Requirements

Target group

Participants must be enrolled on a degree programme at the University of Vienna (bachelor’s, master’s, diploma, PhD). Participants on continuing education courses are not eligible for an Erasmus+ traineeship. Additionally, at least two full Erasmus+ mobility months must still be available in the current study cycle.

  • Bachelor’s students must have completed at least two semesters at the university before the start of the traineeship.
  • Master’s and PhD students may complete the traineeship earlier, from the first semester on.
  • The study programme at the University of Vienna must not have been completed at the time of applying (i.e. at least one examination must still be outstanding).
  • The study programme at the University of Vienna must not be completed during the traineeship.

Citizenship does not affect eligibility for funding. Depending on the host country, funding will be between € 400.00 and € 500.00 per month (see here for the current level of grant)

Students who are close to completing their studies are eligible for a traineeship for recent graduates. For these, the application must always be submitted before taking the final exam. Further information on traineeships for recent graduates is available here.

Where can you do an Erasmus+ traineeship?

Erasmus+ traineeships can be undertaken at receiving institutions in the 27 EU member states, Iceland, Turkey, Norway, Serbia, Liechtenstein and North Macedonia. Traineeships in Switzerland and in UK are currently not part of the programme.

Receiving institutions can be companies, universities, associations, NGOs, schools, etc.

Receiving institutions must not be:

  • bodies of the EU such as the European parliament or decentralised agencies belonging to organs of the EU (a list of EU institutions can be found here)
  • agencies organizing EU programmes, such as national agencies.

If in doubt, please contact the legal department of your receiving institution and ask for a written document confirming that it is not an organ of the EU (but is a body formally belonging to a member state or an intergovernmental agency, etc.).

The International Office does not arrange traineeship positions for students. Please note that applications cannot be submitted for traineeships which have already started.

Duration and scope of employment

Minimum duration: two full months
Maximum funded duration: five months

The maximum duration of the individual grant also depends upon how many Erasmus+ mobility months are still available to you. Your total time abroad may not exceed 12 months within one cycle of study (one cycle = bachelor, master or doctoral studies). Please note: If you follow more than one degree programme (for example, BA history and BA romance studies) the maximum amount of months stays the same (= 12 months).

Please note that in most cases two full months is not the same as eight weeks! The minimum duration is thus not eight weeks but two full months; the length of your stay abroad is calculated to the day. Stays between 1 January and 28 February are excepted: Here, 58 days are sufficient. If you plan a stay within this period, please contact us via erasmus.praktikum@univie.ac.at as the application has to be done differently in this case.

An Erasmus+ Traineeship must be full-time employment of at least 30 hours/week. For language assistants and other teaching positions, this means a full teaching commitment (“volle Lehrverpflichtung”) of 12-16h /week.

Applications for an Erasmus+ traineeship are possible throughout the year (however, please mind the relevant deadlines). Please note that applications cannot be submitted for traineeships which have already started.

What do you need to consider when choosing a traineeship?

It is your responsibility to organize a place for your traineeship. The International Office does not arrange traineeship positions for students. Please note that applications cannot be submitted for traineeships which have already started.

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  • Relevance to your study programme

    In order to receive the Erasmus+ grant, the traineeship must be relevant to your study programme. Relevance to the study programme means that the traineeship constitutes a sensible supplement to your studies; recognition of the traineeship in the form of ECTS credits is not a prerequisite! Details on relevance to your study programme and recognition are available under Types of Traineeships.

    The relevance of the traineeship to your study programme must be confirmed by your directorate of studies on the Learning Agreement for Traineeships. You can find your directorate of studies on the websites of the StudienServiceCenter.

     

     

  • Diploma Supplement and recognition

    Upon completion of your studies, periods spent abroad on traineeships will be listed in your Diploma Supplement. This is a document which students receive in addition to their degree/diploma certificate upon completing their studies. The inclusion of traineeships is automatic, but must be checked by the student upon completing their studies.

    Traineeships can also be recognised as academic achievements in the form of ECTS credits. This applies to both compulsory and voluntary traineeships. Traineeships for recent graduates cannot be recognised in this way. Whether such recognition is possible and how many ECTS credits are to be awarded is determined by the directorate of studies. Recognition of the traineeship in the form of ECTS credits is not a prerequisite for being awarded an Erasmus+ mobility grant.

     

     

How to find a traineeship

The International Office does not arrange traineeship positions for students. Below you will find some links to help in finding a traineeship.

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  • Find a traineeship
    • The student organisation AIESEC helps students to find internships around the world. More information can be found online at: http://aiesec.at/
    • If you are studying a technical subject or the natural sciences and would like some help in finding a traineeship abroad, either within Europe or elsewhere (including organisation, supervision at the receiving institution, etc.), we recommend that you contact IAESTE: https://www.iaeste.at/studierende/uber-uns/standorte/
    • The European Law Students' Association (ELSA) offers traineeship opportunities throughout Europe to their members (students of the Faculty of Law). More information can be found online: https://elsa-austria.org/jobs/
    • International experience “at home”: Various international organisations based in Vienna enable students to gain international (professional) experience through internships or traineeships. More information can be found here. Please note that internships in Austria cannot be funded through Erasmus+.

     

     

Language certificate

In order to receive a grant for an Erasmus+ traineeship, applicants must prove that they have appropriate language skills in the working language of the receiving institution. Evidence of language skills must be provided to the University of Vienna at the time of applying.

 

 

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  • Language requirements

    The working language and required level of language proficiency are prescribed by the receiving institution and stipulated in the Learning Agreement. Applicants must have language skills at at least level B1 in the prescribed language. Please contact your receiving institution in good time for information about language requirements. If the working language and the official language of the host country are not the same, the receiving institution needs to indicate which language skills are required. If your receiving institution does not indicate the required language skills, students have to prove their skills at level B1 in the language of the respective country. 

    Proof of language skills must be provided with your application. This applies even if the host institution does not require a language certificate.

     

     

  • Language certificates accepted

    Language certificates accepted by the University of Vienna (not older than 4 years at the time of applying):

    • official language certificates (e.g. TOEFL, IELTS) >Download list of accepted certificates< ("Äquivalenzliste")
    • Language Competency Certificates from the Language Center of the University of Vienna
    • language course certificates showing the level achieved (in order to be accepted as proof of a particular level, the highest of all phases of the required level offered by the language teaching institution must be completed, e.g. B1: phase 3 of 3 as a proof of level B1; B2.2 as a proof of level B2 if B2.2 is the highest B2 course offered)
    • a certificate of completion from an "Erasmus Preparation Course" ("Erasmus Vorbereitungskurs") at the Language Center of the University of Vienna
    • a high school diploma, if the required language was tested in the written as well as the oral finals and the language level is indicated in the diploma
    • a high school diploma if you completed your schooling in the target language in a country where the required language is the official language (also older than than 4 years)
    • a high school diploma if you graduated from an international school where the pertinent language was the language of instruction and you sat all of your exams in this language (e.g. Lycée Français, IB diploma) (also older than than 4 years)
    • a transcript of records ("Sammelzeugnis") inlcuding the level of the required language, if you are enrolled in a teacher education programme ("Lehramt") and one of your subjects is classified as a philology
    • a university degree completed entirely in the pertinent language

    The following are not accepted as language certificates: other high school diplomas or school reports (e.g. "Matura"; confirmation of school exchange etc.); currently taking or having completed a degree in Philology; currently studying or having completed a Translation Studies degree; citizenship; certificate of participation for a language course.

  • Exceptions
    • German skills do not have to be proven
    • Students enrolled in a philological degree programme* or translation studies do not have to provide a language certificate at the University of Vienna when applying for an Erasmus+ place of the aforementioned degree programmes. However, being enrolled in one of these degree programmes does not exempt students from providing a language certificate when applying for an Erasmus+ place of other degree programmes. *English and American Studies, German Philology, Finno-Ugric Studies, Japanese Studies, Dutch Studies, Oriental Studies, Romance Studies, Chinese Studies, Scandinavian Studies, Slavonic Studies
  • Language competency certificate exams

    The Language Center of the University of Vienna offers not only Erasmus+ preparation courses but also exams for language competency certificates that are accepted by the University of Vienna.

    If you are nominated succesfully for an Erasmus+ placement and submitted the documents in Mobility Online within the given deadlines you will receive a refund of € 30.00 for a language competency certificate or the Erasmus course for the language of the country for which you have been nominated. Recipients of federal aid for students will be refunded € 60.00. The refunds are paid out directly by the Language Center and are only available during the following periods: 01.12.–10.12. and 01.06.–30.06. A refund is possible up to one year from the date of the exam and is paid out directly at the Language Center on presentation of a photo ID. Please note that only costs for language competency certificate examinations and Erasmus courses at the Language Center can be refunded, not the cost of other language courses.

    For further questions regarding language courses and language competency certificates, please contact the Language Center directly.