European Region Action Scheme for the Mobility of University Students, or Erasmus, was founded in 1987 by the European Union to promote cooperation among EU universities. While there are many reasons students might be interested in the Erasmus program, there are other drawbacks to this scholarship program as well. Here are five reasons you should not choose the Erasmus scholarship.
1. Students often must find their own housing, as the university does not always provide housing to foreign exchange students. This is not always covered under the Erasmus money, and finding a flat can be expensive and difficult if you do not speak the language of the country. Most students don’t know their way around the area in which their university is located, so finding a flat, even one to
share with other students, isn’t an easy task.
2. Rental contracts in foreign countries can be dicey. Once you do find a flat, rental contracts are usually not in written form, so you might be kicked out upon a landlord’s whim. Rent usually does not include utilities either, so living in a foreign country as an Erasmus student can become quite expensive.
3. Job opportunities are few in many of the foreign countries that house Erasmus-approved universities. As a student, you might need a side job to help you meet your living expenses in your chosen foreign country. However, with the global economic downturn, jobs for foreign college students are few and far between in many of these countries. You might be able to get a low paying job in food service, but be prepared for the extremely low wages that a prospective employer may offer.
4. It can be quite expensive to transport everything to and from your foreign country. Think of all the things you need from back home as a student – furniture, clothing, favorite books, CDs, etc. It can become quite expensive to transport all of these items to your new school, and back home after three months to one year. Think about whether or not you’ll be able to afford such expenses, as they will not be covered under your Erasmus scholarship.
5. Erasmus won’t cover living expenses. You can be certain that there will be extra fees involved with living abroad. The Erasmus scholarship will not cover living expenses. You can apply for Erasmus grants to cover these, but getting such a grant is not guaranteed.
