I want to write about something that has been nagging me since around mid-August. Every year, coordinators send enquiries in fairly predictable seasonal waves. September is the biggest month, October the second. February and March are the applications window. Summer goes quiet. That is the pattern I expected when we set the site up.
This August has not looked like that.
Enquiries have been steadier through the month than any August I have data for, and the mix of what people are asking about has shifted. I want to write down what I am actually seeing, partly because it is useful to me to think it through in public, and partly because if you are a coordinator planning your own autumn moves, some of this might match what you are feeling too.
The obvious change: coordinators are planning later than they used to
The most striking thing is the number of enquiries for October and November mobilities coming in during August. Historically these would have been settled in June. This year a real chunk of them are still open in August.
I have a theory about why. ESEP closed its external course catalogue on 27 May. For coordinators who had been using ESEP as their default discovery tool, that broke their normal workflow. A lot of schools I have spoken to spent June and July trying to figure out what the replacement looked like, rather than actually booking courses. That has pushed the whole planning cycle back by roughly a month.
If you are a provider reading this, that has an interesting implication. There is more spot demand for October and November this year than in a normal season. If you still have seats in that window, you probably do not need to discount to fill them, but you do need to be reachable and quick to respond.
Coordinators are asking harder questions than before
Enquiry messages are longer this August than any month I have logged before. That is another small signal but I think it says something real.
The questions that have come up multiple times:
- What are the actual contact hours vs cultural activity hours?
- Which specific schools do you visit during the mobility?
- Who is delivering the training and what is their teaching background?
- Have you run this exact course before, or is this the first cohort?
None of these are unusual questions. What is unusual is how many coordinators are asking them upfront, in the first message, before the provider has even confirmed availability.
The interpretation I keep landing on: coordinators who used to trust the ESEP listing as a signal of provider quality are now doing that vetting themselves. They are more cautious, they are asking sharper questions, and they are less willing to book on a brochure alone.
Digital skills is still the most-requested topic, but the second place has changed
Through most of 2026, the top three topic requests were:
- Digital Skills and AI
- Classroom Management
- Inclusive Education
In August, that second spot has shifted. Wellbeing and stress management have jumped past classroom management. Not by a lot, but consistently over three weeks now.
I am not sure what to read into this yet. It could be end-of-year burnout showing up in September planning. It could be that some big teacher union or ministry has been talking about wellbeing recently. It could be noise. I will watch through September before I decide it means anything.
The countries sending enquiries have widened
Historically our enquiries have been heavy on Italy, Spain, France, Poland and Germany, in that order. Around 70 percent came from those five.
August enquiries include a much wider spread: Ireland, Portugal, Greece, Estonia, Malta, Netherlands, Slovenia, Latvia, Iceland. Still a lot from the big five, but the tail is longer. This is the first month where non-top-five countries have made up more than a quarter of the volume.
Two possible reasons. One, coordinators in smaller countries were more dependent on ESEP as their primary discovery route, so the disruption is hitting them harder and they are now casting wider. Two, we have added more blog content aimed at coordinators in specific national contexts, and that might be finding its way into search results in those countries.
What I am going to do about this
Two practical things.
First, if you are a coordinator with an October or November mobility still open, do not assume providers are stretched. There is more available capacity in that window than usual this year. It is worth sending three enquiries in parallel and picking the best response. Do not just take the first "yes."
Second, if you are still figuring out where to look for courses now that ESEP has closed, spend a bit of time reading through the guides section. I am going to keep adding to it through September because that is clearly where a lot of coordinators need help right now.
And if you have a specific question I have not answered anywhere on the site, just send it to me. I read every one.