Teaching assignment for staff in higher education
Teaching staff and lecturers from universities or colleges of higher education can teach abroad for a short period of time. This gives them an opportunity to discover new teaching methods and to expand their professional network.
Overview
For whom
- Teaching staff from universities and colleges of higher education / professional schools
Duration
- from 2/5 days (Europe/worldwide) to 60 days
Where
- Worldwide for staff from Switzerland (outgoing)
- In Switzerland for staff from abroad (incoming)
What we fund
- Financial support for travelling and accommodation
What to do
- Interested participants should contact the International Relations Office (IRO) of the Swiss university or college of higher education (including participants from abroad)
- The Swiss higher education institution obtains accreditation from Movetia and submits a funding application
Deadlines
For participants:
- Deadlines provided by the Swiss Institution
For Swiss institutions:
- Application for accreditation: can be submitted annually at the beginning of March
- Application for funding: can be submitted annually at the beginning of March
- Start of the funding period: 1 June
In detail
Staff that have a teaching assignment at a university or college of higher can choose to teach at a partner university abroad for a few days or weeks. This enables them to gain valuable experience and to enrich their teaching methods.
Teaching assignments abroad are funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) of the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+ . Within the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) and in international higher education mobility in general, this type of mobility is known as "Staff Mobility for Teaching Assignments (STA)".
Requirements
For participants:
- You have a teaching position at a higher education institution (university, university of applied sciences, universities of teacher education) or a college of higher education, e.g. as a professor, doctoral student, post-doc, senior assistant or lecturer.
- The duration of your stay is of at least 2 days (Europe) or 5 days (worldwide) and does not exceed 60 days.
- You will be teaching at least 8 lessons per week during your stay (double lessons = 2 units).
For institutions:
- The institution is based in Switzerland and officially recognised by the State Secretariat for Education, Research and Innovation (SERI) as a Swiss university, or as a college of higher education with federally recognised courses at higher education level. Only Swiss institutions can apply for funding with Movetia.
Funding amounts
- Travel costs: effective costs up to a maximum of CHF 500 (Europe) or CHF 1,300 (worldwide) per stay
- Subsistance: CHF 170 per day. From day 14 onward: CHF 80 per day.
- 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
To take part in a teaching assignment abroad as part of the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), please contact the Swiss institution’s International Relations Office. Participants from abroad (incoming) should also contact the Internal Relations Office of the Swiss host institution they plan to attend.
For institutions:
Teaching assignments abroad for staff in higher education are funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) of the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+.
In addition to teaching assignments, this programme also promotes Training activities abroad for staff in higher education as well as semesters and internships abroad for students.
In the SEMP administration advice article you will find detailed information on how to apply for and carry out mobilities. The process includes the following stages:
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1. Apply for accreditation
If your institution does not hold an accreditation to participate in the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), the first step is to get accredited. In doing so, the institution commits to the quality criteria of the SEMP Charter. It can then apply for funding once a year in order to fund student and staff mobility.
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2. optional Form a consortium
Accreditation for the SEMP is also possible as a consortium. A consortium enables several institutions to jointly apply for and implement mobilities, for example to reduce the administrative burden. Universities and colleges of higher education as well as public or private organisations, such as cantons or companies, can participate in a consortium. At least one of the participating organisations must be a higher education institution or college of higher education from Switzerland. All participating universities or colleges of higher education in the consortium must be individually accredited for the SEMP.
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3. Submit funding application
- Make an annual assessment of the planned mobilities for the next academic year and apply for funding.
- Please note that you can apply for all four types of SEMP mobility at the same time using the same form: Teaching assignments for staff in higher education (Staff Mobility for Teaching Assignments),Training activities for staff in higher education (Staff Mobility for Training), Semesters abroad for students (Student Mobility for Studies) and Traineeships abroad for students (Student Mobility for Traineeships).
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4. Organise mobilities
- After the submission deadline, we evaluate the funding applications and establish a funding contract with your institution.
- The funding period starts on 1 June of the year of application.
You receive a budget according to the funding contract and are responsible of informing the participants, implementing the mobilities and paying out the grants.
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5. Submit interim report
With the interim report, we determine whether the mobilities have taken place as planned or whether the institution needs additional funds. Funds that were not used must be returned at this point.
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6. Submit final report
- At the end of the funding period, you submit a final report.
- This final report serves as the closing statement.
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7. Spread the word
- Make the mobility programme and the mobilities that have been carried out visible on your communication channels, e.g. in the form of testimonials. This is also a way of presenting your institution’s international orientation.
Q & A
Who is responsible for organising my stay?
You are in charge of organising your stay abroad. The International Relations Office of the Swiss institution where you are working / that you are planning to visit will help you with organisational matters (e.g. visa, accommodation, etc.) and with the application forms for the grant.
Where abroad can I teach?
Teaching staff from Switzerland: You can teach at a university or college of higher education in Europe or worldwide. The institution at which you are working must have an interinstitutional agreement with the planned host institution. Your institution’s International Relations Office can provide information about their partnerships.
Teaching staff from abroad: You can teach at a Swiss university or college of higher education. The institution at which you are working must have an interinstitutional agreement with the Swiss host institution. Your institution’s International Relations Office can provide information about their partnerships.
I am a lecturer at a university abroad and I will be teaching at a Swiss university for a few days/weeks. Can I receive funding for my stay?
Yes, teaching staff who come to Switzerland are eligible to receive funding for their stay if they fulfil the criteria listed above. A partnership must exist between your home institution and the Swiss host institution. For detailed information on criteria, procedures and deadlines, please contact the Swiss institution where you are planning to teach.