to which transnational interns are covered by the same insurance may vary between countries participating in transnational learning mobility programs. If the host organization does not provide such coverage (which cannot be imposed unless required by the host country's legislation).

Who can help me with visa procedures?

Visa procedures are the responsibility of the beneficiaries. When applying for a visa, it is important to complete all the documents requested by the consulate/embassy of the destination country. In order to facilitate visa procedures for students receiving grants under our program, an official letter stating that they have been selected for mobility and will receive a monthly grant of ... may be provided.

Who can help me with accommodation?

Arranging accommodation for those who will benefit from the activities is not the responsibility of higher education institutions.

How can I receive my grant?

Internship Mobility Agreements, which include the maximum grant amount calculated for the selected students, are signed. Payments related to the maximum amount specified in the agreement are made in two installments:

Before the student goes to the company where they will do their internship, the first payment is made, which is up to 80% of the total grant calculated according to the planned duration of the activity. The remaining 20% is paid at the end of the internship period, taking into account the exact duration of the internship as stated in the “participation certificate” and the entry/exit dates in the passport, as well as the student's level of success and fulfillment of responsibilities. Grants may be reduced for students who fail to fulfill their responsibilities and/or are unsuccessful.

Payments are made in euros.

Can I extend my internship period?

Extensions are only possible within the current academic year. The following conditions must be met for an extension to be granted:

The extended period must follow the current period without interruption (holidays and breaks between periods are not considered as interruptions). The necessary arrangements (such as drawing up an additional contract, renewing the learning agreement) must be completed at least one month before the end of the planned activity period. The extended period cannot extend beyond the end date of the contract signed between the Center and the higher education institution.