The single decision that determines whether a KA1 mobility delivers value is course selection. Get it right and your teachers come back with skills they use. Get it wrong and you have an expensive holiday to defend in your final report.
This is a decision framework for coordinators who want to make good choices without spending days researching. It's built on the mistakes we see repeated across schools that report disappointing mobilities.
Start from the school, not the course
The most common mistake is browsing courses first and then justifying them after. Erasmus+ evaluators can see this in an application, and teachers can feel it during the mobility itself.
The right sequence:
- What are 2-3 real problems in your school right now?
- What kind of teacher learning would help address them?
- What kind of course delivers that learning?
- Which providers offer that kind of course?
If you can't finish sentence 1, no course choice will help. If you can, the rest of the process becomes obvious.
Match topic to problem, not to interest
Teachers are often drawn to courses on topics they find interesting, not topics that solve a school problem. Both matter, but the school problem must come first for KA1 funding.
Examples of good matches:
- Problem: student engagement is declining in the middle years → topic: classroom management and positive behaviour, or project-based learning
- Problem: growing number of newly-arrived students with additional language needs → topic: inclusive education and SEN, or language teaching and CLIL
- Problem: teachers are overwhelmed by AI and don't know what's safe to use → topic: digital skills and AI
- Problem: your school signed onto a sustainability charter and staff need to deliver on it → topic: green education and sustainability
Examples of poor matches:
- Problem: our teachers are stressed → topic: any generic "wellbeing" course. These are often light on practical strategy and heavy on activities. If wellbeing is the real problem, use school-based interventions instead.
- Problem: we want to internationalise → topic: any Erasmus+ course. That's circular reasoning; Erasmus+ mobility itself is the internationalisation, not the course.
Evaluate providers on three dimensions
Once you've narrowed to a topic, you'll usually find 5-15 providers. To pick between them, look at:
1. Verification. Can they show a valid VAT number that clears EU VIES? A registered legal entity in a Programme Country? Any independent directory (like ErasmusCourse) will do this check for you.
2. Delivery track record. How many mobilities have they run in the last 12 months? What schools? A provider with an active calendar and recent participant feedback is a much lower-risk choice than one who "used to" run courses.
3. Course specifics. Ask, don't assume:
- How many contact hours in total? (Not calendar days)
- Who are the trainers, what are their credentials?
- What's the maximum group size?
- What's the daily schedule, sessions, breaks, cultural activities?
- Is a Europass certificate issued, and when?
- What's included in the fee: materials, meals, cultural activities?
- What's the cancellation and refund policy?
Providers who answer specifically and confidently are usually the ones who deliver. Providers who deflect or give vague answers are a signal.
Cost isn't everything, but it matters
Erasmus+ caps course fees at €80/day per participant for up to 10 days. If a course fee exceeds that cap, your school covers the difference or teachers pay out of pocket. Neither is ideal.
That doesn't mean cheapest is best. A €500 course from a strong provider with 30 contact hours often beats a €300 course from an unknown provider with unclear scheduling. But do the maths per contact hour, not per calendar day.
Timing matters more than most coordinators realise
Two timing factors coordinators underweight:
Late registration surcharges. Some providers charge €30-€60 extra if you book within 4-8 weeks of the start date. Book early where you can.
Peak-season quality. July and August are the busiest months. Providers who normally deliver excellent courses can be stretched thin in high season. If your teachers can travel in May, June or September, quality is often better and prices are lower.
Shortlisting: how many providers to compare
Two is not enough, you can't tell if either is good or bad without a reference point. Four or more is too many, you'll burn hours and probably compare on the wrong dimensions.
Three is the right shortlist size. Two providers you found via a directory, one recommendation from another coordinator. Send the same enquiry to all three. Compare on:
- Response speed
- Answer quality (specific vs vague)
- Willingness to accommodate your specific needs
- Overall professionalism
The best provider on paper isn't always the best provider once you interact with them.
Common mistakes that ruin mobilities
- Booking based on the destination, not the course. Everyone wants to send teachers to Barcelona in June. That doesn't mean Barcelona in June is where the best course for your problem lives.
- One coordinator picking for everyone. Teachers who feel a course was chosen for them, not with them, disengage. Even a light "we're deciding between these three, which fits you best?" conversation improves outcomes.
- No pre-departure briefing. Erasmus+ funds preparation time, use it. Even 45 minutes of "what are you hoping to learn, what will you bring back" makes the trip more focused.
- No post-mobility follow-through. A great mobility that isn't shared with the wider staff has almost no institutional value. Plan how learning will be disseminated before the trip.
The one-page shortlist
Before you enquire, you should be able to fill in:
- Problem we're solving: one sentence
- Topic that addresses it: one topic cluster
- Ideal dates: a window, not one specific week
- Number of participants: firm
- Budget per participant: firm (including €80/day cap)
- Three providers to enquire: names + why each was shortlisted
If you can't fill that in, you're not ready to enquire yet.
Ready to shortlist?
You can filter the courses catalogue by topic, city, dates and price. Every provider has been legally verified before listing. Send the same enquiry to your top three, compare the responses, and pick the provider whose answers give you the most confidence.
The mobility is only ever as good as the choice behind it.