Traineeships

Erasmus traineeships

Erasmus+ is the new European Union programme for the period 2014–2020 that replaces several existing education, training, youth and sport programmes (2007–2013) such as the Lifelong Learning Programme (Comenius, Erasmus, Leonardo da Vinci, Comenius, Grundtvig), the Youth in Action programme and international cooperation programmes (Erasmus Mundus, Tempus, Alfa, Edulink and the programme for cooperation with industrialised countries). One of the actions of the new programme – Erasmus+: Erasmus (hereafter Erasmus) – supports student mobility exclusively related to the field of higher education and aims for studies at a partner institution (student mobility for studies) or a traineeship whilst performing professional practice (student mobility for traineeships).

Student mobility for traineeships or Erasmus traineeships give opportunities to students to develop particular professional skills, to deepen understanding of economic and social culture in a particular country, to gain practical experience, and to improve foreign language skills.

Who is eligible to carry out Erasmus traineeships?

The following students enrolled in the part- and full-time studies of all study cycles (first, second and third) are eligible to carry out an Erasmus traineeship: bachelor’s, master’s, PhD and residency students.

Important! Students who are on study leave cannot go abroad for Erasmus traineeships.

In which counties can Erasmus traineeships take place?

Students can carry out their traineeships in all European Union Member State countries as well as Macedonia, Norway, Iceland, Liechtenstein and Turkey.

When can Erasmus traineeships take place?

Erasmus traineeships can take place during the academic year (traineeships that are acknowledged at LSMU as an integral part of the curriculum), summer time (voluntary traineeships) and the first year after graduation (graduates’ traineeships).

Where can Erasmus traineeships take place?

Receiving organisations for Erasmus traineeships can be any enterprise or organisation, established in the country participating in the Erasmus programme, irrespective of its size, legal status or activity area. It can be a pharmacy, private or university’s hospital, scientific research institute, higher education institution, educational organisation etc. Erasmus traineeships cannot be carried out in European Union institutions (including European agencies as well) and organisations or their subdivisions, which administrate European Union programmes.

What is the duration of Erasmus traineeships?

A traineeship can last from 2 months (no less than 60 days) up to 12 months. Every student may receive Erasmus grants totalling up to 12 months maximum per each cycle of study (in case of integrated studies, up to 24 months). This period counts for all types of Erasmus mobility: study mobility, traineeship mobility and traineeship mobility after graduation.

Important! In all the cases, students must return from their traineeships until 30 September.

What is amount of an Erasmus grant?

The student, selected based on eligibility criteria for traineeship mobility, is awarded an Erasmus grant. However, due to shortage of funding, the Erasmus programme allows the student to undertake traineeship mobility in the Erasmus scheme known as a ‘zero-grant student’. In such a case, an Erasmus grant is not allocated to the student, but the student benefits from all advantages of being an Erasmus student during his/her traineeship period abroad.

The Erasmus grant is intended as a contribution to partly cover travel, insurance, living and other expenses. The payment of any national grant or loan to outgoing students has to be maintained, and students have to pay usual tuition fees to their home institution during the Erasmus traineeship abroad.

Erasmus grant rates for traineeship mobility*

 *Only traineeships of 3-month duration will be financed.

How to apply for Erasmus traineeship mobility?

Every student who intends to undertake Erasmus traineeship mobility during the forthcoming academic year has to apply for an Erasmus traineeship in the spring of each year. Three to four weeks before the main selection, usually held at the end of March or the beginning of April, the International Relations and Study Centre spreads all the information about the forthcoming selection for Erasmus traineeships abroad on the LSMU website, local newspaper etc. The student can choose a place for an Erasmus traineeship from the list offered by the International Relations and Study Centre or can find a place himself/herself. If there is funding left for Erasmus grants after the allocation of Erasmus grants to all the students selected during the main Erasmus call in the spring, additional selection for Erasmus traineeships is made in September–October.

Important! If the student intends to carry out an Erasmus traineeship after graduation, he/she has to apply for it while being a student, i.e. during the last year of his/her studies at LSMU (except for veterinary students who have to come in their 5th year of studies).

What are eligibility criteria for Erasmus traineeships?

1. Compatibility between the traineeship programmes at the receiving institution and LSMU;
2. Academic records (average of grades at LSMU - minimum average of 7);
3. Good knowledge of foreign languages;
4. Student motivation and good communication skills.

Once the student has submitted his/her application on the DreamApply system, he/she has to take part in the Erasmus+ interview to be held during March-April (the students are informed personally about the exact dates of interviews). During the Erasmus+ interview, every member of the commission rates student’s motivation and communication skills on a 0–10-point scale (by the interval of 1 point). Evaluations given by all the members are summed and a mean score is calculated.

The final score is calculated according to the formula:

Final score = GPA* (60%) + motivation (30%) + communication skills (10%)

*Grade Point Average.

Additional parts of a point are given for the following:

1. Participation in LSMU Erasmus mentoring activities for longer than two semesters – 0.5;
2. If a student finds a place for Erasmus+ traineeship by himself/herself – 0.5 (this part of a point is given only in case if the student uploads the confirmation that he/she is accepted for an Erasmus traineeship until the deadline of application submission to the DreamApply system);
3. Participation in Erasmus+ traineeship mobility for the first time – 0.3;
4. If a student intends to do an Erasmus+ traineeship in other country than his/her country of origin – 0.3 (if the student changes his/her mind and finally goes for a traineeship to a country of his/her origin, this part of a point is subtracted from his/her final score and the final score ir recalculated).

Based on the total numbers of students in all LSMU faculties (dated 1 January 2017), the following quotas for each LSMU faculty and residency/PhD students were introduced:

32% – for the Faculty of Medicine;
10% – for the Faculty of Odontology;
8% – for the Faculty of Pharmacy; 
10% – for the Faculty of Nursing;
5% – for the Faculty of Public Health;
16% – for the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine;
3% – for the Faculty of Animal Husbandry; 
16% – for residency and PhD students.

AFTER THE SELECTION FOR ERASMUS+ MOBILITY

The list of LSMU students, selected for Erasmus+ traineeships, is announced in lsmuni.lt webpage, under the section Erasmus+: “Erasmus+ mobilumas praktikai” and “Erasmus+ for outgoing/traineeships”. Applicants receive personal email concerning announcement of selection results. After receiving selection results, students, applying for traineeships at partner university, have themselves to complete the application documents by the application deadline set by the foreign university. Students must carefully read the section for the incoming Erasmus+ students in the website of Partner University, where they plan to conduct their traineeship; check what documents and their annexes are required, by which date and at what address they have to be sent. If a student goes to a non-university hospital or institution, application deadlines are not applicable.

INFORMATIVE EVENTS. After the selection, the International Relations and Study Centre organizes informative events for outgoing Erasmus+ students and informs about the documentation that is needed for going to do traineeship to the Partner Universities or to personally selected place of practice. It is strongly recommended to attend the event in order to get acquainted with important material, those who cannot participate have to inform coordinator by email.

Main documents, needed to be filled in for going to Erasmus traineeship (by sequencing):

• Learning Agreement for Traineeships

Other documents that may be required in individual cases:

• Application Form (Application Form)

• Transcript of Records

• Accommodation Form

• Learning Agreement for Traineeships

The student discusses the details of his/hers practice with the supervisor at LSMU. The student completes the Learning Agreement for Traineeship (LAT), providing personal data, data on hosting institution, indicates period of stay and fills in table A in the agreement. Once it is filled in, student has to send the draft of LAT for Erasmus coordinator to check it.  Completed LAT is signed by the student and the Faculty ECTS Coordinator or Supervisor. Afterwards, it has to be sent to hosting institution representative for a signature. Student can send the scanned copy of LAT himself / herself, or ask Erasmus coordinator to do it.

NB! The scanned copy of Learning Agreement for Traineeship signed by three parties has to be sent to Erasmus coordinator by email, not later than one month before mobility starts.

Upon receipt of the approved Learning Agreement for Traineeships, the following documents are further processed:

• Request to Rector

• Erasmus+ grant agreement

• Insurance

• Visa (if applicable)

• OLS language assessment.

Request to the rector. Once LAT is approved by all three parties, but not earlier than one month before mobility starts, the student signs a request to LSMU rector asking for a permission to go for Erasmus+ traineeship and award of Erasmus+ grant. The request form and Erasmus+ grant agreement are being sent to student by Erasmus coordinator, once she receives approved LAT copy.

Erasmus+ grant agreement. 1 month before the start of traineeship abroad, the student must submit personal data by filling in Erasmus+ grant agreement.  This is a financial agreement is signed between LSMU and the student. 90% of the grant will be paid at the beginning of your traineeship. The remaining part of the Erasmus+ grant will be paid off to the student as soon as he or she submits all the documents: approved “After Mobility” form, second OLS language assessment test, EU survey.

Insurance. Before leaving, the student must obtain EU insurance card, or health insurance policy, as well as liability and accident insurances at work.

Recommended insurance companies: https://www.aonstudentinsurance.com/

“Insurance Brokers Group”, Grazina Lisovskiene, e-mail: grazina.lisovskiene@ibg.lt; Phone: +37063378334.

Visa. Upon receiving an official invitation to practice abroad, the student must seek information on visa or temporary residence permit in a foreign country. It is recommended to check the information at the embassy of the country, selected for traineeship.

OLS language assessment. The OLS language assessment is mandatory for all participants to Erasmus+ mobility activities of at least two months (studies/traineeships/EVS volunteering) with one of the following languages as the main language of instruction, work or volunteering (with the exception of native speakers).

You will receive a link by e-mail (from www.erasmusols.eu) directly before your Erasmus+ traineeship. An online language assessment test must be completed before the start of your Erasmus+ traineeship.

After taking the first language assessment, students will have the opportunity to take language courses for free.

AFTER THE ERASMUS+ MOBILITY 

In order to finish the Erasmus+ traineeship settlement and receive the final 10 % of the Erasmus+ Grant, the following documents must be submitted (no later than 30 calendar days from the date of completion of your traineeship period abroad*): 

1. “After Mobility” form.  The form needs to be completed according to your LAT, and signed by your practice supervisor at host institution. The document also contains evaluation of your practical skills during traineeship.

2. QUESTIONNAIRE ON THE ERASMUS+ EXPERIENCE. You will receive a questionnaire (by the European Commission Mobility Tool+) by e-mail directly after the end of your Erasmus+ traineeship period. It is called "EU Survey". You should send a notification to Erasmus coordinator after submitting a completed online questionnaire.

5. Second OLS language assessment. At the end of your mobility period, you must take a second assessment to measure the progress in language proficiency you made during your mobility period. You will receive a link by e-mail (from www.erasmusols.eu) directly after you return from your Erasmus+ traineeship.

* If it is not possible to submit all the following documents in 30 days after finishing your traineeship abroad, do not hesitate and contact us immediately. If you do not present the required documents in time, the authorities may request you to return the Erasmus+ grant.

Got interested? Contact

Dovilė Grigorjevienė
International Programme Coordinator
Outgoing Erasmus+ traineeship mobility

Visiting address: Medical Academy (room 124)
A. Mickevičiaus 9, Kaunas
Phone: +370-37-395817
dovile.grigorjeviene@lsmu.lt

Website: https://archyvas.lsmu.lt/en/activities/exchange-studies/about-erasmus-programme/