Is Erasmus year too expensive/worth it?

Leelaveela

I don't have much money to get through college as it is, but thinking of taking either French or German on through Arts (I won't take both).
Is Erasmus very expensive, and do you get your grant as usual or any extra money throughout the year?
Finally, is it worth it to actually do the year, particularly in France?

tbreath

Hi there,
If you are doing a language in college, I think it's pretty essential and really worthwhile to do an Erasmus year for the sake of your language skills and eventual degree - not to
mention the authenticity of being a language graduate without having spent time in the country, presuming you haven't lived there already.

I did my Erasmus some years ago in Constance on the Swiss/Geman border and it was really only being there that I got to grips with the German (I wasn't applied enough to
learn grammar, etc. back in UCC) and became fluent.

In terms of cost, I got a means tested grant a few times of year. I remember finding
the year costly (though Germany was cheap) but there is a lot of socializing, dining and
what not - rent and food were fine. I imagine France would be fine but get a part time job in your French city to supplement your stay - you'll meet new people, speak French, and your college schedule should be quite relaxed in any event.

Also bear in mind, that the much of the expense was on Euro-railing and gallavanting
across Europe, as you'll tend to be making the most of your continental location.

It's a coming of age year too - lots of new people, culture etc. and eight years on, I still have one or two best buds from the year.

Do it. 100%

beccabeccabecca

Hi,

I'm currently on Erasmus now in France and I'd agree that it is an essential part of a language degree. I had never set foot in France before this year, and even though I am a fairly good student in Galway, for the first week I could not understand ANYONE because learning a language in a classroom and actually living with the language are such different things!

With French you have the option to do a 'normal' Erasmus year studying in a foreign university, or you can apply for an assistantship position, which is what I did. It's a seven month contract (I came early and will leave late in order to match the time spent in France by my classmates) and you get a monthly salary of roughly 795 euro. You won't be eligible for the Erasmus grant because of this, but if you get a government grant you will be able to (or at least I was, it all depends on how they calculate your grant in the first place) keep it for the year. Some bigger schools will hook you up with cheap accommodation.

The assistantship involves twelve contact hours per week teaching English to primary, collège or lycée students (depending on what level you apply for). I am in two primary schools and as I'm the only English speaker in both I have more preparation work and responsibility than assistants in my area who are in collège/lycée as they tend to run small conversation groups/audio labs in conjunction with the full-time English teacher's lesson plans.

It's a brilliant experience. Although I was worried at first that my grammar would slide as I no longer have structured lessons, my spoken French has come on phenomenally because I have no choice but to use it every day, be it in class or in the staff room or with my housemates. Also I found out that for this semester I am eligible to sign up at the local IT to take French classes as an auditeur libre - that means you can sit in on classes but cannot take exams etc. The only downside of the assistantship is that it can be a bit harder to establish a social life: on Erasmus, there's loads of events organised and generally your university will be in a big city, with the assistantship you are more likely to be in a small town or a suburb. However, if you're willing to put yourself out there a bit and do simple things like join the library, sign up to tutor university students, join sports clubs etc it shouldn't be a problem.

I know that this is already fairly long, but I'd just like to add that you shouldn't be too quick to knock studying two languages. I'm taking French and Spanish. I'll spend the summer in Spain as an au pair while taking summer classes approved by the department. It's possible!

Good luck with whichever you pick .

Lockstep

I did Erasmus in Leuven, Belgium and I definetly reccomend it.

You can still get the government grant for Erasmus as well as the Erasmus grant (which everyone gets, regardless of if they get the HEA grant or not)

Personally, I loved Erasmus. It's a great experience and you make amazing friends. Finding work in Irish bars and the like is quite easy as well.

The Cool

Do it. If you do a language, then you have to do Erasmus. It's no more expensive than being a student in Ireland - I did my Erasmus in Spain and it was a lot cheaper than living in Ireland, but I probably did spend the difference on travel - flying home and visiting friends on Erasmus in lots of other places. So, don't worry about the cost - the Erasmus grant that everyone gets is between €1500-2000, and if you normally get a grant then you will get it on Erasmus as well.
Erasmus is a great experience. You'll be sickening your friends with your stories of all your adventures! It's definitely worthwhile doing. Broaden your horizons and all that.

Dwellingdweller

Does anyone know if it's possible to do an Erasmus year with undem. Science? I'm assuming not but it can't hurt to hope.

Ruire

Dwellingdweller wrote: »

Does anyone know if it's possible to do an Erasmus year with undem. Science? I'm assuming not but it can't hurt to hope.

This is all the NUIG site says -

If you are a Science student taking Biochemistry or Biotechnology, you will have the possibility of spending three months based in a laboratory abroad for 3 months between April and August following your Third Year. You don't necessarily have to be studying a language, but if you are taking French or German, there will be opportunities that will allow you to make use of and improve your language skills.

Dwellingdweller

Ruire wrote: »

This is all the NUIG site says -

Looks like it's only for Biotech and Biochem students, damn I'll get in touch with them by phone and find out exactly what the story is anyways (as you can tell I'm still praying that it's possible!), thanks