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Have you ever wanted to live abroad and experience a foreign culture, meet new people and learn a foreign language?

Have you ever thought about enriching the period of your studies and having better chances while looking for a job in the future?

Have you ever been excited to share your ideas and to create good things with other students from all around the world?

Have you ever dreamed to do an internship abroad, to learn co-operative work?

Have you ever heard that life won't be the same after Erasmus?

Please fasten your seat belt and be ready to fly with the new EU programme ERASMUS+

Erasmus+ or not Erasmus+? That is the question!

Besides the Erasmus+ programme for Higher Education students, there are plenty of mobility opportunities in Europe and beyond: volunteering, jobs, studies, traineeships, or just travelling for fun; just a short stay or a life-changing year, find out about many of the lesser known opportunities on our Mov'in Europe website!

What is Erasmus?

The Erasmus+ Programme is a European funding programme established in 1987 offering university students a possibility of studying or doing an internship abroad in another country for a period of at least 2 months and maximum 12 months per cycle of studies. Erasmus+ now offers the possibility to go way beyond the European borders as well.

Can you benefit?

Higher education students from after completing a 1st year of studies can benefit of the Erasmus+ studies and Erasmus+ placement programmes. There is no age limitation.

You can find the program here.

Money?

Each student receives a grant which covers partly the costs of the stay abroad. Grants differ from sending and host countries. Your university is required to make the amount of the grant publicly known to students, so you can just ask your International relation office. The grant can often be complemented by regional or national grants.

Students going on exchange under the ERASMUS+ programme pay the tuition fees at their home university.

You should be aware that in most cases, the Erasmus+ grant alone will not cover all your life expenses.

Courses?

One of the basic rights each exchange student has is the full recognition of courses passed successfully abroad by the home university. Before leaving the home university, the participating student signs the Learning Agreement - a document that describes the programme of studies followed in the host university. At the end of the stay the host university should prepare for the student a document called Transcript of Records which confirms the completed studies' programme and the results. These documents are legally binding for all parties involved (your home and host university). Should you face problems in recognition, you can seek the help of student organisations to make your courses validated.

Language?

Universities very often offer language course for international students. From 2015, all Erasmus+ students will be able to register on the Erasmus+ Online Linguistic Support website and to take online language courses.

Preparation?

You can seek tips and advices to your local ESN sections where our volunteers, former Erasmus+ students, will be happy to support you through the whole process.

In any case you should start planning your Erasmus+ stay at least 6 months in advance!

Where to find more information?

More detailed information on ERASMUS+ is available at the European Commission's website and in our Student Guidebook. For information how to apply, deadlines, etc, please contact the International Relations Office of your university.

You also can find more details and learn more about projects that you can benefit from your National Agency's website.
Finally, you can contact your local Erasmus Student Network section, most of our volunteers have experienced the Erasmus+ programme and will be able to guide you through its secrets.

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Have you ever wanted to live abroad and experience a foreign culture, meet new people and learn a foreign language?Have you ever thought about enriching the period of your studies and having better chances while looking for a job in the future?Have you ever been excited to share your ideas and to create good things with other students from all around the world?

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Join us for the adventure of a lifetime! Are you in the 15 to 18 age group? Interested in travelling to exciting places, meeting new people and making a difference? Our High School Specials are the ideal opportunity to do all of this and more. Get involved in one of our structured two, three or four week volunteer placements overseas and make this a summer to remember.
Not aged 15-18? See our full range of projects for anyone aged 15-75 here
These summer projects are also a great way to gain valuable work experience, which will contribute massively to your CV or UCAS form. Your time away with us will include a mixture of taught sessions, hands-on activities and observational work.

Live and work alongside small group of fellow-students in an exotic destination. You'll also have the chance to get involved in cultural and social activities, as well as amazing weekend excursions.

Download our High School Specials leaflet or contact us on 01903 708300 to request a printed version

Every year, thousands of High School Special volunteers actively make a difference around the world. During their time abroad, they contribute towards achieving long-term goals and make a long-lasting positive impact on the communities where they work. If you want to know more about their achievements, read our 2016 High School Specials Impact Report.

Useful Information

Our list of projects to choose from is growing each year and there really is something for everyone to get involved in.

CHOOSE A HIGH SCHOOL SPECIAL PROJECT

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Volunteer Abroad for 15-18 Year Olds | High School Specials | Projects Abroad

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Join us for the adventure of a lifetime! Are you in the 15 to 18 age group? Interested in travelling to exciting places, meeting new people and making a difference? Our High School Specials are the ideal opportunity to do all of this and more.

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Becoming an au pair: everything you need to know about au pairing - AuPairWorld

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Find out what you can learn from an au pair placement, how you become an au pair, where you can go and the experience of other au pairs.

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A Detailed Look At WWOOFING

WWOOFing gives the opportunity for people to experience idealistic lifestyles, such as living in a chalet at the foot of Mont Blanc, or spending time on a ranch in Texas, or even staying in the Bush of Australia, for free. WWOOFING participants only have to pay for their travel - their accommodation and food is catered for.

The organisation was created in 1971 after previously being called Working Weekends. It originates from the UK when a woman called Sue Coppard, a secretary from London, decided to organise a weekend for herself and two other Londoners to visit a farm in East Sussex. She wanted to experience some time in the country like she had when she was younger. In exchange for spending time on the farm, Sue and her two companions completed what she described as 'housework', which included clearing out blocked ditches and hacking back brambles which were encroaching into a field.

After the success of the weekend, more followed, and the interest for having weekends away grew both among willing volunteers and the owners of farms. All of a sudden WWOOFing was born.

Over the years it has continued to grow and has national organisations in over 50 countries and independents in another 40 countries. As the experiences were no longer limited to a weekend, the name had to change.

What does WWOOFing stand for?

In most countries WWOOF stands for 'World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms' (adopted in 2000). However, there are a few organisations where they decided to keep the old name (Willing Workers on Organic Farms) and one has chosen for the acronym to stand for 'We're Welcome on Organic Farms'.

Volunteers (known as WWOOFers) do a variety of jobs, which they agree with their host. They can include weeding, helping with the harvest or assisting with animals. It's advised for WWOOFing participants to be of at least an average fitness level and to be interested in learning about organic growing, country life or ecologically sound lifestyles.

It gives people the chance to try something very different from their normal routine. Zoe Weinstein decided to do something which used her 'hands' before starting to study Library Science at the University of Illinois. To save money she stayed in her country and WWOOFed at a dairy farm in Gratsbury, Wisconsin. She learnt new skills such as how to tube a lamb as well as some basic veterinary knowledge, which included how to tell if a lamb was starving or had polio. Very recently she has been on a garden farm / bakery in Stockingbridge, Michigan and still wishes to do more WWOOFing in the future.

Another American who is going to take advantage of the organisation is Elinor Hickey, who is taking part in Livingston, Montana, so she can do something new in a new place and to give her "big muscles and character!"

Users have to join the organisation of the country they wish to travel to, this includes a membership fee (for WWOOF UK it costs £20 for a single person or £30 for a couple). This fee also covers insurance.

Members then have access to the 'list' of organic farms, gardens and smallholdings and organise their stay at one of the available placements. When contacting a host, volunteers can determine their work and how long they'll stay. In exchange for the work (on the UK site, it advises volunteers to be prepared for 25-30 hour weeks), volunteers get lodgings and food.

The host plays an important role in the experience a person has while WWOOFing. They decide what work needs to be achieved, and the type and amount of food which they provide. This can vary and so it is advised to try and establish expectations on both sides. All over the internet there are comments of positive experiences WWOOFers have had with their hosts; Abigail Smith said: "My WWOOFing host is the most adorable middle-aged lady ever. I just taught her how to use her new GPS."

People taking part in this so called 'voluntourism' find the experiences hold a great amount of variety and enjoy the experiences. Deanna Deacon tweeted: "Today I milked a cow, chased some chickens, fed some pigs and dug up an entire garden. Sooo happy I'm WWOOFing in #newzeland."

Where can I WWOOF?

Opportunities are literally available all over the world. Here are just a few examples of what are available:

In Greece there is a placement to help with a rare breed of horses (including the need for light-weight riders), and helping to set up an organic garden, creating compost out of the horse muck. The main chores include mucking the horses out, feeding, fencing training and handling.

On the Hawaiian island of Maui, there is an aquaponic (a sustainable food production system combining aquaculture and hydroponics) farm. It's situated inside the rainforests of East Maui where there's a strong community of artists, farmers and families.

Kat Walker has been tweeting about her experiences in the Australian outback, where she has WWOOFed. One day she said: "Morning run along an old airstrip in the outback, at sunrise, kangaroos jumping beside me..! So cool!" An opportunity available in Australia is in the Bush working in a garden. Main chores include harvesting, weeding, helping with firewood, making walking tracks and helping with the landscaping.

These examples are only a drop in the ocean compared to the number of opportunities available, but these already show the variety of both locations and work included.

Last year there were over 4,500 WWOOFers registered with WWOOF UK, and there are around 15,000 registered in America. These numbers clearly demonstrate the popularity this organisation has gained leading to people all around the world taking the chance to get to know the culture of the area they're staying in by working and living with local people. In addition, volunteering experience is an excellent asset for CVs or university applications, therefore, WWOOF helps to get the most out of your gap year - helping both budget and future prospects.

Further Information

Want to know more about volunteering? Check out our articles section for some ideas and inspiration on some of the things you can do.

And if that fails, chat to other gappers on the messageboards and ask questions. Trust us, it works...

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WWOOFing gives the opportunity for people to experience idealistic lifestyles, such as living in a chalet at the foot of Mont Blanc, or spending time on a ranch in Texas, or even staying in the Bush of Australia, for free. WWOOFING participants only have to pay for their travel - their accommodation and food is catered for.

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Michelle Obama promotes global education during speech at Stanford Center at Peking University

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Uploaded by WatchMojo.com on 2009-05-25.