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Comenius - In service Training

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Want to undertake a professional development course, job shadow a colleague or attend a conference or seminar in any of the other 32 participating Comenius Countries? A Comenius in-service training grant can help.

What activities does the grant cover?

An in-service training grant can be used for one of three core activities:

Undertaking a professional development activity in another Comenius Country.

• Choose from a range of activities, including structured professional development courses, foreign language methodology courses and foreign language courses.

Job shadowing a colleague in another Comenius Country

• Job shadow a European colleague for a period of one working day to six weeks. The placement must relate to your professional responsibilities in the UK.

Attending a European conference or seminar in another Comenius Country.

• Attend a conference or seminar organised by a representative European association or network active in the field of school education.

For a detailed overview of the type of activities available, see our Application Guidance.

Why apply?

Undertaking a professional development activity or attending a conference in another European country can help you:

• learn new skills
• build lasting relationships with colleagues throughout Europe
• gain a greater understanding of European education

Job shadowing a European colleague can help you:

• strengthen links with partner institutions
• increase your cultural awareness
• learn about different education systems
• refresh your language skills
• exchange good practice

Who can apply?

In-service training grants are open to:

• school or college staff (either teaching or non-teaching staff) in the UK
• local authority staff working in school education in the UK
• unemployed teachers re-entering the profession in the UK
• staff in another specific area of child education in the UK

For more details on eligibility, see our Application Guidance.

How much funding can I receive?

The level of funding depends on the length of your activity:

• up to 7 days - to a maximum of €2,000
• from 8-14 days - to a maximum of €2,500
• from 15-42 days - to a maximum of €3,000

Additional funding may be awarded due to special needs or exceptional travel costs; see our Application Guidance.

How do I apply?

Professional development activities and conferences:

• Find a training activity or conference that suits your needs. For help and inspiration, search upcoming activities in our Comenius Training Database. (Remember, you don't have to choose one of the training activities or conferences listed in the database—you can choose any appropriate event from any source.)
• Once you have found the ideal activity or conference, reserve a place!
• Complete the 2012 In-Service Training Application Form.
• Submit your application by the relevant application deadline.

Job shadowing:

• Find a European institution and the colleague you would like to shadow. Your institution may already have links from existing project work, or perhaps your town or region is twinned with one in Europe. If you need support finding a partner institution, we can help.
• Make contact, agree dates and develop a visit plan with your partner institution. (A visit plan could simply take the form of an email from your partner institution briefly explaining what is planned for each day.)
• Complete the 2012 In-Service Training Application Form.
• Submit your application by the relevant application deadline.

For help with completing your application, see our Application Guidance.