EU Comenius Funding

Eligibility

Under the European Union's Lifelong Learning Programme, grants are available to enable teachers to participate in training courses lasting between one and four weeks in a country other than the country in which they normally work.

Comenius funding is for teachers of children and young learners. Grundtvig funding is for teachers of adults (over 25s) and those over 18 but not in education or vocational training. Teachers working in adult education can apply for Grundtvig funding.

Currently, the programme is open to participants from the following countries:

• The twenty-five Member States of the European Union
• The EU accession states: Bulgaria, Romania and Turkey

To be eligible for a grant to participate in a training course for language teachers under the Lifelong Learning Programme, applicants must be one of the following:

• A qualified and practising teacher of an official language of the EU
• A trainer of foreign language teachers
• A teacher re-training as a foreign language teacher
• A primary school teacher whose responsibilities include teaching foreign languages
• A teacher of other subjects through the medium of a foreign language
• A language teacher re-entering the profession after a period away from teaching
• An inspector or advisor in the field of language teaching

Application Advice

Applications must be made individually to the national agency in the country where you work. Your national agency may have specific priorities which can vary from year to year.

Find out the priorities of your national agency and be sure to tailor your application towards these points to ensure the success of your application. Unifying Europe is a common theme, it is also important to state why you think you will benefit from taking this course in a country other than where you usually work; mention the benefits of swapping experiences with teachers from other European countries and of immersion in the language and culture of the language that you teach. It is also advisable to explain how the course meets your personal training needs and how it may benefit those you teach and work alongside once you are able to apply your newly learnt skills on your return to work.

Remember, each national agency will receive a great number of applications for funding and not all will be successful so you need to make your application stand out and address the main criteria of the national agency in your country which should be made clear on their website.