My daughter wants to quit Erasmus and get a job

Q - "Please could you help...my daughter has just started her Erasmus year in Madrid and is at uni...she is thinking that maybe she should have got a job instead for the year. Is there any possibility of changing or is it too late once you have started?? We would really appreciate some help with this problem."

A - "I'm sure that if your daughter wants to get a job in Madrid her home university tutors will allow her to, as one of their prime concerns while she's abroad is her happiness, but of course she has to check with them first before she does anything. If she explains clearly why she wants to change and has a potential job lined up (this usually needs to be vetted by the university in advance), there shouldn't be a problem. The trouble is that being an Erasmus student comes with a huge number of benefits, so she really does need to be completely sure of her decision. These benefits include a structured timetable, a monthly grant and being part of a cohesive group which organises social events and activities to integrate foreign students into the local student community. She should find that she has a considerable amount of free time in her timetable which would allow her to get a part-time job if she wished. From experience, I found this to be the best option as I chopped and changed part-time jobs which meant that I met a lot of people outside the university and did some really interesting things while studying the minimum number of modules at university - this really is the best option if you can persuade her to stick with it. If, however, your daughter is unhappy at the university after a decent amount of settling in time, then that is as good a reason as any to leave and find a job in order to make the most of her year abroad. Her home university will want her to return fluent in the language with an understanding of the culture and society, so she needs to decide how best to achieve that. She has a lot of options, but it is best to discuss them with her university coordinator so she is aware of their third year requirements before making any decisions."

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