Job shadowing in adult education

Job Shadowings enable you to follow colleagues in the field of adult education abroad and exchange ideas about your specialist field. They allow you to gain insights into other work methods, provide you with new ideas, and are an ideal opportunity to establish new contacts.

Next steps

For institutions:

Next application deadline: 5 march 2025

Application form available at the end of 2024

For institutions:

Next application deadline: 5 march 2025

Application form available at the end of 2024

Overview

For whom

  • Staff in the field of adult education 

Duration

  • 2 to 60 days

Where

  • Worldwide for staff from Switzerland (outgoing)
  • In Switzerland for staff from abroad (incoming)

What we fund

  • Financial support for organisation, travel, accommodation, and courses 

What to do

  • Participants contact their institution
  • Institutions look for a partner institution, design the project together and submit a funding application

Deadlines

  • Application deadline: 5 March and 1 October
  • Project start: 1 June or 1 December

Next steps

For institutions:

Next application deadline: 5 march 2025

Application form available at the end of 2024

In detail

Job shadowing in adult education allows adult educators to immerse themselves in a different work environment abroad and acquire new knowledge. Whether you are teaching, counselling, doing administrative work or working in facility management, you follow colleagues and observe them in their daily work routine in an adult education institution abroad for at least two days. 

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+.

Insights into work methods worldwide

Job shadowing in adult education provides you with valuable insights into the work methods and institutional processes of adult education institutions in other countries. You may get to know new teaching and learning methods or innovative approaches to administrative and organizational issues, which you  can integrate into your own practice. This will help you develop your institution further and improve the quality of your work.

Personal and professional development

Job shadowing offers excellent opportunities to make contacts and build an international network. The experience abroad also strengthens your ability to work with people from other cultures and broadens your career prospects.

Group visits and international guests

It is possible for you to join forces with other collaborators from your own or other institutions in Switzerland and visit one or more institutions abroad together. Adult educators from Switzerland and their colleagues from institutions abroad may also visit each other in a reciprocal exchange. Hosting colleagues from abroad in your institution is also beneficial for collaborators who do not visit the partner institution abroad. 

Planning your stay

In order to ensure that you benefit as much as possible from your job shadowing, it is important to define in advance the subject areas on which you and/or your colleagues want to focus during your further education abroad. Look for a partner institution which offers new insights in this subject area and design a project with your partner institution abroad, which may simply consist of your stay abroad or also include the reciprocal visit of your colleagues from abroad in Switzerland. A project design may include the observation of training sessions, discussion sessions with local experts about good practice, attending courses or meeting with key players in your field of work. You will return to your workplace back home with new perspectives, newly acquired know-how for your educational practice, and international contacts.

Requirements

For participants:

  • You work in adult education, e.g. as a teacher, trainer, counsellor, supervisor, head of an institution or you are part of the technical/administrative staff of an adult education institution.

For institutions:

  • Your institution and the partner institution abroad are involved in adult education. Examples include adult education centres, cantons, communal agencies, associations, careers offices, NGOs, museums, libraries.
  • The applying institution must be based in Switzerland.

Prerequisites for the project you are planning with your partner institution:

  • It includes at least one face-to-face meeting between 2 and 60 days.
  • It relates to adult education.
  • It benefits the Swiss education system.
  • It meets the needs of the adult education community.

Funding amounts

  • Organisational fee for the institution: 420 CHF per person
  • For the journey: 400 CHF to 1’000 CHF (per person, depending on the country of destination)
  • For the stay: 144 CHF to 192 CHF (per day, per person, depending on country of destination).
  • 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 (outgoing and incoming)

Contact your employer. The funding application must be submitted by the institution based in Switzerland. 

For institutions

Generally, all collaborators can initiate a project. The funding application must officially be submitted by the institution in Switzerland.

Job shadowings abroad are funded by the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. In addition to Job shadowing in adult education, this programme also includes Teaching assignments in adult education and Continuing education abroad. We recommend that you combine the different activities in one funding application. 

Follow these steps to implement your project:

  1. 1

    1. Find a partner institution

    In order to realise a job shadowing, you need a partner institution. 

    • Activate your personal or professional network.
    • Visit the European platform for adult education professionals EPALE. On EPALE you can either place an advert or contact institutions that have already placed an advert. You will also find event tips and resources for the organisation.
    • Job shadowings in adult education can generally be conducted worldwide, with a few exceptions. Make sure that the partner institution you choose is located in an eligible programme country.
  2. 2

    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.

  3. 3

    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.

  4. 4

    4. Planning the project

    • Find out about the demand for further education in your institution and define what is to be achieved through job shadowing.
    • Plan the project jointly with your partner institution.
    • Describe the planned activities and provide information on the following points in the funding application:
      • Basic information on all partner institutions involved
      • Brief project description with objectives and focus
      • Overview of planned mobility activities
      • Information on the preparation of the participants, the logistics of the stay and the planned follow-up.
      • Internal and external communication of the project results. 
    • Use the funding criteria as a guide:
    • 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.
    • Consider environmentally friendly means of transport in the planning of your project. Find out more about green mobility.
  5. 5

    5. Submit funding application

    • Submit the funding application online. Meet the deadlines in March and October.
    • Go over the application form as early as possible to become familiar with the requirements. The application forms get activated when the spring or fall call has been launched, usually in December and June. You can save your entries in the application form and continue to fill it in later. If you are submitting an application for the first time, you will need to register first. 

    Your institution only needs to submit one application for all collaborators who are to take part in a job shadowing. In one and the same funding application you can also apply for funding for Teaching assignments and Continuing education in adult education abroad.

  6. 6

    6. Contract and payment

    • We will review your application once the deadline has expired.
    • You will receive the funding decision at the end of May or the end of November.
    • In the case of a positive funding 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.  
    • Within 30 days of receipt of the signed contract, we will pay out the first lump sum of the funding: 80 % of the approved total funding amount for projects of a duration of 12 months and 40 % of the approved total funding for projects of a duration of 24 months. Once you have used 70 % of this amount, you can claim the next 40 %. We will calculate the remaining amount once the final report has been submitted. 
    • Payments are made exclusively to adult education institutions based in Switzerland.
  7. 7

    7. Implement project

    • Prepare the participants for the exchange in order for them to benefit as much as possible from the experience.
    • After the start of the project, we organise an informative meeting. You will get all the information you need to successfully carry out and complete your project. The kick off meeting also gives you the opportunity to get to know your contact person at Movetia as well as other project managers.
    • You can use the notification of requirements for persons with special needs to apply for additional funding for participants with physical or mental disabilities in case you have not already done so in the funding application. 
    • Please notify us of any contractually relevant changes to your project (e.g. duration, project partners, budget) with the Request for Amendment of Agreement.
  8. 8

    8. Submit final report

    • Within 60 days of the end of the project duration you submit the final report. Depending on the number of mobilities realised, we will pay out the remaining amount or make a reclaim.
  9. 9

    9. Spread the word

    • Implement the planned communication measures. Be sure to mention that the project has been funded by 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. This allows you to present your institution as innovative, open-minded and as an attractive employer. You will also stimulate professional exchange in the adult education sector. 
    • Contact us to increase your reach, e.g. by placing a magazine article on our website. 

Q & A

The regulation of substitutions is not the responsibility of Movetia. You organise the substitution or the timing of your absence in consultation with your institution.

If a project cannot be fully realised as planned, it may be possible to adapt the planned activities accordingly. It is important to note that the approved budget cannot be increased and that you inform us of any changes. 

We will be happy to advise you and help you find a solution.

Further information

  • Ein einfaches Spiel zur Bearbeitung von zahlreichen Themen in der Erwachsenenbildung

Further options

Similar funding opportunities

  • International cooperation for collaboration and innovation