Traineeship abroad for students
Students can acquire professional experience with a traineeship abroad an receive financial support for their stay. Traineeships can be a part of their curriculum or take place during the summer break.
Overview
For whom
- Students, incl. PhD students, from universities and colleges of higher education
Duration
- 2 to 12 months
Where
- Worldwide for students from Switzerland (outgoing)
- In Switzerland for students from abroad (incoming)
What we fund
- Financial support for the stay
What to do
- Interested participants should contact the International Relations Office of the Swiss university or college of higher education (including participants from abroad)
- Swiss higher education institutions apply for accreditation with Movetia and submit a funding application
Deadlines
For participants:
- Deadlines provided by the Swiss institution
For 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
Students, incl. PhD students, can choose to do a traineeship abroad (outgoing mobility) or in Switzerland (incoming mobility) during their studies. The traineeship can either be a mandatory part of the curriculum or be organised independently by the student, for example during the semester break. Students from Switzerland have the option to do a graduate traineeship shortly after completing their studies. All traineeships must have a duration of at least 60 days and can take place at a university (e.g. at a lab), at a private company, at an NGO, etc.
In addition to the traineeship’s salary (if provided), students receive a grant for their stay. Traineeships abroad, also known as "Student Mobility for Traineeships (SMT)", are funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) of 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 enrolled at a higher education institution (university, university of applied sciences, university of teacher education) or at a college of higher education in Switzerland or abroad.
- The planned traineeship will last between 60 days and 12 months.
- Graduate traineeships (only for students from Swiss higher education institutions): These traineeships take place shortly after graduation. For these traineeships to be eligible for funding, they must have been planned before graduation (i.e.: all documents related to the grant have been signed). The traineeship must take place and be completed within 12 months of graduation.
- Students from abroad: you will have to find a Swiss university or college of higher education that will coordinate the application for a SEMP grant
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
- European mobility: the grants are calculated on a base of CHF 440 per month
- Worldwide mobility: the grants are calculated on a base of CHF 500 per month
- For European mobility, the final grant includes CHF 100 for sustainable mobility. These CHF 100 are only paid out if you travel to and from your destination by sustainable means of transport (train, bus, car sharing).
- For 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 will find all the grants in detail in our grant table.
Procedure
For participants
In order to receive financial support for a traineeship abroad as part of the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP), you need to contact the International Relations Office of your home institution in Switzerland.
Students from abroad should contact the Swiss higher education institution where the traineeship is taking place. If the traineeship is not taking place at a university or a college of higher education you will still have to find a Swiss higher education institution that will coordinate your application for financial support.
For institutions
Traineeships abroad for students (Student Mobility for Traineeships) are funded by the Swiss-European Mobility Programme (SEMP) of the Swiss Programme for Erasmus+. In addition to traineeships abroad, this programme also supports Semesters abroad for students as well as Training activities and Teaching assignments abroad for staff of higher education institutions.
In our How to section, you will find an article about the SEMP providing more information on how to apply for and carry out mobilities. The main steps are shown below.
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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.
Find out whether a consortium project brings additional benefit to your project.
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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: Traineeships abroad for students (Student Mobility for Traineeships), Semesters abroad for students (Student Mobility for Studies), Training activities for staff in higher education (Staff Mobility for Training) and Teaching assignments for staff in higher education (Staff Mobility for Teaching Assignments).
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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
I am studying at a Swiss university/college of higher education and will be graduating in the summer. Can I do a traineeship abroad afterwards and receive a SEMP grant for it?
Yes. However, the application for the grant must take place before the end of your degree and all documents relating to the grant have to be signed before your graduation. This means that your traineeship position must already be known. In addition, the traineeship must start and be completed within 12 months of obtaining your diploma. This option is only open to students from Swiss universities and colleges of higher education (outgoing).
I am studying at a university abroad - can I receive funding for a traineeship in Switzerland?
Yes. If your traineeship is taking place at a Swiss university or college of higher education, you can apply for funding directly at the planned Swiss host institution. If your traineeship does not take place at a Swiss university or college of higher education but at a Swiss company, NGO, etc., you will still need to find a Swiss institution participating in the SEMP that is willing to coordinate your application and pay out a grant. SEMP grants can only be paid out by Swiss higher education institutions. Not all institutions offer grants for traineeships.