EU funding for continuing professional development and other training in the education sector is available under the EU programme Erasmus+.
NILE has over twenty years' experience in advising applicants on applying for European funding. Please get in touch with our Registrar, Alison Lake with any queries.
What is Erasmus+ funding?
- Erasmus+ funding helps to cover course fees, travel costs, accommodation and other living costs and preparation costs for individuals and groups of teachers and trainers who wish to travel abroad for professional development courses. All of NILE's courses in Norwich, Galway, Ireland and Malta*, are eligible for Erasmus+ funding. See below for an update on the consequences of the UK leaving the EU in 2020 (Brexit).
- Erasmus+ funding covers teachers and trainers from the European Union and from Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway, Turkey and the Former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia.
How do I apply for Erasmus+ funding?
1. Preparation
- Identify the person in your school who is responsible for staff development and talk to them about Erasmus+ funding and courses at NILE.
- Find out which of our Face-to-Face Courses in Norwich, Ireland or Malta that would be right for you and your school, or contact us to discuss a tailor-made course for your group.
- Research. Take a good look at the information available: our FAQs down the right hand side of this page and the official EU Erasmus+ Programme Guide.
- If your school does not already have one, draw up a European Development Plan, identifying your school’ strategic development objectives in the long and medium term, and taking a European dimension into consideration. You can find more information about the European Development Plan in the Programme Guide above. Your Erasmus+ funded project will form part of this plan and can include courses at NILE.
- If you or your school are not already registered with the EU Participant Portal, then do this now. Guidance for registration and how to sign up for a EU login (formerly ECAS) can be found here and on your National Agency website.This process will give you an Organisation ID, which your school will need for the application. If your school already have a PIC number, you will have been allocated an Organisation ID.
2. Application
- The 2021 deadline is not yet announced. In previous years, the deadline has been early February.
- The applications are submitted electronically. Your National Agency will publish the application form in due course.
- A visual sample application form is downloadable from the Erasmus+ website to assist in the preparation of your application.
3. Support
- Most National Agencies offer support and advice through many different channels. We strongly advise you to contact them early to see what they offer, as they will evaluate your application. The UK National Agency for instance has a Five tips to get application ready in 2020 page, your Agency might have similar.
- The Erasmus+ application form usually asks very detailed questions about your European Development Plan, project, activities, outcomes and follow-up. Our best advice is to be as specific as possible, use examples and to bear in mind that the assessors can only base their scoring on the information in your application.
- NILE has produced a sample Erasmus+ application form with advice and links on how to complete your application so as to ensure that you have the best possible chance of securing funding for NILE courses for your organisation:
NILE Erasmus+ Sample Application Form 2020
PLEASE NOTE THAT THIS IS LAST YEAR'S FORM. THE 2021 FORM MAY DIFFER
This document is based on the .pdf you can download when filling in the 2020 application form through your EU login
NILE has over 20 years' experience in advising teachers on European funding. Please get in touch with our Registrar, Alison Lake if you have any further questions.
For more information, visit the EU's Erasmus+ overview page and the Education, Audiovisual and Cultural Executive Agency website. You can also follow Erasmus+ on Facebook and Twitter, or contact your National Agency for details of the process and priorities in your country.
Brexit update January 2021: The UK left the European Union on January 31st 2020. The UK government has now decided to leave the Erasmus+ programme. However, teachers and organisations are still welcome to spend funding awarded in current projects (applied for and awarded in 2019 or 2020) in the UK until the end date of their projects.
On this basis, we continue to pre-register applicants for our 2021 courses, as in previous years. As with all advice on Erasmus+, please check with your National Agency, as some have issued separate policies with regard to Brexit. More infomation from our industry association English UK can be found here.
To continue to offer the NILE courses of the quality you have come to expect, we are running teacher development courses at our partner schools in Galway, Ireland and Malta in 2021. These courses are eligible for Erasmus+ funding awarded in 2021. For more infomation on theses courses, please contact registrar@nile-elt.com.
We will update this page as soon as we get further advice from the EU, English UK, and the government.
* For more information about a NILE course in Malta and Ireland in 2021 please contact registrar@nile-elt.com.
Speak to an advisor +44 (0) 1603 664473
Need advice? Contact us
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Erasmus+?
Erasmus+ is the EU funding programme for education, training, youth and sport. It replaces the previous programmes such as Comenius, Grundtvig and Erasmus.
For more information, go to the NILE funding page or the Erasmus+ website.
Who can benefit from this funding?
You can!
The programme is open to teachers, trainers and students from all EU Member States as well as Iceland, Turkey, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Liechtenstein, Norway.
Which part of the Erasmus+ programme do I have to apply under?
You must apply under ‘Key Action 1 – Learning Mobility of Individuals’.
Can I apply as an individual?
No.
Under Erasmus+ only organisations can apply. Your school/college/institution is an organisation, so you can apply through your school. The training you apply for has to fit into your School/European Development Plan.
What is a European Development Plan?
Each school should have a development plan (sometimes called a ‘school development plan,’ sometimes a ‘European development plan’).
This is a document which outlines the training and professional development taking place in your school, and how it fits with European objectives. Your school can have a development plan for one or two years.
The final funding application should be for the total amount necessary for all staff training. If the funding is awarded, you and your school/organisation can then choose which NILE course(s) you would like to participate in.
Is my school / college / university / institution an organisation?
Your school counts as an organisation, and you can apply through your school. Before your school/organisation can apply for funding, a nominated person will need to register the school/organisation and get an Organisation ID.
In previous years, organisations have registered for a PIC number. If your school/organisation already has a PIC number, they will automatically have been assigned an Organisation ID. You can search for your ID through the above link.
For more information, the National Agency in the UK has provided a guide to completing this process.
Is NILE a recognised course provider?
Yes
All NILE's teachers' courses in Norwich, including MA modules, are eligible for funding under the Erasmus+ programme. However, due to Brexit, only funding already awarded can be spent in the UK in 2021. Funding awarded as part of the 2021 call can be put towards NILE face-to-face programmes in Ireland and Malta.
Go to the Face-to-face Courses page for detailed information, including full descriptions, for all 2021 courses.
Who do I contact in my school?
It will probably be the head of the school, or whoever is responsible for training and development.
How much money can I apply for?
Your school must apply for the total amount needed to cover all training as identified in the European Development plan. The money will cover course fees, travel costs and living and accommodation expenses while abroad.
When do I have to apply?
The deadline for 2021 has not yet been published (15.01.21). In previous years it has been in Early February. However, some countries have more than one call per year. Please check with your National Agency.
All applications have to be made through your National Agency.
Where can I find an application form?
Application forms will be available on your National Agency website.
An example of a completed 2020 draft application form is available here. We will be happy to advise you on your final application, contact registrar@nile-elt.com
Start your application and register your school now!
When will I know if I have been successful?
You will be told if you have been successful within a maximum 10-12 weeks of the application deadline. This means that all NILE courses from 1 June will be eligible for funding.
Click here to see a full list of all courses available.
Where can I find more information?
For more information, please visit the EU Erasmus+ overview page.
Also, see the European Commission's full guide to Erasmus+.
Your National Agency is the body in your country which is responsible for applications and information for the Erasmus+ programme. Find your National Agency.
Many National Agencies will be holding information seminars about the Erasmus+ process and distributing information to schools nationally. Contact your National Agency to find out what is happening in your country.
NILE has nearly twenty years' experience in advising applicants on applying for European funding. Contact us at registrar@nile-elt.com if you have any further questions.
Does NILE have an Organisational ID or a PIC number?
NILE's Organisation ID is E10101200.
In previous years, NILE's PIC number has sometimes been required. It is 946355378.
Is there a central database of courses eligible for Erasmus+ funding?
Yes, the EU has recently opened School Education Gateway course catalogue in connection with the E-Twinning website. All NILE's courses are availble here.
What is the impact of the UK leaving the European Union (Brexit) on my participating on NILE's courses?
The UK left the European Union on January 31st 2020. We have been informed that funding already awarded in previous years (2019, 2020) can be put towards face-to-face courses in Norwich. For the 2021 call, please contact us for infomation about NILE programmes taking place at our partner schools in Ireland and Malta.
Please see our Erasmus+ funding webpage for updates, and follow advice from your National Agency.