An Erasmus traineeship learning agreement sets out what you’ll do at your host organisation, what you’ll learn, how your work will be assessed and how your sending institution will recognise it. You, your institution and your host agree to the plan before the placement starts. Ask your Erasmus+ office which form to use and who needs to sign.
Start with Table A if you already have an approved form and a confirmed host. A short conversation with your supervisor about what you’ll do in the first few weeks can give you the detail you need to draft it.
Who fills in Tables A, B and C?
| Section | Who to work with | What you’re agreeing |
|---|---|---|
| Table A | Your host supervisor and sending institution | The work plan, timing, weekly hours, learning outcomes, monitoring and assessment. |
| Table B | Your sending institution | The recognition you’ll receive for satisfactory completion and the institution’s insurance information where applicable. |
| Table C | Your host organisation | The support, equipment, supervision and any financial or in-kind contribution it will provide, plus its insurance information. |
Check who approves the agreement. For some KA171 incoming placements, the beneficiary institution and sending institution are different, so a fourth party is involved. See the Commission’s KA131 guidelines and KA171 guidelines.
Choose the Erasmus+ traineeship form
Ask for the version for traineeships and confirm whether your placement falls under KA131, which uses internal policy funds, or KA171, which uses external policy funds. Your institution may use a portal or its own approved version. The Commission’s public form is for preparation. See the Learning Agreements overview and official traineeship template.
Check eligibility and funding separately with your institution. The Commission lists 2 to 12 months of potential support for traineeships abroad. A short blended option combines 5 to 30 days of physical mobility with a virtual component. Ask which options are available to you. See the Erasmus+ traineeships overview.
Complete the learning agreement in seven steps
1. Confirm the form, route and internal deadline
Tell the mobility office whether the placement counts toward your degree, is voluntary during your studies or would take place after graduation. Ask who signs, how you should submit the form and when your institution needs it. Use that internal deadline to work backwards when arranging host approval.
2. Check names, dates, hours and contacts
Confirm the requested details for the trainee, the university and the receiving organisation. Check the host supervisor’s role and email, planned dates and weekly hours. If your placement began as an informal enquiry to a professor, use the conversation to settle duties and supervision with the host. See our research internship outreach guide.
3. Draft Table A with the host supervisor
Give the placement a clear title and describe tasks with their timing. For each main task, ask what you’ll learn and how the supervisor will check it. Monitoring describes how you’ll get feedback during the placement. Evaluation describes what the assessor will look at to judge your work. If there’s a virtual component, explain when it happens and what it adds. Answer any digital skills question using the tasks you’ll actually do.
4. Agree Table B with your sending institution
Ask your institution to confirm the recognition section and complete its commitments. For a placement that counts toward your degree, check the credits or equivalent recognition and how the work will be assessed. For a voluntary or recent-graduate placement, ask what record the institution will issue or update. Save the agreed wording so you can check it at the end. See the KA131 recognition guidance and KA171 recognition guidance.
5. Ask the host to complete Table C
Check who will supervise you, what equipment you can use and whether the host offers money or in-kind support such as meals. Confirm who provides workplace accident and liability insurance and check the corresponding entries in Tables B and C. If neither party provides the cover, ask the mobility office to confirm what you need to arrange and what your grant agreement says. See the Commission guidance on insurance and host commitments.
Keep host support, grant payments and personal costs separate when you budget. See our guide to comparing funding coverage.
6. Check language, insurance and travel paperwork
Agree the working language and the level the host expects. The Commission’s guidance calls for a pre-mobility Online Language Support assessment for placements of 14 days or more where the language is available, with exceptions for native speakers and justified cases. Ask your coordinator how that applies to you. See the KA131 language guidance and KA171 language guidance.
Check your entry and placement requirements with the destination authority and your institution before paying for travel. Keep the relevant insurance, grant and any visa or placement contract paperwork together. For general booking checks, see our international travel checklist.
7. Collect every approval before the placement starts
Send the completed version through your institution’s approved process. The Commission requires all parties to sign before the mobility starts. Scanned or electronic signatures may be accepted under the applicable national and institutional rules. Save the approved copy and keep it accessible while abroad. See the Commission guidance on signing.
Worked example for Table A
Hypothetical Table A example. A trainee spends 12 weeks with a university library team for 30 hours per week. The project is to audit information about accessible entrances on campus maps.
| Field | Example wording |
|---|---|
| Title | Campus map accessibility audit |
| Tasks and timing | In weeks 1–3, review existing map records and agree a checklist with the supervisor. In weeks 4–9, audit selected records. In weeks 10–12, prepare a findings brief and list unresolved items. |
| Learning outcomes | Apply consistent review criteria, record uncertainty and explain suggested changes using the audit evidence. |
| Monitoring | Meet the supervisor weekly and review the first five records together before auditing the rest. |
| Evaluation | The supervisor checks the audit log and brief for consistent criteria, traceable evidence and clear next steps. |
Use your host’s actual dates, hours and resources. If the supervisor can only meet every other week, agree how you’ll get feedback between meetings before submitting Table A.
Change the agreement and finish the placement
If your work, dates or contact changes
Tell your host and mobility office promptly. Keep the original Table A and record exceptional programme changes in Table A2 or the approved institutional equivalent. All relevant parties must approve the amendment. If the responsible person changes, ask the institution or host to update the designated contact fields. The Commission’s guidelines place extension requests at least one month before the planned end date. Confirm any effect on funding separately. See the KA131 changes procedure and KA171 changes procedure.
After the last day
The host should send the traineeship certificate, which includes the Table D information, to you and the sending institution normally within five weeks of successful completion. Check the actual first and last dates of your traineeship. Your sending institution then recognises the placement as agreed in Table B. Where a transcript or equivalent record applies, the Commission describes a normal five-week period after the institution receives the certificate. See the KA131 completion guidance and KA171 completion guidance.
Keep the final certificate and a record of the work you can describe publicly. See our guide to writing an academic CV.
Common mistakes to catch before signing
- Check the route and form before asking your host to sign.
- Replace broad tasks with an agreed schedule, feedback plan and assessment criteria.
- Ask who provides each type of workplace insurance and where it is recorded.
- Confirm recognition with the sending institution before relying on credits or a particular record.
- Keep the original agreement alongside any approved amendments.
Frequently asked questions
Who fills in an Erasmus traineeship learning agreement?
The trainee usually coordinates it. Draft the work plan with the host and ask the sending institution and host to confirm their own commitments. Your coordinator can tell you who signs for each party.
Can recent graduates use a traineeship learning agreement?
Where the institution offers this route, it generally selects participants in their final year of study and the traineeship must normally be completed within one year of graduation. Ask your institution before graduating. See the Erasmus+ Programme Guide eligibility rules.
Which document confirms my grant amount?
Check the grant agreement for the grant amount and payment terms. Check Table C for any additional host support. If your host also issues a placement or employment contract, read its terms alongside the learning plan.
Final checklist before you send the agreement
- I have the correct form, mobility route, names, dates and hours.
- Table A says what I’ll learn, how I’ll receive feedback and how I’ll be assessed.
- The sending institution has confirmed recognition in Table B.
- The host has confirmed support in Table C and the insurance responsibilities are recorded.
- Every required party has signed and I know how to request the completion certificate.
Official sources and review date
Official European Commission guidance checked on 8 November 2026. Confirm the approved version and internal deadlines with your own Erasmus+ office.
- European Commission learning agreements
- KA131 traineeship guidelines
- KA171 traineeship guidelines
- Erasmus+ traineeships abroad for students
