Tips for studying abroad I

Higher education

Studying abroad is an option for those people interested in learning a language and to get to know a culture. There are several possibilities. In the framework of the European Union, university students are able to apply for an Erasmus programme. Sometimes third countries which don’t belong to the EU are also able to participate in the program.

It consists in spending a university year abroad. It may not be very expensive as every UE-Country offers scholarships for this program, but the scholarship rarely covers all the expenses of the students. Students, normally live in university dormitories together with the rest of the students. There is an international exchange department in every university, responsible for the follow up of each application, so it is quite easy for students to join it.

There are also a few negative points of this initiative:

1.       Not all the subjects may be recognized back in the home university (though the Bologne regulations are trying to change this point). So, some subjects may be repeated once the student is back.

2.       Foreign students tend to meet other foreign students too. So many times the relationship is not established with the local people but with other international students. This fact is partly positive, since young people learn a lot about other cultures, but it is also partly negative as they are not fully immersed in the country culture and language.
 
In the following link you will find further information about Erasmus:

http://ec.europa.eu/education/lifelong-learning-programme/doc80_en.htm

What is a Workcamp?


Workcamps are modest projects, as they have to be carried out in a short
period of time. These projects may comprise social, environmental, cultural
and further fields. There is a wide range of projects to choose. Many are
related to environment preservation, other are aimed to build
understructures for a concrete community, some consist of giving concrete
services to underprivileged people, etc.

These projects are financed partly by states, NGO’s, intercultural
associations and/or other international organizations, with the aim of
covering a need in a concrete place, gather people from other countries
interested for any reason in the country or the project and promote
intercultural awareness.

Examples:
• Build a playground for children in Germany
• Protect turtles eggs in Mexico
• Restore some parts of a Castle in France


How to join a Workcamp?


• It depends on the country but generally the young information
points of every town may have information about the different workcamp

organizations around you. The volunteer may contact first these
organizations and look for the project he/she would like to carry out.
After that, the volunteer has just to look for the trip to the chosen
country.


Workcamp conditions


• Taking part into a Workcamp may last between 15 and 25 days.

• Workcamp volunteers are the members of a workcamp. Normally they
may be young people between 18-30 years old and coming from all around the
world.

• Every workcamp has workcamp leaders. They are organizers of the
camp tasks and the free time, and they are also involved in the tasks of
the project. They have further experience in workcamps.

• Volunteers may work around 6 hours, not including weekends and they
receive in return full accommodation and board. The volunteer just has to
pay the trip costs from homeland to the workcampsite and his/her own
expenses during the camp. The weekend is spent on leisure activities,
normally visiting and sightseeing the workcamp area.

• Accommodation and board. Accommodation is normally in a group and
located in a common place like schools, tents, associations, etc. and board
usually is prepared by the members of the camp so they can learn
international customs and traditions.


Why a Workcamp?


• It is a mean to get to know foreign people abroad or in your own
country. It is possible to meet people from all around the world.

• It is quite affordable in comparison with other options. Volunteers
“work” voluntarily in return for accommodation and board.


On the following link you will find further addresses related to Workcamps within the framework of the European Union.


http://europa.eu/youth/volunteering_-_exchanges/work_camps/index_eu_en.html