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Eurydice

EACEA National Policies Platform:Eurydice
Mobility in early childhood and school education
Spain

Spain

12.Mobility and internationalisation

12.1Mobility in early childhood and school education

Last update: 2 February 2026

 

Pupil and student mobility

The Spanish education system is committed to the development of policies, strategies and actions promoting student mobility. The Law 2/2006 on Education (LOE), amended by Law 3/2020 (LOMLOE), expresses in its preamble the need to increase mobility and exchanges, with the aim of opening up education systems to the wider world.

Student mobility programmes are part of the educational actions of the Erasmus+ Programme of the European Commission. In Spain, the management of the corresponding public calls has been entrusted to the Spanish Service for the Internationalisation of Education (SEPIE).

Schools and other organisations linked to the early childhood, primary and secondary education sectors can participate in both mobility (KA1) and cooperation (KA2) projects.

Key Action 1 – KA1: Learning Mobility of Individuals

In the projects framed in the Key Action 1 - KA1: Learning Mobility of Individuals, educational centres can participate in mobility activities for both their students and their teachers and can access the two types of KA1 projects:

  • Accreditation system (KA120): the school submits an application with long-term objectives. If the accreditation proposal is accepted, the school is guaranteed Erasmus+ funding for mobility projects (KA121) until 2027.
  • Short-term projects (KA122): the school submits an application with short-term objectives. If the proposal is accepted, the school obtains funding for a short-term project, which may last between 6 and 18 months.

Student mobility activities, framed within Key Action 1 - KA1, that can be financed with Erasmus + funds, whether they are part of short-term projects or accredited projects, are:

  • Group mobility of school pupils (2 to 30 days, minimum 2 pupils/students): a learning stay abroad with activities designed jointly with a partner institution. Pupils/students must be accompanied by teachers or other qualified educational staff from the sending institution.
  • Short-term mobility (10 to 29 days): an individual stay abroad to study or undertake traineeships, with an individual learning programme. For pupils/students with fewer opportunities, it may last from 2 days if duly justified.
  • Long-term mobility (30 to 365 days): an individual stay abroad to study or undertake traineeships, with an individual learning programme, mandatory prior preparation, and increased organisational, financial and linguistic support.

All mobility projects should integrate the following dimensions common to the whole Erasmus+ programme:

  • inclusion and diversity;
  • environmentally sustainable and responsible practices;
  • digital transformation in education and training;
  • participation in democratic life.

In addition to physical mobility, all student mobility activities can be combined with virtual activities. Activities must take place abroad, in an EU Member State or in a third country associated to the Programme.

Within Key Action KA1, there are also specific mobility activities for students in vocational education and training (VET) which can be applied for either individually or through a VET institution. The objectives of these actions are to improve the quality of initial and continuing vocational education and training in Europe, and to reinforce the European dimension of teaching and learning.

Teacher mobility

The commitment of the Spanish education system to mobility also develops educational policies and actions promoting teacher mobility through different European (Erasmus +) or national initiatives.

Grants under the Erasmus+ programme are not applied for by individual participants; instead, they are requested by educational institutions through the submission of a mobility project. Once the grant has been awarded, the institution is responsible for selecting the participating staff through a transparent, coherent and well-documented process.

Erasmus+

Teacher mobility activities, framed within Key Action 1 - KA1, that can be financed with Erasmus + funds, whether they are part of short-term projects or accredited projects, are:

  • Job shadowing (2 to 60 days): a stay in a host organisation abroad to learn new practices through observation and professional interaction.
  • Teaching or training assignments (2 to 365 days): a period spent teaching or providing training in an organisation in another country as a form of practical learning.
  • Courses and training (2 to 10 days, with a maximum of 10 days of course fees per participant): participation in structured courses delivered by qualified professionals, with a defined programme and learning outcomes.

Mobility actions organized by the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports

At national level, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports (MEFP) promotes other actions for the mobility of teachers:

Teaching positions abroad for civil servant teachers
Purpose Promotion and organization of formal education corresponding to non-university levels of the Spanish educational system and mixed curricula of content from the Spanish educational system and those from the foreign educational systems. Organisation of teaching and activities aimed at Spanish residents enrolled in non-university levels of the respective educational systems. Common education of children of staff of the European Communities
Target groups Civil servant teachers
Duration A 2-year period, which can be extended, up to a maximum of 6; 9 in the case of European Schools
Funding Those established by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training for the national territory for interim civil servants

 


 

Technical advisor positions abroad for civil servant teachers
Purpose Advise and assist the Spanish diplomatic mission in foreign countries in educational issues. Promote, direct and manage Spain's actions in terms of educational action abroad. Exercise leadership of personnel who provide services in institutions abroad. Promote and strengthen relations between the Spanish educational community and that of the country. Gather information about the country's educational policies and transmit it to the Spanish Administration. Organize teacher training activities
Target groups Civil servants belonging to teaching bodies
Duration 1 school year which can be extended, up to a maximum of 5
Funding Teachers receive their corresponding basic and supplementary salaries and a special allowance for foreign destinations
   
 
Teaching positions abroad for Interim teachers
Purpose Fill teaching positions on an interim basis in schools and programmes of Spanish educational action abroad (Spanish Schools, Shared Ownership Schools, European Schools, and Spanish Language and Culture Heritage Programme (ALCE)
Target groups Non-civil servant teachers with teaching experience
Duration 1 school year
Funding Those established by the Ministry of Education and Vocational Training for the national territory for interim teachers
   
Visiting teachers programme
Purpose To teach in Spanish in bilingual and immersion programmes, Spanish as a foreign language, or other areas or subjects
Target groups Spanish citizens with a Master's, Graduate or Bachelor's degree, in different areas or subjects
Duration One school year which can be extended
Funding It may vary depending on the contracting educational authority, as well as their teaching experience and educational qualifications
     
Spanish Language and Culture Assistants
Purpose Promote learning and dissemination of the Spanish language and culture abroad. The programme also encourages the assistants to improve their knowledge of the language and culture of their host country
Target groups Spanish citizens with a university degree or students in their final year at university
Duration One school year
Funding The language and culture assistants will receive the financial compensation indicated as a reference, charged to the budgets of the host country, for accommodation and living expenses
      
Teaching staff in bilingual Spanish sections in schools in Central and Eastern Europe and China 
Purpose To teach Spanish language and culture as well as other subjects in Spanish in bilingual Spanish sections
Target groups Spanish graduates as established in the process regulation
Duration One school year which can be extended
Funding The same salaries as non-university teaching staff in their countries of destination, with the right to accommodation and the country's own health care, as well as the corresponding aids from the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports
      
Professional visits for teachers
Purpose Improve the quality of teacher training, promote innovation, adopt more effective teaching methods, create professional communities at the EU level or participate in them, as well as encourage foreign language learning and promote professional and cultural exchanges between the education systems
Target groups Career civil servants from the following bodies: Infant and Primary Education Teachers, Secondary Education Teachers, Secondary Education Professors, Official Language School Teachers, Official Language School Professors, Technical Vocational Training Teachers, Music and Performing Arts Teachers and Plastic Arts and Design Teachers
Duration 2 weeks in the host country and institution
Funding

During the visit, they will retain their rights as civil servants, receiving the corresponding remuneration

In addition, they will receive EUR 1 500 to cover the costs of accommodation and subsistence, as well as travel expenses

Source: drawn up by  Eurydice Spain-Spanish Network for Information on Education (INEEMEFD) on the basis of current calls. (Accessed on 20/01/2026).