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Erasmus Staff Mobility

The SOAS Staff Development Office administers the Erasmus scheme for incoming staff mobility at SOAS. Erasmus offers an opportunity for academic and professional services staff to teach or work at a partner institution in one of the 30 participating countries in Europe. These short visits will allow staff to contribute to, and learn from, best practice, find out first-hand the workings of another European education system or deliver a course with European colleagues. 

The visit should be organised by the member of staff who should also be prepared in return to welcome a visitor to SOAS.

Important Changes & Regulations for 2012-13

  • Priority must be given to those members of staff who have not undertaken a mobility visit before
  • All non-Sterling costs must now be calculated using a set exchange rate for the year. This will affect payments for both travel and subsistence if they are not originally made in Euros
  • Subsistence rates have changed from previous years and staff should check exact amounts in advance (dependent on country and length of stay), Grants are intended to provide a contribution towards travel and subsistence. All receipts are required
  • Travel costs may cover travel from the point of departure to the host, but do not include local travel during the mobility
  • A minimum duration of 5 working days is strongly recommended to provide a meaningful contribution to the teaching programme and international academic life at the host institution
  • Prior to departure, the teaching programme should be agreed formally by the sending and host institution; evidence must be kept that this has been agreed prior to departure, and any amendments must also be formally agreed and retained
  • On completion of the mobility visit staff will need to complete an online evaluation form which is sent directly to the British Council; funds cannot be reimbursed until SOAS is informed that the form has been received. This may lead to slight delays in processing claims
  • All participants will need to provide a Certificate Of Attendance from the host institution confirming the duration of stay before any funds can be released
  • The focus of staff training mobilities has changed to that now the majority of the visit must focus on 'practical skills'

Types of Mobility

  1. Teacher Mobility: This allows short teaching visits so that they can contribute to the curriculum of partner institutions. The main purpose of the visit should be for teaching and not research.
  2. Staff Training: Mobility of professional services and teaching staff to allow them to learn from the experiences and good practices of a partner institution and to improve the skills required for their current job. This may take the form of a short secondment period, job-shadowing, study visit etc.

Information about applying for Teacher Mobility (TM) or Staff Training (ST) is available on the separate web pages or from staffdevelopment@soas.ac.uk Full details of the scheme can be found in the Operational Handbook

Funding

Funds for these visits are limited and therefore all funding must be applied for and approved by the Staff Development Office. 

Regulations

The British Council stipulates the following rules and regulations which must be adhered to:

  • A valid bi-lateral agreement must be in place which includes provision for staff mobility
  • Travel must take place by 31 July of each year
  • Visits are usually a minimum of one week and a maximum of six weeks
  • All visits must have an agreed work plan and a follow up evaluation report.

Eligibility

  • Staff must be employed by SOAS 

Erasmus for All: 2014 Onwards

There are likely to be substantial changes to the scheme from 2014 when the European Commission proposes a new programme for an integrated Lifelong Learning programme. More information can be found at Factsheet

Bilateral Agreements

Bilateral agreements are contractual agreements created between two institutions i.e. between SOAS and our partner institution. The bilateral agreement must specify:

  • duration of contract in academic years
  • names, codes and contact details of the co-ordinators in SOAS and the partner institution
  • incoming and outgoing teaching mobility and/or training mobility

In order to be valid, each bilateral agreement must be signed, stamped and dated by the specific representatives of both SOAS and the partner institution. Please note that the specified representative of SOAS is Serena Yeo, Staff Development Manager (sy3) or David Christmas, Director of Student and Registry Services (dc12). Inclusion of student mobility numbers should only be made if this has been agreed with the Pro-Director (Learning & Teaching).

In order to create a Bilateral Agreement, exchange arrangements should be discussed with the partner institution to confirm the teacher and/or training mobility numbers and the contact details of key contacts. This should be sent to the Staff Development Office with a confirmation from the relevant Head of Department or Director of Professional Services. Bi-lateral Agreement Template