Any thoughts on the future of Erasmus?

[GlitterBiscuits]

I wondered if anyone had any insider knowledge on what might happen?
Anyone with DC thinking about doing it?

My DS wants to go to an EU Uni in September 2021. I think it's in jeopardy at the moment

We are such a monumentally foolish nation

No, we have a monumentally foolish government (well not foolish, make it difficult for people to go overseas to work and you keep them here and can pay them buttons).

This and employment rights were the reason I voted to stay in the EU, although students will still be able to go, it will just be more expensive (and probably less practical for non-MFL students as not an integral part of the course but how many UK monolingual students actually bothered to take up the scheme for something like history)?

@GlitterBiscuits

Turing scheme is for doctoral students I think. So not as many participants.

Very upset here over Erasmus.
Did no one in Cabinet benefit from the scheme?
Yet another short sighted decision.

The Attorney General, Suella Braverman, studied in France on Erasmus.

Also Tory Brexiter and member of the ERG.

Just pulling up the ladder behind them.

I'm really sad about this. I studied abroad and loved it, although not on Erasmus myself. Hopefully in the future we can get back in

My eldest should be abroad now, Dd2 2022. Doubt it’s sorted for then 😬

The unis didn't expect this. I'm reading their web pages. DD on Erasmus now.

Couldn't fathom the ridiculous decision. Then someone said that it gives appearances of keeping immigration down????? Wtf. Why did they do this?

I've met such lovely NGO and local government staff over the past few years from Estonia, Finland, Italy and Sweden due to erasmus funding. It really enriched my work and enabled us to share what we were proud of with people who seemed to appreciate it.

It's like our government doesn't want people to exchange knowledge or something.

I absolutely loved my year in Germany as a student. I cant think of anything else that would have helped me understand German in the way I still do now, and I met so many lovely people.

I stand by my statement that we are foolish nation. The fact is that the majority who voted had no idea what the Erasmus scheme was and how it contributes to education.

When you listen to idiots like Andrew Bridgen last night who said we didn’t want to continue with it because students abused it and tried to stay in this country shows breathtaking ignorance. It is because voters listen to people like him that they go along with ending our participation in Erasmus. I’m afraid if you ask most people they would not know what the scheme does but are too ignorant to be bothered to find out and defend it because they, personally, don’t gain from it. They listen to the likes of Bridgen.

I do think some universities saw this coming. It will I suspect concentrate language teaching in even fewer universities. They may well have to invent another scheme with their university partners in Europe.

Most people think Braverman is promoted beyond her ability so I would not expect a peep out of her!

Feeling quite pessimistic today and I agree @PresentingPercy.

I actually used to have a friend who studied languages and went on Erasmus, but also voted for UKIP and Brexit. It's so hypocritical to take Erasmus grants and opportunities for yourself, and then deny it to others.

Couldn’t agree more. I truly hope our students are still able to advance their education abroad because it’s vital.

I'm hoping that once the raging anti-immigrant sentiment drops off the agenda we might be able to rejoin but not for several years. Hopefully after a change of government. Feel very sad that my kids actually have fewer opportunities than I did. That's not how it's supposed to work.

Will students not be able to study in Europe under the new Turing scheme?

It’s for PhD students.

It doesn’t offer exchange that Erasmus did. We can send UK students to the rest of Europe, but the cessation of our involvement in Erasmus means that UK students don’t have the huge benefits of studying alongside students from other European countries.

God I hate this racist government and the xenophobia they have whipped up in the UK over the last 10 years.

It is such a stupid move on the part of the Government. I wonder what else they have sacrificed.
DS was talking about another get together with his Erasmus group over Christmas lunch. Their trip this year ended up on Zoom, last year they met up in Dublin. They are now talking about meeting up with other overseas students in the US next year.
It's the ongoing friendship that they make as well as the different perspectives that future students will miss.
Erasmus was helpful in money terms but didn't cover anything like the costs.

But the Eurasmus scheme supports students studying outside the EU too. We had two such students from France when I was at the National University of Singapore.

I think Farage got the UK to be more against the EU than ever before and people lapped it up. It became mainstream politics and it’s down to the areas that voted to leave - they certainly were not all Conservative! It’s a populist policy that’s madness. A bit like Trump. It’s been enacted by this government but given the green light by voters who didn’t know any better. And that’s being polite. They were not forced to vote Brexit. But they did. Mostly older people who hadn’t benefitted from Erasmus.

@LondonMischief

Will students not be able to study in Europe under the new Turing scheme?

I haven't read the details yet but are European universities going to want to take lots of British students if they don't get the exchange part of the programme?

I think the university sector here will have to work with the government on a visa for study for EU students because I don’t see how it can be one sided. Hopefully the DofE might be more willing to sort something out but again the sec of state is useless.

OP I did a language degree and did a year working in a school via the British council instead of Erasmus. That may well be an option for your DC.

It is awful though. DH is a lecturer in mfl and he's gutted and a bit blind sided by it ☹️

From the British Council:
"The Language Assistants programme is not reliant on EU funding to function and as such any potential impact of the UK leaving the EU would be at an individual participant level in terms of visas, health insurance etc. rather than at a programme level."
So I'm wondering whether a UK citizen would get a work visa to be a language assistant in the EU. I don't think that English language schools in the EU are offering jobs with the right to a work visa.

Dc1 got a job in Eurocamp one year. That’s not going to be easy if visas are needed.Too many others speak English well enough.

The BC cannot possibly replace the Erasmus scheme. When my DD did her Erasmus year, the BC could not place all applicants from her university. Some were cancelled at the last minute. Finding significantly more places is surely not possible for the BC.

I don’t know how students are split between the schemes. How many do Erasmus, BC and find work? Or do a combination? But taking out a major player must make it very difficult and yet another signal to young people that MFLs don’t matter.

BC placements were typically in secondary schools, not Language schools for adults.

Yes I hadn't considered the visa implications. We're screwed basically. 'luckily' we're getting fewer and fewer language students anyway.

(Very very tongue in cheek before anyone comes for me- DH and I both MFL teachers at different levels)

Pressed post too soon.

DH send to think this will be the final nail in the coffin for the year abroad for many reasons. Really really sad if it is.

Surely universities can arrange years abroad between themselves without Erasmus. DD is applying for courses with a year abroad in places like Aus / NZ / USA / Canada. So presumably arranged without reference to the EU.

Would be interesting to know how many people's kids actually now work and live in the EU by virtue of being of going on the Erasmus programme......everyone I know used it as effectively a year out abroad and do the same job in the U.K. that they would have done had they not gone.....