If you are very lucky, you may manage to secure a paid work placement. The majority of our students’ Erasmus+ traineeships, however, are unpaid. Some host organisations provide benefits in kind such as accommodation, meals or a contribution towards the cost of public transport, and these should be mentioned in the Learning Agreement.

You will need to budget for flights, accommodation and other general expenses, including rent. Your living costs will depend on the country where you are placed and how long you’re going to spend abroad. As you can imagine, some countries are more expensive than others, as are some cities. If you are currently living at home while attending college in Galway, you will find that accommodation will become a significant cost. However, if you are already paying rent in Galway, you might find that accommodation costs are cheaper abroad than they are here in Ireland, particularly if you are able to avail of a room in a university residence. On the other hand, if you are moving to a major city and you have to rent privately, then clearly you can expect to have to pay quite a bit for accommodation. A room in a shared house or a small studio apartment in Copenhagen, for instance, could cost DKK 4,000 – 6,000 per month, whereas you might pay €250-€320 per month for a room in a university residence in France or Germany.

Now that you are aware of the costs involved, you can start planning ahead. Discuss everything with your parents or guardians well in advance. Start saving early to ensure that you have adequate funds to support yourself while you are abroad, and read the section below to find out what financial supports may be available to you.

Students can apply for an Erasmus+ mobility grant, which is intended as a contribution towards the cost of the traineeship abroad. So far, University of Galway has been able to offer Erasmus+ grants to all Erasmus+ traineeship students, although we cannot guarantee that all eligible students will receive a grant in any given year. Grant amounts will vary for different destination countries according to the country/cost of living guidelines set down by the European Commission. Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Norway, a n d Sweden (“Group 1” countries) are considered expensive, and the grant rate for these in 2023/24 was €535 per month. Group 2 includes Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Malta, the Netherlands, and Spain, and the grant rate for these in 2023/24 was €480, while the same monthly rate of €480 applies to Group 3 countries like Croatia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, and Poland. The grant amounts may vary from year to year, depending on the instructions we receive from the HEA.

If you have been approved to receive an Erasmus+ grant, you will get a confirmation of Erasmus+ funding from the International Office after you’ve submitted your online Erasmus+ grant application form.

If you are currently in receipt of a SUSI maintenance grant, you should be able to continue availing of this while abroad. If the maintenance component of a grant or scholarship has been based on the assumption that you are living at home, the increased “away from home” grant may be paid to you while you are abroad. You may need to produce a letter from the department that is nominating you, indicating that the traineeship abroad is “compulsory” and “an integral part of the course” that you are taking.

Some students who are deemed to be financially disadvantaged may qualify for supplementary funding under the Social Inclusion Supplementary Support Initiative (SISSI); in 2023/24, this was €250 per month. Eligible students will be identified and contacted by the International Office; there is no need for you to apply for this. Because it takes some time to get confirmation of SUSI status and therefore establish students’ eligibility, full-year students deemed eligible for SISSI may normally expect to receive a first instalment of this in February. Semester 1 and Semester 2 students deemed eligible for SISSI will have the SISSI payment incorporated into their final grant instalment.

Students with disabilities or special needs may be entitled to apply for extra funds from the Erasmus+ programme. Please contact the International Office, University of Galway for further details. You should note that this assistance is aimed at students who have a disability or special needs that would otherwise impact significantly on their ability to participate in Erasmus+, and the support that may be offered is intended to help with the additional costs that would be incurred, for instance, a personal assistant, adapted accommodation, special transport, special didactic equipment or assistive technology, etc. This funding does not apply to ongoing medical expenses that would normally be incurred here in Ireland.

If you receive the Back to Education Allowance, you should be able to continue receiving this as long as the traineeship is part of your degree programme.

Some students based at universities may wish to avail of language classes relevant to their studies, and in these cases a course fee may be payable. Receipts for such courses should be kept carefully, as it may be possible to claim assistance later with the costs; the International Office will advise.

Luxembourg

Financial aid of about €1,000 per semester is available to international students in Luxembourg. It’s provided by the Luxembourg government and administered by an agency called CEDIES (Centre de Documentation et d’Information sur l’Enseignement Supérieur). Be aware that there are two application deadlines, 30th November for financial aid during the first semester of the academic year, and 30th April for financial aid during the second semester, and if your Erasmus+ period in Luxembourg is going to span two distinct semesters, then you’ll need to apply twice. Comprehensive information can be found at https://cedies.public.lu/fr/obtenir-aide-financiere/bourse-pret.html: most of it is in French, but the application form, with detailed instructions, is available in English.

You will be required to provide evidence that you are a registered student of University of Galway, and a copy of your employment contract. Student grants from the home country are taken into consideration, so you will also need to provide documentation in relation to any SUSI grant for which you’ve been deemed eligible, and even if you aren’t eligible for SUSI, CEDIES will need evidence of your having made an application which was rejected. Your Erasmus+ grant has no bearing on your eligibility for the Luxembourg financial aid. You should submit your application to CEDIES as soon as possible after you’ve started your internship.

France

Students in France may be eligible to receive State assistance with the cost of rent. This is known as the Caf (Caisse d’Allocations familiales, the body that administers this support) and it could mean a substantial rent rebate of up to approximately 50%. To receive the Caf, you will be required to open a French bank account. This means that it may not be worth your while to apply for it if your traineeship in France is of short duration, since you would have to wait two months for the first payment to come through and you could incur bank charges if you leave the country without closing your account. See also Accommodation in the house country: France section.

The Erasmus+ Grant – Procedures and Paperwork

The Erasmus+ grant will be paid in two instalments, the first of these at the beginning of your traineeship abroad. This instalment will be 80% of your estimated total grant, which is calculated according to the start and finish dates you’ve given us. The final instalment will be paid after you Traineeship Certificate from your host organisation at the end of your traineeship and submitted it to the International Office at University of Galway, (iii) completed the online participant report, and (iv) if relevant, taken the second OLS language assessment.