Erasmus+ Staff Mobility

Staff Mobility - Teaching Visits

Erasmus offers academic staff the opportunity to teach at one of our European partners, with funding available towards travel costs and subsistence. An Erasmus Teaching Visit will allow you to:

• get to know first-hand the workings of another European educational system
• promote University of Aberdeen courses to European students
• gain new ideas and discover best practices to take back to the UK
• develop your international network
• enhance your language skills and much more...

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants must hold a contract of employment with the University.
• Staff teaching mobility must be included in the bilateral agreement that we have signed with the institution concerned (this can be verified with the Erasmus Unit).
• Applications will be forwarded to the relevant Head of School for approval - it is the participant's responsibility to ensure that appropriate cover for workload has been arranged.
• Visits should be primarily for teaching and not research.
• Visits must include a minimum of 8 hours teaching per week or part of a week - although staff are encouraged to engage in other activities whilst they are visiting, eg presentations about Aberdeen, discussing joint research etc.
• Visits should be at least 2 working days and cannot exceed six weeks - due to competition for funding, a maximum of 5 working days is recommended.
• Applications must be submitted in advance of visits taking place - retrospective applications will not be considered.

Important points to note

Priority will be given to:

• staff who have not previously received funding

Where can I go?

Teaching visits must be to a partner university. To find out the available links for your subject area, click here, being sure to also check our general agreements under "All subjects". It is worth making informal contact with your academic counterpart at the prospective host university to check whether they would be open to a visit, before you complete the application. 

Read comments from previous participants on our Staff Profiles page below.

How to apply

Applications for Erasmus Staff Teaching (STA) 2022/23 for academic staff to teach at one of our European partners can be submitted using our online form HERE

The deadline to apply is 20 March 2023.

If you would like to note your interest or if you have any questions, please let us know by emailing Vimal Subramanian at vimal.subramanian@abdn.ac.uk.

Staff Mobility - Training Visits

Erasmus offers academic and non-academic staff the opportunity to undertake a training visit a European HEI or other relevant organisation, with funding available towards travel costs and subsistence.

This can be in the form of: attendance at an organised Erasmus Staff Training week; job shadowing: attendance at a workshop; learning a new technique, eg a laboratory technique; or receiving specific skills training, eg curriculum design skills. Please note that attendance at a conference is not an eligible activity.

An Erasmus Training Visit will allow you to:

• gain practical skills relevant for your current job and your future professional development
• gain new ideas and discover best practices to take back to the UK
• develop your international network
• enhance your language skills and much more...

Eligibility criteria

• Applicants must hold a contract of employment with the University.
• Applications will be forwarded to the relevant Head of Section/School for approval - it is the participant's responsibility to ensure that appropriate cover for workload has been arranged
• Visits should be primarily for training and not research
• Visits should be at least two working days and cannot exceed 6 weeks - due to competition for funding, a maximum of 5 working days is recommended
• Applications must be submitted in advance of visits taking place - retrospective applications will not be considered

Important points to note

Priority will be given to staff who have not previously received funding.

Where can I go?

An organised staff week gives you the opportunity to learn from your host institution, as well as meet participants from other countries. It is worth investigating whether one of these would meet your needs, before looking at other options.

You can find details of staff training weeks at iMotion (please note that the quality of these can be variable - speak to the Erasmus Unit for advice).

You do not have to go to a partner institution, though this is often the best place to start. These are listed by department here.

Otherwise, you are free to craft your own bespoke training programme in any Erasmus Programme country.

Read comments from previous participants on our Staff Profiles page below.

How to apply

Applications for Erasmus Staff Training (STT) 2022/23 to undertake a training visit can be submitted using our online form HERE

The deadline to apply is 20 March 2023.

If you would like to note your interest or if you have any questions, please let us know by emailing  Vimal Subramanian at vimal.subramanian@abdn.ac.uk.

Teaching

Professor Frithjof Kuepper
Marine Biology
Visited University of the Aegean, Greece

"A most rewarding, enriching experience. For the second time, we conducted an international field course in marine biology / phycology at the University of the Aegean in Mytilini (Lesvos, Greece). It was so well received that we are now trying to make it a regular part of the curriculum at both Aberdeen and Mytilini."

More details available here.

Dr Aileen Ackland
Education
Visited University of Jyväskylä, Finland

"My visit to Finland allowed me to learn a great deal about the Finnish education system but more than anything it gave me the distance to reflect on our own."

Dr Vasilis Louca
Biological Sciences
Visited University of Jyväskylä, Finland

"My Erasmus visit to the University of Jyväskylä, Finland has been a very rewarding experience, in terms of the development my teaching and getting experience teaching abroad. Furthermore, judging from the students’ evaluation of the course and my interactions with colleagues there, the course was well received and appreciated by all. I am certainly looking forward in going back there to teach again!"

Training

Mike McConnell
IT Services
Visited University of Bergen, Norway

"I went to the University of Bergen in May 2014 and met staff from universities all over Europe. It was a truly life-changing experience, both personally and professionally. I made friends for life; we are planning our first reunion this summer. I would recommend this experience to anyone working in higher education."

Susie Hastings
Research + Innovation
Visited University of Liege, Belgium

"I truly valued having the opportunity to meet with colleagues from across Europe to discuss matters of mutual concern in a University that can boast some exceptional best practice examples. Upon my return, I’ve been able to enact changes in how I work and provide support to colleagues, so the benefits have been more varied than I’d anticipated."

Zachary Hickman
Careers Service
Visited Masaryk University, Czech Republic

"The Masaryk University Staff Training (MUST) week was a fantastic opportunity to learn how other Careers Services operate and how we can share, adopt, and adapt best practice across a breadth or European Universities. This was the most relevant professional training programme I have attended. Long lasting relationships have been created, which I foresee will lead to positive and impactful collaborations in the future."

Academic departments who are interested in hosting an Erasmus trainee should first read the Guidelines, contacting goabroad.incoming@abdn.ac.uk with any questions.