Erasmus+ KA1 · Call 2026
Erasmus+ KA1, explained for school staff
Key Action 1 pays for teachers and other school staff to learn abroad. This page is the short, verified version: what you can do, what it pays, who applies and when. Every figure comes from the Programme Guide 2026.
What KA1 is
Erasmus+ is organised in key actions. Key Action 1 is learning mobility: it funds people who go to another country to learn. For schools, that means pupils and staff. This page is about staff: teachers, head teachers and other school staff who spend time abroad and bring what they learn back to their school.
The money goes to the organisation, not to the teacher. The school, or a consortium of schools, applies to its national agency, receives the grant and organises the trips. How a project runs, from idea to final report.
Three ways for staff to learn abroad
Courses and training
2–10 days
A structured course run by qualified trainers, with a set programme and learning outcomes. The grant adds a course fee of 80 € per participant per day.
Job shadowing
2–60 days
Time in a school abroad, observing a named colleague at work. No course fee. How job shadowing works.
Teaching or training assignments
2–365 days
Teaching the learners of a partner school abroad, and learning by doing the job there.
Durations exclude travel days. Any of the three can be combined with virtual learning.
What the grant pays
For a course, the grant is built from four unit costs per participant:
- Travel, by distance band: from 28 € to 1,735 €, more for green travel.
- Individual support, a daily allowance: for Spain, 95–169 € a day, with the exact figure set by your national agency. See what 16 agencies pay.
- Organisational support: 100 € per participant on a course.
- Course fee: 80 € per participant per day.
One limit to know: courses can take at most 50 % of a project's grant. The full breakdown, with worked examples, is on what Erasmus+ KA1 pays for.
Who applies, and how
A school has three routes:
- Short-term project (KA122): apply once, for a small project. Good for a first try.
- Erasmus accreditation (KA120), then yearly funding (KA121): accredit once with an Erasmus Plan, then request money every year. The road to accreditation, step by step.
- Join a mobility consortium: a coordinator (often a regional authority) applies for several schools. Up to 10 staff per consortium can join the same course. How consortia work.
Outside a consortium, at most 3 people from the same organisation can join the same course.
Deadlines, Call 2026
Verified against the Erasmus+ Programme Guide, Call 2026. Always confirm on your national agency's website — second rounds and national details vary.
The deadlines explained: the rhythm of a mobility year and second rounds.
Choosing a course
Since the Commission's course catalogue closed, there is no official list to search. What happened to the catalogue, and our open catalogue of dated sessions from many providers. Before you book, check the provider against the Quality Standards checklist.
One rule we never break: we do not write grant applications for beneficiaries, and nobody should sell you that. When you sign, you declare that no one external was paid to write it. Why it matters.
Frequent questions
Who can take part in Erasmus+ KA1 staff mobility?
Staff of an organisation active in school education, adult education or vocational training — teachers, head teachers, trainers and other staff. The organisation applies, not the individual teacher.
Does the teacher pay anything?
In principle, no. The grant covers travel, a daily allowance for living costs (individual support), organisational support and, for courses, the course fee. Whether the allowance covers everything depends on the destination, the agency rate and how the school manages the money.
How long can a course last?
Between 2 and 10 days, not counting travel. Job shadowing can last 2 to 60 days, and teaching or training assignments 2 to 365 days.
Can a course provider write our application?
It should not. When the beneficiary signs, it declares that nobody external was paid to write the application. A provider can teach you how to write it; it cannot write it for you.