A European Staff Mobility Week
Connect Europe and Beyond
Meet. Connect. Collaborate. Grow.
A practical and interactive week for international higher education staff who want to build, strengthen and sustain international networks and partnerships.
Who is this week for?
Who is this Staff Week for?
International cooperation starts with people. This Staff Mobility Week brings together higher education professionals from different European countries to meet, build real working relationships and turn contacts into concrete cooperation.
- International partnerships
- Erasmus+ coordination
- Faculty and department coordination
- Internationalisation strategy
- International recruitment
- International Offices
- Student and staff mobility
- EU and research project support
- Global engagement and alumni relations
Why join?
Meet
Get to know colleagues from different European countries and institutions in a relaxed, focused setting.
Connect
Take part in structured networking formats that lead to real conversations and clear next steps.
Build
Learn how international partnerships are started, formalised and kept alive over the long term.
Discover
Experience Oxford and London as a gateway to the British higher education landscape.
Sustain
Leave with a personal follow-up plan so that new contacts turn into lasting cooperation.
Five days · approx. 20 teaching hours
The programme
Each course week comprises approx. 20 teaching hours (Monday to Friday), including the professional programme on the London Day.
We do not require a formal certificate such as TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge; your own assessment of your level is sufficient.
Day 1 · Monday
Networking That Works
Arrive, meet and map your international landscape
- Welcome and introduction round
- Why networks matter in internationalisation
- Types of international partnerships: strategic, mobility, teaching, research
- Your institution’s partnership profile
- Networking across cultures: styles, expectations, etiquette
- Welcome evening in Oxford (optional)
Each participant presents who they are, what they offer and what kind of partners they are looking for.
Day 2 · Tuesday
Building Partnerships
From first contact to a working agreement
- Finding and approaching the right partner
- Writing a first message that gets a reply
- Inter-institutional agreements in practice
- Making partnerships active: mobility, teaching, joint activities
- Keeping partnerships alive and reviewing them
- Common challenges and how to solve them
Short, guided conversations with every participant, followed by a partnership clinic where the group helps with real cases.
Day 3 · Wednesday · London Day
Europe, the UK and Beyond
From Oxford to London: a full-day professional and cultural programme
- Visit to a UK higher education institution or education organisation
- Insights into UK international strategy and partnerships
- The UK’s return to Erasmus+ in 2027: what it means for cooperation
- Meeting UK-based international professionals
- Guided exploration of London
Day 4 · Thursday
From Contacts to Collaboration
Turn conversations into concrete joint ideas
- Developing joint activity ideas with partners
- Formats that work: staff exchange, joint webinars, blended intensive programmes
- Digital networking: LinkedIn, newsletters, online communities
- AI-assisted outreach and communication
- Presenting your institution online
- Practical tools for staying in touch
Small groups develop one concrete cooperation idea and present it to the others for feedback.
Day 5 · Friday
Keeping the Network Alive
Turn the week into lasting cooperation
- Reflection on the week
- Lessons learned from other institutions
- Choosing your priority contacts
- Follow-up routines that really work
- Optional participant contact list (with consent)
- Ideas for future meetings and joint activities
Each participant leaves with a short, concrete plan for the first weeks after returning home.
What you take home
By the end of the week, participants will have…
- new professional contacts from across Europe
- a clear partnership profile of their own institution
- practical skills for structured, cross-cultural networking
- a first joint cooperation idea developed with international colleagues
- insights into the UK higher education environment
- a personal follow-up plan for their home institution
You leave with people, not just ideas.
Dates 2027
4 weeks to choose from
| Week | Programme days (Mon–Fri) | London day |
|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | 26–30 April 2027 | Wednesday, 28 April |
| Week 2 | 7–11 June 2027 | Wednesday, 9 June |
| Week 3 | 27 September – 1 October 2027 | Wednesday, 29 September |
| Week 4 | 8–12 November 2027 | Wednesday, 10 November |
Programme fee per participant
Not included: accommodation in Oxford, travel to and from Oxford (e.g. flights, airport transfers), other meals.
Registration & Erasmus+ funding
Designed for Erasmus+ Staff Mobility
All programmes are designed to fit Erasmus+ staff mobility for training. Please check eligibility and funding with your institution's International Office.
Approx. 20 teaching hours
Every course week comprises approx. 20 teaching hours from Monday to Friday.
English level
Level B2 (CEFR) for most programmes; “Confident Presenting in Higher Education” starts at level B1+ and “Refreshing your English” is designed for levels A2 to B1. No certificate such as TOEFL, IELTS or Cambridge is needed; your own assessment is sufficient.
Invitation letter
For your funding application, we are happy to send you an official confirmation or invitation letter well in advance, on request.
Non-binding registration
Register online at any time. A registration is not a booking and creates no costs.
Pay only after confirmation
You receive an invoice only once we have confirmed that your course week takes place.
Our venue
Where we teach
The Staff Mobility Institute Oxford has no campus of its own, and that is deliberate. We teach in hired seminar rooms in the historic heart of Oxford, in or close to the colleges of the University. For every course week we choose the room to suit the size of the group and the content of the course, and we pick places that let you feel what makes Oxford special: centuries of scholarship, college quads and the atmosphere of a living university city.
A course week might, for example, take place on St Giles, the broad avenue beside St John’s College, a few steps from the Eagle and Child, the pub where J.R.R. Tolkien and C.S. Lewis met with their literary circle, the Inklings, and where Tolkien read early chapters of The Lord of the Rings to his friends.
Central location
Our venues are within walking distance of Gloucester Green bus station, the railway station and the hotels we recommend.
Chosen for your course
The room fits the group size and the way the course works: group tables, a projector and a flipchart, so that you work together rather than just listen.
Beyond the classroom
Part of every programme takes place outside: a walking seminar through Oxford and a full day in London.
The exact venue depends on the course week, the group and room availability, so we cannot promise a particular building in advance. We confirm the address and directions with your joining information before you travel.
Getting there
How to get to Oxford
The most convenient way to arrive from abroad is via London Heathrow or London Gatwick airport, then directly into central Oxford on the Oxford Bus Company coach (“The Airline”).
✈ London Heathrow → Oxford
Coaches run directly from all Heathrow terminals and stop centrally at Gloucester Green bus station in Oxford, from where most accommodation is within walking distance.
✈ London Gatwick → Oxford
Also operated by Oxford Bus Company’s “The Airline”, also arriving at Gloucester Green bus station in the heart of Oxford.
Most visitors who do not need a visa, including citizens of EU and EEA countries and Switzerland, need an ETA to enter the UK. You apply online or in the official “UK ETA” app; it currently costs £20 and is valid for two years for any number of trips (or until your passport expires). A decision usually arrives within three working days, so please apply in good time. Irish citizens do not need an ETA. If you need a visa instead, we are happy to provide an invitation letter. Please check the current rules at gov.uk/eta before you travel.
Practical tips
Accommodation in Oxford
Recommendations for every budget
Accommodation is not included in the programme fee. Here are a few reliable recommendations across different price ranges, all well connected to the venue in central Oxford.
Royal Oxford Hotel
Central, right by the station — short walk to the venue and Gloucester Green.
Holiday Inn Oxford
Reliable standard, a little outside the centre, well connected.
Courtyard by Marriott Oxford City Centre
Right on the Thames, walking distance to the city centre.
Malmaison Oxford
Housed in a former prison — an unusual atmosphere, central location.
The Randolph Hotel (Graduate by Hilton)
Oxford’s most storied grand hotel, right in the historic centre.
Old Bank Hotel
Boutique hotel overlooking the Radcliffe Camera.
Please check prices and availability directly with the hotels or via standard booking platforms, as these vary by season and demand.
Registration
Register – without obligation
Your registration is not a booking. It reserves a place for you and creates no costs. We confirm a course week as soon as enough participants have registered.
- RegisterSend us your non-binding registration with the form below.
- Confirmation of the course weekOnce the minimum number of participants is reached – at the latest 8 weeks before the start – we confirm that the week takes place.
- Invoice & bookingOnly then do you receive your invoice and your place becomes binding. If a week does not take place, you pay nothing and we offer you an alternative date.
Please note: book flights and accommodation only after we have confirmed your course week.
Thank you – we have received your registration
We will reply by email within a few working days. Once the minimum number of participants is reached, we confirm the course week and send you the invoice. Until then your registration is non-binding and free of charge.
Almost done – please send the email
Your email program should have opened with your registration. Please send that email. If nothing opened, copy the text below and send it to info@staffmobilityinstituteoxford.co.uk.
Contact
Questions?
Write to us – for example about funding, delegations or a tailored week for your institution.
info@staffmobilityinstituteoxford.co.ukOn request, we are happy to send you a confirmation letter for your Erasmus+ funding application.