Why hosting an Erasmus intern is a good idea?
The International Office has been hosting international interns under the Erasmus+ Traineeship scheme since 2014. The interns, who are funded by the EU Commission, join our team for a period of six months. The internship period affords them a good insight into a busy office environment. The internship usually forms a mandatory component of the intern’s degree, be it at undergraduate or postgraduate level. Our interns are taking their degrees across a variety of disciplines. The International Office has hosted students of, for example, modern languages, communications and media, international relations and international business.
The Erasmus interns’ primary role is to provide administrative support to our Front Office staff and to assist with outgoing student mobility. They also undertake specific project work ranging from data collection to creating marketing material. Each intern is allocated a mentor (an International Office staff member) who allocates a suitable workload and supervises same. The mentor also deals with the administrative tasks that accompany the Erasmus+ Traineeship scheme. For the duration of their internship, the interns are registered with Maynooth University. This provides them with access to library and other core facilities.
The International Office is happy to provide more information on the Erasmus+ Traineeship scheme to University units and academic departments that might be interested in hosting interns. The benefits accrue on both sides: the International Office gains additional administrative assistance whilst the intern gains invaluable work experience, adding considerably to their ability to stand out in today’s competitive job market.
To find out more about the Erasmus+ Traineeship scheme, please contact Alena from the International Office.