Traineeship abroad in upper secondary specialised school
Secondary school students have the option of completing their compulsory traineeship abroad. This not only allows them to gain professional experience, but also to improve their language skills and gain valuable intercultural experience.
Overview
For whom
- Pupils of the specialised secondary school
Duration of the internship
- 5 to 365 days
Where
- In Europe and worldwide (outgoing)
What we fund
- Financial support for organisation, travel, stay and language course
What to do
- Interested participants should contact their school.
- The Fachmittelschule contacts a partner institution, organises the internship and submits the funding application.
Deadlines
- Application deadline: 5 March and 1 October
- Project start: 1 June and 1 December
In detail
A traineeship abroad enables pupils at a specialised secondary school to gain their first professional experience abroad. Participants work in Europe or elsewhere in the world for up to a year and acquire important professional and personal skills. The Swiss technical secondary school is responsible for arranging an internship and providing on-site support. To make the start easier, a voluntary language course is possible. Traineeships abroad can be organised individually or in a group.
This activity is funded by the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. This programme allows Swiss institutions to organise activities similar to the ones funded by the European education programme Erasmus+.
Requirements
For participants:
- You are attending a specialised secondary school in Switzerland (outgoing)
- A group leader / accompanying persons can accompany underage pupils with little experience abroad to ensure their safety and effective learning during the internship.
- The specialised secondary school can also set its own criteria for participation.
For educational institutions:
- At least one recieving partner institution is required for each internship destination abroad.
- Secondary specialised schools based in Switzerland or cantonal education offices can submit applications.
- Individuals and for-profit exchange service providers such as intermediary agencies are not eligible to apply.
To the work placement:
- The minimum requirement is an internship with an 80% workload.
- The duration of the internship for upper secondary school students is between 5 and 365 days.
Funding amounts
- Organisation fee for the institution: 250 CHF to 450 CHF depending on the number of participants (only for outgoing participants).
- For the trip: 400 CHF to 1'000 CHF per person (for both pupils and group leaders / accompanying persons), depending on the country.
- For the stay: 40 CHF to 91 CHF for pupils and 120 CHF to 180 CHF for group leaders / accompanying persons, per day depending on the country and duration (excluding travelling days).
- For language preparation courses: 190 CHF per person (only for outgoing students).
- For group leaders / accompanying persons: Contributions for accommodation and travelling expenses as described above.
- For the specific needs of individuals with disabilities or those suffering from physical, mental, or chronic illnesses: Max. 12,000 CHF (actual costs based on the note of requirements)Insurance and any visa fees are at your expense.
You can find all the funding contributions and the calculation in detail in our grant table:
Procedure
For participants
If you are interested, pupils should contact their school directly.
For institutions
Traineeships abroad are funded by the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. In addition to the vocational traineeship for upper secondary school students, the programme also covers vocational education and training, the Traineeship abroad and project work for VET students/apprentices abroad as well as Job Shadowing in VET, continuing education, Teaching activities in VET and Networking activities in VET. We recommend that you bundle several activities in one funding application.
Follow these steps to carry out your project:
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1. Finding a partner abroad
To carry out a traineeship abroad, you need a partner institution abroad. This institution accepts participants for an internship or sends them abroad:
- Find a partner institution abroad through your network and the school's network, by attending Movetia networking events or international conferences.
- Traineeships abroad are generally possible worldwide, with a few exceptions. Make sure that the desired partner institution is located in an eligible programme country.
- Get more information on the topic Find an exchange partner.
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2. optional Form a consortium
If several Swiss institutions are pursuing the same goal, they can apply for funding for mobilities as a consortium. Find out whether a consortium project brings additional benefit to your project.
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3. optional Arrange a preparatory visit
Would you like to meet potential project partners on site to get to know each other or jointly develop a project? Get financial support for a preparatory visit.
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4. Planning the project
- As the sending institution, you plan the pupils' stay with the foreign partner institution.
- In a project, you should ideally plan several work placements for your pupils. To do this, you estimate the number of participants at your institution and determine how you will prepare and accompany the participants for the upcoming internship and consolidate the learning outcomes of the mobility.
- In the project application, you describe the planned activities and provide information on points such as
- Details of all partner institutions
- A brief project description with objectives and measures
- An overview of planned mobility activities
- Information on the preparation, on-site support and follow-up of the mobility activities
- A plan for internal and external communication of the project results.
- Use the award criteria as a guide:
- Consider environmentally friendly means of transport in your planning. More on the topic Green Mobility.
- It is important to us to also enable persons with disabilities or with physical, mental, or chronic diseases to participate. Therefore, we provide additional funding for persons with special needs, for which you can apply in the funding application. You may also submit a request for funding for special needs at a later stage during the project duration. You can find more information under Inclusion and equal opportunities.
- We are happy to provide you with individual counselling to clarify questions about planning, submission and implementation. The consultation can take place over the phone, online or on site.
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5. Submit funding application
- Submit the funding application online. Keep to the deadlines in March and October.
- Open the application as early as possible to familiarise yourself with the requirements. We open the application forms together with the call for projects, usually in December and June. You can save the application temporarily and continue working on it later. If you are submitting an application for the first time, you will need to register once.
You only need one application for different mobilities. In the same funding application, you can also apply for funding for other exchange activities in VET: Traineeship abroad and project work for VET students/apprentices abroad as well as Job Shadowing in VET, continuing education, Teaching activities in VET and Networking activities in VET.
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6. Contract and payout
- We will review your application after the deadlines have expired.
- You will receive the notification at the end of May or the end of December.
- After a positive decision, we will send you a contract.
- The project starts on 1 June or 1 December. You can choose between a project duration of 12 or 24 months.
- We finance the project in 3 instalments. Within 30 days of receiving the signed contract, we will pay out the first instalment of funding (40 %). Once you have utilised 70 % of this amount, you can claim the next 40 %. We will calculate the remaining amount for the last instalment after the final report has been submitted.
- Payments are made exclusively to educational institutions based in Switzerland and not directly to participants.
- You can notify us of any changes to the content of your project (e.g. duration, contact person, bank details) up to 30 days before the start of the project. Budget increases are not possible.
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7. Prepare stays
- As the sending institution, you select the participants and organise the internship, accommodation and, if necessary, the language course together with your partner institution. You involve the participants in the planning.
- Prepare the participants for their exchange experience by defining the framework conditions of the exchange activity as well as learning and work objectives. Use the mobility contract for this purpose; it is a mandatory document for the final report.
- Also prepare the participants in terms of content. For example, you can use a workshop on intercultural preparation.
- Make all the necessary organisational preparations regarding outward and return journeys, accommodation, insurance, visas, emergencies, etc. Use the help documents regarding insurance or holiday arrangements.
- You can use the notification of need for additional financial support for people with special needs to apply for additional funding if you have not already done so in the funding application.
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8. Carrying out internships abroad
- Carry out the internships abroad in accordance with the project application.
- After the start of the project, we organise an information event. You will receive all the information you need to successfully carry out and complete your project. It also gives you the opportunity to get to know your contacts at our company and other project managers .
- You are responsible for paying out the financial support for the trip and stay to the specialised middle school students. After the project has been implemented, you will check the objectives set as defined in the funding application and evaluate the project that has been carried out.
- We conduct random monitoring meetings with the project leaders. At this meeting, you can clarify questions and receive feedback, tools and suggestions for further project implementation.
- Make sure that the exchange activities and the learning and work content acquired by the participants are visible to their employers in Switzerland. A certificate, confirmation of employment or a job reference are suitable for this purpose. Find out more about Recognition of competences.
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9. Submit final report
At the end of the project period, submit a short final report to us within 60 days. You will need the so-called "mobility contracts" for all participants . Depending on the number of mobilities realised, we will pay out any remaining amounts or issue a reclaim.
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10. Report on the project
- Implement the planned communication measures. Be sure to mention the funding from Movetia. We provide the logo and text modules for this purpose.
- Share the content widely via your institution's channels, e.g. newsletter, social media, blog, etc. In this way, you present your institution as innovative, open-minded and an attractive school/employer. You will also stimulate an exchange of expertise in vocational education and training.
- Contact us to increase your reach, e.g. by placing a magazine article on our website.
Q & A
How do I find partner institutions abroad for internships abroad?
Use your network. For example, have you heard of interesting players in your sector abroad? Then get in touch spontaneously. Many internships abroad have already been made possible in this way.
Can students from Switzerland work in any country?
No, in many countries - especially outside Europe - a work permit is required. It is sometimes time-consuming or very difficult to obtain one. In the UK, for example, it is challenging. There, Swiss pupils are in competition with workers from all over the world. Find out about the entry and work regulations of the destination before organising an internship.
Will I receive money for my organisational efforts?
Yes, if your institution has concluded a funding agreement, you will receive a certain amount per internship placed. See funding amounts.
As a student, will I receive money from Movetia for my Traineeship abroad?
No, individuals are not eligible to apply to Movetia. Only educational institutions receive funding amounts from Movetia. Pupils at a specialised secondary school should contact their school to apply for a work placement. The school will then pay out the approved funding to you.