Traineeships that have already started
The decision whether to continue or abort your internship is basically up to you (or your host institution). We hope the following information will help you to make the right decision and keep your worries to a minimum.
Implications on your Erasmus scholarship
!Please inform us via email if you break off, interrupt or cancel your traineeship!
We have designed a 2-page questionnaire that explains all the procedures concerning the Erasmus grant in cases of Force Majeur due to covid-19. It is for you to be informed; and for us, because once your traineeship ended you fill it out and hand it i at our office.
Force Majeure
The EU has officially declared Force Majeure for all Erasmus funded traineeships that due to the Corona crisis had to be cancelled, interrupted or ended. This means that we do not have to apply all the rules which are normally applicable (e.g. minimum traineeship duration of 2 months).
Procedure
You will receive the Erasmus grant for the number of traineeship days you fulfilled abroad. Moreover, we can accept higher amounts (usually up to the maximum amount of the originally agreed Erasmus grant), provided that the grant agreement and learning agreement between you and us has been completed. If the required documents are still incomplete please submit them as soon as possible.
Academic Recognition of your traineeship
Your home university will decide on the recognition of your traineeship (e.g. CPs). If you have questions on that, please contact your Examination Office.
Return or continue the traineeship ?
It is you who decides. Please keep the following aspects in mind:
- Do I expect to be able to continue my traineeship?
- Are my living conditions (accommodation) as well as my social integration good enough so that a quarantine of two weeks at the traineeship place would be okay for me?
- Do I have confidence in the local health system, just in case?
- What is the advice of my host institution?
- Is a return to Germany (and through transit countries) still possible?
Return
If you decide to return earlier it may not be easy to find a transport. Flights might be cancelled, borders might be closed which often also stopped train services. Even if you are not German but have a residence permit for Germany, you should be able to re-enter Germany. This is the respective information one of our students got from the Ausländerbehörde:
"I informed the Auslanderbehorde and they said since I was in Germany in January for a short duration, my six months of being abroad end in June and they hope that I return by June, but if not then they said they will email me a re-entry certificate, so there's nothing to worry about there."
The consequence also may be a quarantine of two weeks (if you come from a risk area).
If you do not find a transport to return to Germany, please contact the German Embassy or the nearest consulate. They might help you to organise your return.
Please keep in mind, that once you left your traineeship country, you might not be able to return if you want to continue there again if borders are closed.
Contact / Availability
Please contact me via E-Mail () or telephone (+49 391 67 58778). If in home office, calls will be forwarded to my number. I will call you back upon request if you give me your phone number.