Erasmus Mobility:the return on your investment

1. A French perspective Erasmus Mobility:the return on your investment

2. Erasmus mobility Umberto Eco, the very well known Italian philosopher, has described the Erasmus-generation as a phenomenon bringing together Europeans with common aspirations and a specific dynamic vision of our continent

3. Spirit of the programme Erasmus is the EU's flagship education and training programme, enabling two hundred thousand students to study and work abroad each year, as well as supporting co-operation actions between higher education institutions across Europe. It caters not only for students, but also for professors and business staff who want to teach abroad and for university staff who want to be trained abroad. The Programme is named after the humanist and theologian Desiderius Erasmus of Rotterdam (1465-1536) whose travels for work and study took in the era’s great centres of learning, including Paris, Leuven and Cambridge. Like the man, the Erasmus programme places great importance on mobility and furthering career prospects through learning. By leaving his fortune to the University of Basel, he became a pioneer of the mobility grants which now bear his name.

4. European investment Few, if any, programmes launched by the European Union have had a similar Europe-wide reach. Around 90% of European universities take part in Erasmus and 1.9 million students have participated since it started in 1987. The annual budget is in excess of €400million, more than 3,100 higher education institutions in 31 countries participate, and even more are waiting to join.

5. The French perspective French higher education: Grandes écoles :engineering and business IUT : vocational technical colleges Universities: local recruitment grants, close knit family structure, national degrees, no selection.French among the most desperate to learn English. Staff mobility obstacles

6. Host countries for French students brochure_campusfrance_chiffres_cles08.pdf ◆ 10 premiers pays d'accueil des étudiants français en Europe (Erasmus) Top 10 host countries for French students in Europe (Erasmus students only) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 2005 2006 Spain3455 3 900 4 470 5115 5 167 5 481 5454 UK 5318 5080 4705 4652 4 564 4 499 4673 Germ 2 699 2782 2808 2 804 2863 2 884 2800 Italy 1116 1245 1415 1549 1571 1642 1638 Swed661 832 934 1062 1179 1238 1257 Eire 984 1031 1083 1081 1071 1202 1241 Holland684 810 827 891 850 893 823 Finland460 479 634 727 772 835 879 Denmark 327 348 392 500 603 606 620 Austria 230 248 329 361 403 391 396 19 ◆

7. Investment Definition : A) the activity of investing money B) an investment : meaning something that will be useful especially because it will help you to do a task more efficiently C) economics : the amount by which the stock of capital ( human capital) changes

8. Mobility What does that mean for students today ? Spending a semester or year in another country Discovering another culture, educational system, a different language, food! Drawing up a learning agreement (difficult for outgoing and incoming students) Organising your own timetable, group work, personal research. Finding accommodation ,opening a bank account, travelling alone, sharing a flat or living in halls……

9. The return on your investment • Investment here is in HUMAN capital so return here in those terms • Not 2.5% now offered by the Caisse d’Epargne • But in personal and academic terms • So individual examples

10. Examples : Dear Mrs. Chevaillier,I had the opportunity to go and live an Erasmus year during my third year of University and would recommend everyone to do so. My Erasmus year in Salford, Manchester, was really enriching, both from a personal and professional point of view. I experienced real immersion into the English culture that allowed me to give a real boost to my English skills, not only thanks to the lessons I attended but also socialising with English and other foreign students. Thanks to this experience, I was able to reach a level of English which really makes the difference when applying for a job, whether in France or abroad.I am currently working in Cork inan anti virus and internet security company where fluency in English as well as in my mother tongue made me a very attractive candidate for the post. Looking back the decision to go on the Erasmus year was an enriching personal experience and a huge asset for my career Best regards,Elise

11. Claire I worked at Fastway Couriers Nordschwarzwald last year. Now I am working at Fastway Couriers Auckland in New Zealand. I am still in the sales area. I do sales myself looking after large potential customers and major accounts. I continue to manage the sales team here, recruit reps when necessery, conduct the induction training and train them in general. We have now a team of 7 reps in Auckland. I am now looking at going back to Europe, probably next year. I am discussing new opportunities in Germany or may work in France. I went to Germany for my Erasmus year and spent 11 months there at the Sprachen und Dolmetscher Institut in Munich. This was a great experience. A very high level of courses offered at this private school. Besides the huge benefits in terms of the language, I guess that the cultural aspect is the most important part of this experience. Time flies, and you may lose the language. Nothing should be taken for granted. That is why I keep working in Germany and visit Germany every year. this is crucial not to "lose" what I have learnt. But there is one thing that you can never forget, and this is the cultural experience; Spending a year in a foreign country is a unique experience to get to know a different culture. It takes at least a year to experience all the traditions part of a culture, to get to understand different mentalities and cultural differences.

12. Emma Currently in the process of doing my postgraduate diploma, I still have one more year to go at CELSA. Thus, here is why I highly benefited from my year abroad at Royal Holloway University of London to get my two internships in a) the Media Relations Department of the Société Générale Group and b) the Nutrition and Healthcare Department of the PR Agency Burson-Marsteller - I gained a high sense of multiculturalism (getting to know people from all over the world is very enriching and enables you to take a stand on a greater number of subjects)- I opened myself to new fields of studies (this shows you are versatile, curious about everything and able to relate your academic background to job requirements ex. I followed a course on the Politics of the Internet. As a result I managed to get the gist of influential communication strategies on the Internet, which is a skill employers particularly seek for)- my year abroad shows employers I have both written and oral English skills (writing essays at Holloway trained me to formal English writing and I was later able to draft press releases and press files)- during my year abroad I also met the people I am most likely to work with (or at least do business with) in the future, so it isa) good to know where these people come from, what they learned, how they think, what they targetb) know them in person because I may want to use their contacts to get a job in the UK or in any other country !