Traineeships in European companies and partner countries.

The aim of these scholarships is to provide students with at least two months of work experience in a company or organisation in another participating country, to help them adapt to the demands of the labour market, acquire specific skills and improve their understanding of the economic and social environment of the country concerned, while gaining work experience at the same time.

The student must meet the following requirements:

• Have Spanish nationality or nationality of any other EU country or any state participating in the PAP or have refugee, stateless or permanent resident status.
• Be enrolled in any official degree at Comillas Pontifical University, both in undergraduate studies (1st and 2nd cycle) and postgraduate studies (official masters and doctorates).
• In the case of having previously obtained an Erasmus Scholarship for both Studies and Internships, not to exceed 12 months per study cycle.
• During the same academic year, it is possible to enjoy an Erasmus Study Grant and an Erasmus Internship Grant, as long as they are not simultaneous and do not exceed 12 months in total.
• Have the knowledge of the language required by the company in its internship offer.
• Students who are going to do an internship in their country of origin are not eligible for an Erasmus Work Placement Grant.

The call for applications is open, so Erasmus Traineeships are available as long as scholarships are still available.

The grants are intended to help cover the additional costs incurred by the mobility of trainees, mainly travel and living expenses, during their stay in the host country.
The amount of the grant depends on the host country. There are 4 groups of countries with grants ranging from500 to 700 euros.

During their studies, a person may enjoy a maximum period of 12 months between Erasmus Studies and Erasmus Traineeships.
An Erasmus grant for studies and an Erasmus Traineeship may be taken up within the same academic year, provided that they are not carried out simultaneously.
The Erasmus Traineeships grant is compatible with other possible national and/or regional co-financing, but is incompatible with the Erasmus.es grant from the Spanish Ministry of Education which finances traineeships. It will also be compatible with any payment in cash or in kind made by the company.

The scholarships are awarded for placements in enterprises, training centres, research centres and other organisations located in the 27 Member States of the European Union, in the three countries of the European Economic Area (Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway), in Turkey and Croatia and in any associated country (see Annex I for the list of participating countries).

The following types of organisations will not be considered as eligible host entities:

• Institutions of the European Union and other bodies of the European Union, including specialised agencies.
• Organisations managing Community programmes.

In-company placements can be obtained in two ways:

1. The student can, on his/her own, contact and be selected by a company.
2. The student can apply for an internship offered by a company to the Faculty/School, the Internship and Employment Office and the International Relations Service.

Once an internship offer has been obtained, the student will request, before the end of the scholarship application period, the approval of the International Internship Coordinator of his/her Centre regarding the suitability of the internship.

The International Internship Coordinator of the degree programme or centre, who will verify the suitability of the internship; that the company meets the requirements for participation in the programme and that the internship will be appropriate for the student's training and academic record.
Students must also contact the International Relations Service, which will inform them of the documentation and procedures to follow in order to obtain the grant.

f the student has already obtained the internship, he /she must send the following documentation to the International Relations Service by e-mail(rroncero@comillas.edu):

• Erasmus internship grant application form
• Letter of acceptance from the company
• Copy of the university registration
• Copy of the European Health Insurance Card

Once this documentation has been submitted, the International Relations Service will process the approval of the Academic Centre and will award the grant to the student with instructions on how to receive it.

These obligations are contained, in general, in the "Quality Commitment" that will be delivered together with the Grant Agreement and are, mainly, the following:

THE STUDENT UNDERTAKES TO:

• Comply with all the provisions negotiated in relation to their placement and do their utmost to ensure the success of the placement.
• Respect the rules and regulations of the host organisation, its normal working hours, its code of conduct and its confidentiality policy.
• Communicate any problems or changes in the placement to the sending organisation.
• To submit any documentation requested by the University during and at the end of the placement.
• Obtain, before joining the company, the European Health Insurance Card to cover the risks of illness and accident and take out accident and civil liability insurance through the university if the company does not provide it.

THE HOST ORGANISATION OR COMPANY UNDERTAKES TO:

• Assign students tasks and responsibilities (as set out in the training agreement) appropriate to their knowledge, skills and learning objectives, ensuring that they have adequate equipment and assistance.
• Draw up a contract or equivalent document governing the placement, in accordance with the requirements of national legislation.
• Appoint a mentor to advise students, help them integrate into their host environment and monitor the progress of their training.

THE UNIVERSITY UNDERTAKES TO:

• Help the student to choose the appropriate host organisation, project duration and placement content, in order to achieve these learning outcomes.
• Select students on the basis of transparent and clearly defined criteria and procedures, and sign a placement agreement with the selected students.
• To give full recognition for activities successfully completed by the student in accordance with the training agreement.

Comillas Pontifical University will grant full academic recognition to the period of work experience abroad carried out in accordance with the conditions of the call for applications, through credit recognition and/or, where appropriate, the European Diploma Supplement.

The beneficiary of the grant must sign the Grant Agreement before starting the placement.
He/she must also fill in and sign the Learning Agreement that will be agreed between the company, the student and the university before starting the internship.
80% of the amount of the grant will be paid into the student's bank account within one month of receipt of the aforementioned documents.
Before starting the placement, the student must take an online language level test, which must be repeated at the end of the placement.
At the end of the placement and once the final part of the Learning Agreement has been submitted to the International Relations Service and the EU Questionnaire has been completed online within 30 calendar days of receiving the invitation to complete it.

Acceptance of the grant by the student must be made to the International Relations Service within a maximum period of 10 days from the date of notification to the interested party.
If, after the deadline, the student withdraws without a justified cause, he/she may be penalised by exclusion from future Erasmus or other exchange programmes and, where appropriate, by other sanctions deemed necessary by each Centre.
In the event that the placement is not carried out or is less than the agreed period, the student must fully refund the amount received (in the event of force majeure, partial refund of the period of the placement not carried out may be requested).