Erasmus+ Guide for UK Teachers
Last updated: August 2026 — based on the current Erasmus+ Programme Guide and British Council guidance
Short answer: Erasmus+ funding UK teachers can access returns from the 2027/28 academic year, run through the British Council as the UK’s National Agency. Schools — not individual teachers — apply, either through full Accreditation (deadline 29 September 2026) or a short-term project application (funding window November 2026–February 2027).
On this page:
Who Applies for Erasmus+ Funding? A Guide for UK Teachers
Erasmus+ funding for UK teachers is applied for by the school, academy, or multi-academy trust (MAT) applies — not the individual teacher. There is no route for a teacher to submit their own application to attend a course abroad.
In practice, this means someone at the school — usually a coordinator — owns the relationship with the British Council. If that role doesn’t clearly exist yet, that’s the first gap worth raising with leadership.
Accreditation or short-term project?
Erasmus+ Accreditation suits schools planning ongoing, multi-year international professional development: it’s a single application covering the rest of the current programme period. Short-term project applications suit first-time or smaller-scale applicants, but require a fresh application each round. To find out which one suits you better read our blog HERE.
| Route | Best for | Reapplication |
|---|---|---|
| Erasmus+ Accreditation | Schools/trusts wanting international education as an ongoing strategy | Not required for the rest of the programme period |
| Short-term project application | First-time applicants, smaller scale, no long-term plan yet | Required each funding round |
Building a project that gets funded
The British Council assesses a defined professional development project tied to a school’s improvement priorities — not a generic request to travel. Start with the need, not the destination.
What a strong KA1 application includes
- A clear improvement need — behaviour management, digital teaching, SEND provision, staff wellbeing — as the actual starting point, rather than a chosen destination.
- A small group with a shared goal — several teachers working toward one aim reads better than a scattered list of individual requests.
- An impact and dissemination plan — how the learning reaches staff who didn’t travel. This is typically scored explicitly by assessors.
It’s worth having this conversation as a staff group well before the deadline, rather than after a destination has already been chosen.
2026/27 deadlines
UK teachers relying on Erasmus+ funding should note the following deadlines:
- KA1 Accreditation applications: 29 September 2026
- Funding application window for 2027/28 mobilities: November 2026 – February 2027
- First funded mobilities: expected from the second half of 2027
Choosing an Erasmus+ Course Provider for UK Teachers
It’s reasonable to research and informally contact course providers while an accreditation or funding application is still in progress, before any grant is confirmed. Questions worth asking a prospective provider:
- Is it formally registered with the relevant national ministry as an educational institution?
- Is it a specialised adult-education institution, or is training just one of several things the organisation does?
- Does it employ permanent teaching staff, or does delivery depend on who’s available that week?
- Does it hold classes in its own classrooms, or inside a real local school or institution?
- Can it guarantee genuine group diversity — several nationalities on the actual course date?
- Can it run several courses in parallel for colleagues who want different topics?
- Does it have an experienced administrative team handling Learning Agreements, Europass, invoicing, and confirmations?
In short: is this an established institution with a fixed address and permanent team, or a smaller operation built around one travelling trainer and a rented room? Both exist in the Erasmus+ market, and it isn’t always obvious from a website which is which.
How the travel grant is calculated
Erasmus+ uses the official EU Distance Calculator to measure the straight-line distance between the sending school and the host venue, then places the trip into a fixed distance band. Each band has a set grant per participant, regardless of actual ticket cost.
| Distance band | Standard travel | Green travel |
|---|---|---|
| 100–499 km | €211 | €180* |
| 500–1,999 km | €309 | €417 |
| 2,000–2,999 km | €395 | €535 |
| 3,000–3,999 km | €580 | €785 |
*Figures per the current Erasmus+ Programme Guide unit costs; confirm exact rates for the relevant call year with the National Agency before budgeting.
Example: London to Split, Croatia is roughly 1,500 km — the 500–1,999 km band — worth €309 per participant for standard travel, or €417 for green travel.
Green travel and funded travel days
Standard travel funds up to 2 additional days either side of a course; green travel extends that to up to 6 days. Green travel means low-emission transport (train, bus, car-pooling) for the main part of the journey. Since the 2026 Programme Guide, ferry travel counts toward green travel only when combined with another low-emission leg, such as a train — a ferry crossing alone does not qualify.
The grant is a fixed sum, not a reimbursement: a cheaper fare doesn’t reduce it, and a pricier one isn’t automatically covered in full.
Paperwork once a placement is agreed
- Learning Agreement: professional development goals, signed by teacher, school, and host provider.
- Europass CV: documents professional background.
- Dissemination plan: how learning reaches colleagues on return — often reviewed closely in reporting.
Frequently asked questions
Questions and Answers for UK teachers applying for Erasmus+ funding.
No. The school, academy, or trust applies — not the individual teacher.
29 September 2026 — a one-off application covering the rest of the programme period.
November 2026 to February 2027, for the 2027/28 cycle, with first funded mobilities expected in the second half of 2027.
Via the official EU Distance Calculator and fixed distance bands — e.g. London to Split falls into the 500–1,999 km band, worth €309 (standard) or €417 (green travel) per participant.
Low-emission transport for the main part of the journey (train, bus, car-pooling; ferry only when combined with another low-emission leg). It raises the grant and extends funded travel days from 2 to up to 6.
Formal ministry registration, specialised adult-education status, permanent teaching staff, real classrooms, genuine group diversity, parallel course capacity, and an experienced admin team.