Looks like we're getting Erasmus back!

[HPFA]

The EU and UK have agreed to negotiate a re-entry for the UK into Erasmus+

Been some ambiguity over whether it was actually agreed but Ursula von der Leyden has Tweeted this:

https://x.com/vonderleyen/status/1924436076086616127

Hope it's all in place before September 2026 for DD!!

But fantastic news that this opportunity will be available again for all students.

@WhyisKatealwayslate I believe KS has signed up to the principle of a Youth Experience Scheme. This Conversation article has a useful description of all the back and forth and where we are now - see the graphic with the blue boxes. Not sure if Erasmus will be possible in this - let's hope so.

theconversation.com/the-uk-might-have-accepted-the-idea-of-youth-mobility-with-the-eu-but-its-not-happening-any-time-soon-256628

If she needs an FBR you might want to start that now, processing times are quite long and you may need to order certificates before you can apply. And then you have the passport application and the time it takes afterwards.

We got the FBR a few years back thankfully. Her passport application is actually in the system now.

@Juja I presume your DD is not alone navigating this administrative fiasco? That there are fellow students in the same boat?

I would so so love to see a Venn diagram of all the parents complaining about UK universities, and all the parents who voted for Brexit ...

Similarly, all the Cornish fishermen who are now complaining, and all the Cornish who voted for Brexit ...

@ParmaVioletTea - I am a passionate Remainer, attended the anti Brexit marches and stood for Parliament on a Remain ticket - so I'm at least consistent 😊

@Juja Sorry to hear this is still an ongoing mess. Italy is never straightforward though! It’s Italy. It was easier with Erasmus but it’s also easier when universities here have partnership universities abroad and can be helpful. DDs university here would not have accepted a course taught in English. Does she have the option of translation modules in Rome? DD was required to do some of these.

I did a year abroad for a language that wasn't in the Erasmus scheme, so I felt peeved at Erasmus for about twenty years. Peeve away!

Voted Remain so that's one for your Venn diagram. Can complain a lot about how useless ds's uni was during his year abroad - I'm assuming that as I voted Remain, though, I'm allowed to complain as much as I like?

Home university doesn’t do anything in year abroad. @mimbleandlittlemy What did you expect them to do?

I don’t think those demographics would overlap much. People with degrees overwhelmingly voted Remain and I’d suspect people with enough insight to complain about university exchanges probably graduated themselves (I was a first in family student myself and my parents had a very hard time understanding how things worked at university, having zero familiarity with it.)

Yes, weird ploppy comment from ParmaViolet.

Yes, you're allowed

Fairenuff @WokeMarxistPope (love the name).

But over 50% of those who voted, voted to leave the EU. So there must be some among them who have DC at university & are now whining about UK HE.

I think I'm just sick of people moaning about UK's economic difficulties. Brexit is a major contributor, and that - plus the general chaos of the Tories & their specific policy abandonment of universities - has had a disastrous impact on the UK HE system.

I thank you, @ParmaVioletTea! Obviously @TizerorFizz doesn't think I'm allowed, so nice to have affirmation elsewhere 😁

@TizerorFizz - frankly expected fuck all of the uni and it was nice they were consistent, but there were one or two things that might have been handled better. Nicest possible way, none of your business what. They were shit hot on Risk Assessment Forms though - until the Japanese bound students filled in the bit about earthquakes in the area they were in in Japan. I think the Uni just quietly shredded their forms and waved them goodbye at that point.

That’s v annoying. My dss did Erasmus and loved it.

@ParmaVioletTea Yes it would be annoying to hear someone complaining about lack of EU access if they’d personally voted to remove it, but it’s a strange leap to insinuate the people you’re speaking to on this thread are hypocrites. (There may be backstory here I’m not aware of, I realise.)

I think you underestimate how polarised our society is and how social mobility has all but disappeared. The kind of people voting leave (and Reform) and the kind of people voting remain lead very different lives.

@ParmaVioletTea The Conservatives ensured the universities got too big by taking away the student cap. The universities could have stayed elite like Oxbridge - small numbers and not increase. There are not vast numbers of student villages at Oxford. They made their own bed…….. they were not forced to expand.

I think you underestimate how polarised our society is

Oh I probably do - I live in my bubble (as others live in theirs) but I remain hopeful that there are things which bring us all together. Most people are pretty kind and reasonable, when push comes to shove.

@Ceramiq Yes her fellow students seeking to attend Italian Unis are also struggling. DD is known to be the organised one. DD is definitely going to write a guide for those in the year below her. Lecturers are too deep in Dante to care... and are mostly Italian citizens and have no experience.

@TizerorFizz - fortunately DD has no academic requirements for her year abroad - some students go and work in an English language newspaper in Italy, others are English Teaching Assistants. All DD's Uni requires from the year is to improve her Italian language skills - oral and written and also use the time to work on her dissertation and write a report of what she has done in the year. DD is studying French and Italian but as she worked in France for a year before Uni and already has C1 in French she doesn't have to spend any time in France during her year abroad. Most of her contemporaries are splitting the year between their two languages.

The only reason DD is signing up to a module taught in English is that she can't get the 'correct' proof of competency in Italian to upload to the Universitaly portal before the June deadlinel to get the letter to then apply for a visa. Once she has the visa and arrives in Italy she can sign up to modules in Italian. Modules are about €300 so if you do four in the year it is not expensive and signing up for one module you may not do is a small price to pay. Uni is free for Italian (and EU citizens).

With the benefit of hindsight DD should have taken the official B2 in the UK 6 months ago but we didn't know it would take 2-4 months to get the results and that you need the result for the portal. Her uni said don't worry we will write a letter but the portal doesn't accept that. Nor did we know how complex or restricted applying for the on line Italian tests run by the Italian Unis are. I didn't believe her and tried signing up myself. It was a nightmare - totally floored by the form not accepting my phone number and couldn't move to the next page. You can't ring anyone as they have a Skype number and Skype ceased to exist on 5th May. I could go on....

as PP above commented it is all classic Italian!! But what a stunning country and the wine and food is amazing and we are looking forward to visiting her. Somehow it will happen...

@WokeMarxistPope Social mobility has not disappeared. There are so many helpful schemes to aid this. People wanting it has shrunk so the poor(ish) middle classes step in. Social mobility years ago meant those with working class roots are now middle class. They still don’t value MFLs in any great numbers though. They do however have an opportunity to go to university, (so many more of them) get on an apprenticeship, do a trades course and lots of further learning to help with employment . Those that don’t want to do that sit at the bottom of society but others make an effort and do see the value of work and study. There are opportunities if dc grab them.

@JujaYes. Italy is a law to itself and the universities are not well organised. DD wrote a piece about her year abroad too. Not that it compared with the issues now.