Everything you need to know about Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs
In my previous post, I explained what is Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs, who can apply and what are the benefits. You can read it here: https://medium.com/@emred2700/how-to-leverage-your-career-with-erasmus-for-young-entrepreneurs-91d6fee2d6b6
In this post, I will cover the application process. The bureaucracy is quite intense in Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program. But it shouldn’t scare you at all. I assure you that the program works perfectly well if you know your expected outcomes.
First of all, let’s divide the process into 4:
- Preparation phase
- Proposal phase
- Execution phase
- Finalization phase
Please note that this is my personal division. This structure will help us to split the process into logical steps. In the Erasmus system however, you will find a 2-phase structure:
- Proposal phase
- Execution phase
Each section is divided into steps. This helps you follow your current status. Don’t worry, you will be able to check your status on your dashboard.
It might look quite intimidating at first, but this detailed roadmap will help you along the way, in order that you complete all the steps correctly. I will guide you through all the steps of our logical roadmap below, starting with preparation.
https://www.erasmus-entrepreneurs.eu/ website is very informative. I suggest that you hang out on the website before creating your account. It will help you understand the process in general. You get a bird’s eye-view of the Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs program. You can create your New Entrepreneur account afterwards.
Preparation phase
Before jumping into the creation of your account, though, do some research about IO (Intermediary Organization). IOs have a crucial role in your Erasmus journey: they serve as legal and administrative entities whom you can turn to with your challenges before and during your program. You can find the list of IOs in your country on the website. It’s a good idea to e-mail the one you want to select to know if they are active and whether they have the capacity to work with your exchange program. Other important terms you should know are New Entrepreneur (you) and Host Entrepreneur (your host company).
Having scrolled through the website, you already have the insight on how to create and fill in your profile. Be aware that you should dedicate your time to setting up the account. Most of us registering are not English natives. It’s not an issue of course. However, you want your profile to be appealing, and for that, you need it to be well-written. If you don’t trust your English completely, don’t be shy to ask for some help. Your profile will be seen by your hosting organization, your IO, your host entrepreneur’s IO and the European Commission. This will be their first impression about you, and I’m sure you want it to be a good one.
You will be asked to upload your CV, other necessary documents and your Business Plan. Other documents are quite easy to handle but writing a Business Plan is time consuming. European Commission allows you to write the document in your own language if you are an EU citizen. If you are the citizen of a non-EU country that is the member of the Erasmus platform (e.g. Turkey or Georgia), your plan should be written in English. The Business Plan has certain requirement than you can find on the website. Your profile is completed when you fill in your profile and upload all necessary documents.
Proposal phase
You already have a beautifully created profile in the system. It will take 2–4 weeks for your IO to review your data and documents before they approve your application. Your IO will contact you with either approval or revision request. You got approved? Congrats, you are officially present on the Erasmus platform! Now you have access to Erasmus Host Entrepreneurs’ database which you will use to find your Host Entrepreneur.
You will start to look for Host Entrepreneurs and send them your proposal. This proposal will cover your application letter and resume. Some of them won’t reply to your proposals. The reason is that most of them don’t check their accounts that frequently. I suggest that you research their e-mail address and write them after making an official proposal on the portal. It will raise your chance to get a response.
You’ve been chosen by your HE? Good job! Now it’s time to write a proposal agreement together. This document includes your expectations towards each other, your roadmap, the expected outcomes and so on. You will see it really goes into details, so, again, take your time writing it. Consult with your HE, they will add their parts and you will add yours.
If you reach this step, that means your proposal is ready to be approved by your IO and your HE’s IO. They might take some time with the review. You will get a notification about its approval or the need for a revision.
After the IOs, you’ll need the approval of European partner organizations.
When you get the EP approval as well, you get to the last step of the proposal phase. Your agreement will be sent by the EP to the European Commission for final approval. I bet you’ll feel truly relieved at this point: you accomplished the proposal phase with success!
Execution phase
During the execution phase, you are there with your host organization. Your stay can last 2 to 6 months, according to your agreement. Let’s see what awaits you in this phase.
Your HE is expected to give you a basic introduction about the country, city, and the company in this phase. You will get this information from your HE before you arrive.
Everything’s prepared and you are ready to go to your host company.
This is the actual time you spend time in your HE’s company. You are required to fill monthly documents about your exchange during that time. These documents will be sent by your IO monthly.
Finalization phase
You will receive the closing documents from your IO about 15 days before the end of your exchange. You need to fill out a feedback survey, create your success story, and fill in all other documents.
You and your HE as well will be asked to give feedback about the exchange program. Write about your experience, your satisfaction with the program and your HE.
The two IOs will review and validate your feedback. You have successfully ended your Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs exchange program.
Conclusion
Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs is a bureaucracy-heavy program. Preparation and proposal phases take up to 4 months. Maybe even more, depending on your success on each step. But it shouldn’t scare you up. You will realize that it is worth it.
This is the second part of my Erasmus for Young Entrepreneurs post. You can read the first chapter here: https://medium.com/@emred2700/how-to-leverage-your-career-with-erasmus-for-young-entrepreneurs-91d6fee2d6b6
You can reach me on Twitter or LinkedIn:
Twitter: https://twitter.com/kodpreneur
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