Traineeship mobility

In line with the principles of the Higher Education Charter, study mobility ensures equal opportunities, fair access, inclusion, and diversity regardless of the student’s background. Traineeship mobility is open to a wide range of participants, including those with fewer opportunities, such as people with disabilities (physical, mental, intellectual, or sensory impairments, which, in interaction with various barriers, may limit full and effective participation in society on an equal basis with others), health issues (health conditions, including serious illnesses, chronic conditions, or any physical or mental health situation that prevents participation in the programme), barriers related to education and training systems, cultural differences, social barriers, economic barriers, barriers related to discrimination, and geographical barriers.

Erasmus+ Programme Inclusion Support (for individuals with limited opportunities)  may be granted to long-term or short-term study mobility participants who meet one or more of the following criteria:

• A person with a Group I, II, or III disability (proof of disability required);
• A person with health problems requiring outpatient care (a medical certificate confirming the need for outpatient care is required);
• A person with refugee or alternative status (status-confirming document required – permanent residence permit in Latvia or temporary residence permit in Latvia);
• A Ukrainian citizen (proof of temporary residence permit in Latvia required);
• A person from a large family or a family caring for a child with disabilities (Latvian “Honorary Family Certificate 3+ Family Card” required);
• An orphan, a person without parental care (orphan certificate required) or a person who has lost a provider (supporting status-confirming documentation required);
• A person from a low-income or financially disadvantaged person (status-confirming document required).

Qualification Traineeship (embedded in the curriculum) – this is a mandatory part of the study program for which the student receives academic credits; the internship takes place according to the study schedule. More information: https://du.lv/studentiem/

Voluntary Traineeship – this is not part of the study program and is completed during the student’s free time from studies, for example, during the summer. No academic credits are awarded for a voluntary traineeship.

Recent Graduate Traineeship – Students may take part in a traineeship within one year after graduating from Daugavpils University (DU). The application for the recent graduate traineeship must be submitted while still having student status.

Students are responsible for finding a traineeship organisation independently. This is a time-consuming process, so it is strongly recommended to start early and contact the desired organisation in advance.

A traineeship organization may be:

• Any public or private organisation operating in the labor market or in the fields of education, training, youth, research, or innovation;
• A state or private small, medium-sized, or large enterprise (including social enterprises);
• A public structure at local, regional, or national level;
• A social partner or other representative of the working life, including chambers of commerce, craft/professional associations, and trade unions;
• A research institute, foundation, school/institute/educational center (at any level, from pre-school to secondary education, including vocational and adult education);
• A non-profit organization, association, or NGO;
• A structure providing career advancement, professional counseling, and information services.

Daugavpils University (DU) has cooperation agreements for traineeship placements for students of the PBSP “Physiotherapy” and PBSP “Nursing” with Sofia Medical University (Bulgaria), Klaipėda University (Lithuania) and Utena University of Applied Sciences (Lithuania). Traineeships are carried out in regional hospitals and rehabilitation centres.

Students of PBSP “Teacher” and 1st level PSP “Preschool Teacher” programmes may complete traineeships at Zarasai pre-school educational institution Zarasų “Lakštingalos” mokykla.

To apply for traineeships at Sofia Medical University (Bulgaria), Klaipeda University (Lithuania), Utena Higher Education Institution, or the Zarasai Preschool Educational Institution, please contact erasmus@du.lv.

Other Traineeship Offers

• https://erasmusintern.org/traineeships
• https://www.european-funding-guide.eu/internship?city=&term=&country=at
• https://www.europelanguagejobs.com/jobs
• https://www.trainingexperience.org/
• https://www.spain-internship.com/en/placements/search
• Lithuania:  https://vilniustech.lt/for-international-students/for-exchange-students/internship/53964?
• Spain:  https://www.ucm.es/english/traineeship-students
• Spain:  https://www.traineeup.com/en/
• Portugal:  https://ciencias.ulisboa.pt/pt/erasmus-traineeship-offers

Students must complete the internship mobility application online at: https://exchange.du.lv/.

Important!!!
Before submitting the online application, it is crucial for the student to have received a confirmation letter from the traineeship provider/hosting organization (the document template is available below in the “Important Documents” section below), as this letter must be uploaded with the online application.

For qualification traineeship or a voluntary traineeship, the following documents must be attached to the online application:

• CV in English (PDF format);
• Confirmation Letter from the traineeship provider confirming acceptance for the traineeship.

For recent graduate traineeship, the following documents should be attached to the online application:

• CV in English (PDF format);
• Confirmation Letter from the traineeship provider confirming acceptance for the traineeship;
• Letter of recommendation in Latvian from the programme director or the supervisor of the Bachelor’s, Master’s, or Doctoral thesis.

Submitted applications are registered and forwarded to the student’s faculty. The Faculty Council reviews the application and decides whether the student’s participation in the Erasmus+ programme is approved or rejected. 

The student must:

• In cooperation with the programme director and programme coordinator, prepare a three-party traineeship agreement (Learning Agreement for Traineeship). If the student is going on a qualification traineeship, they will receive the traineeship tasks from the traineeship supervisor at DU;
• Complete the foreign language assessment (OLS) and, if required, start language training on the EU Academy platform;
• Carefully review information about the host country, including practical details such as travel to the traineeship location, living costs, etc;
• Complete the required survey for the preparation of the funding agreement (the coordinator sends this to the student by email);
• Purchase appropriate travel insurance. The insurance must cover at least health insurance, liability insurance, and accident insurance;
• Sign the Erasmus+ traineeship mobility funding agreement (prepared by the coordinator).

The student must:

• Upon arriving at the traineeship location, obtain an Arrival Certificate from the host organisation confirming arrival and the start of the traineeship;
• Follow all internal rules and regulations of the host organisation;
• Strictly comply with all obligations stated in the Erasmus+ traineeship mobility funding agreement;
• Within one month (if necessary) after starting the traineeship abroad, make changes to the traineeship agreement (Learning Agreement for Traineeship – During the Mobility);
• At least one month before the end of the traineeship period, inform the DU coordinator about any changes in the traineeship period (if the duration is shorter or longer than originally approved). The coordinator will make adjustments to the mobility period in the funding agreement and recalculate the grant accordingly.

After completing the QUALIFICATION Traineeship, students must submit the following documents to the Erasmus+ programme coordinator:

• Confirmation of Stay;
• Traineeship Certificate (Learning Agreement for Traineeship – section “After the mobility”);
• Experience Story (guidelines can be found in the “Important Documents” section);

The DU traineeship supervisor receives from the student:

• Traineeship Diary/Traineeship Report (the document is provided by the student’s DU traineeship supervisor and must be submitted to their faculty’s traineeship supervisor at DU).

After completing the VOLUNTARY or RECENT GRADUATE TRAINEESHIP mobility, students must submit the following documents to the Erasmus+ programme coordinator:

• Confirmation of Stay;
• Traineeship Certificate (Learning Agreement for Traineeship – section “After the mobility”);
• Traineeship diary.

After the traineeship mobility period and within 30 calendar days of receiving the email invitation, the student must complete and submit the Participant Individual Report via EU Survey.

For Qualification Traineeships, students must submit to the Erasmus+ programme coordinator:

• Confirmation of Stay;
• Traineeship Certificate (Learning Agreement for Traineeship – section “After the Mobility”);
• Traineeship diary (submitted to their faculty’s DU internship supervisor).

For Voluntary or Recent Graduate Traineeships, students must submit to the Erasmus+ programme coordinator:

• Confirmation of Stay;
• Traineeship Certificate (Learning Agreement for Traineeship – section “After the Mobility”);
• Traineeship diary.

The student is also encouraged to share their traineeship experience by submitting their stories and pictures to erasmus@du.lv.