Matching duration to your students, your budget and your project's goals.
The right duration for a VET internship abroad depends on the student's readiness for an extended stay, the school's academic calendar, and what the funding realistically supports. Most schools default to two to three weeks for a first project, then adjust based on how it goes.
Students partway through a multi-week internship placement.
A longer placement gives a student more time to genuinely contribute at a host company, rather than just observing during a short stay — but it also demands more from the student, the host company and the funding available. A three-month placement needs a company genuinely willing to invest in training someone for that period, not just accommodate a short visit.
Rather than fixing a duration before confirming a destination, it's worth asking a potential host partner what durations they can realistically support well in your students' fields of study. Some sectors — hospitality, for instance — can absorb a short-term placement easily; others benefit more from a longer stay to reach genuinely productive tasks.
The programme-wide duration rules behind these choices.
Read more → Erasmus+ KA1How duration maps onto different KA1 mobility formats.
Read more → VET InternshipsHow the experience changes across different durations.
Read more →DNA Europe supports vocational schools in Romania, Italy and Poland with Erasmus+ VET mobility in Lisbon — from the first placement idea to the final report.
