Doing Your Apprenticeship Abroad: The Complete How-To

You may have been told that apprenticeships and international experience don't mix. That's simply not true: since the French law of 5 September 2018, an apprentice can spend up to a year abroad, in a company or a training centre, without losing their contract or their qualification.

In short: any apprentice or employee on a professional training contract (contrat de professionnalisation) can undertake a period of mobility abroad, lasting anywhere from a few weeks to 1 year (within the limits of the contract's duration). For a mobility of 4 weeks or less, the French contract continues to apply and the employer remains responsible: this is the mise à disposition (secondment) regime. Beyond 4 weeks, the contract is "put on hold" (mise en veille): the host organisation abroad becomes solely responsible for working conditions, and the French employer suspends salary payments — unless it chooses to maintain them. In every case, a mobility agreement signed by the apprentice, the French employer, the CFA (apprentice training centre) and the host organisation is mandatory. Funding comes mainly from Erasmus+, the "mobilité internationale des apprentis" grant and regional schemes. The time spent abroad counts towards the duration of the contract and can be credited towards the qualification.

Who can go, and for how long?

International mobility is open to all apprentices and work-study students, whatever their level of qualification: CAP, vocational baccalaureate, BTS, professional bachelor's degree, master's, professional certification. The French Labour Code (articles L. 6222-42 et seq.) governs two situations.

A few practical benchmarks:

• The mobility cannot exceed the duration of the contract: with a 12-month contract, spending a full year abroad is impossible.
• For mobility outside the European Union, the host country's rules apply and the paperwork (visa, work permit, insurance) is heavier: allow 4 to 6 months of preparation.
• Underage apprentices can go, but the host country's regulations on youth employment apply, and written parental consent is required.

An often-overlooked point: the period abroad counts towards the total duration of the contract. You don't "lose" any time and your contract end date stays the same.

Secondment or contract on hold: the difference that changes everything

This is the technical point to master before signing anything.

Secondment (mise à disposition, 4 weeks maximum)

Your French apprenticeship contract continues to run as normal. In practical terms:

• your French employer keeps paying your salary;
• it remains responsible for working conditions (health, safety, working hours);
• you remain covered by French social security legislation and by your employer's workplace accident insurance;
• the host organisation simply "hosts" you in a role.

This is the ideal format for a short immersion: three or four weeks in a subsidiary, a business partner or a European training centre.

Contract on hold (mise en veille, beyond 4 weeks)

Here, the mechanism is different. The French contract is suspended for the duration of the mobility:

• the host company or institution becomes solely responsible for working conditions, health and safety;
• French pay is no longer mandatory: your employer may choose to maintain it voluntarily (common in large groups), or stop paying it;
• the relationship with the host organisation may take the form of a local employment contract, an internship agreement or a volunteering arrangement, depending on the country's law;
• the French employer's obligations (contributions, medical check-ups, etc.) are also suspended.

This detail radically changes your budget. If your employer doesn't maintain your salary, you need to secure a grant before leaving. More on that below.

The mobility agreement: the mandatory document

No mobility can begin without a written agreement. This is not a formality: it protects all parties and determines whether the period counts towards your qualification.

It must be signed by:

1. you (and your legal guardian if you are a minor);
2. your French employer;
3. your CFA or French training organisation;
4. the host company or training institution abroad;
5. where applicable, the intermediary body coordinating the mobility.

A template agreement is provided by the French Ministry of Labour (order of 22 January 2020) and circulated by Alternance.emploi.gouv.fr and the Centre Inffo. As a minimum, it must state:

• the start and end dates of the mobility;
• the purpose of the mobility and the skills or activities targeted;
• the assessment arrangements for the period abroad;
• how costs are covered (travel, accommodation, meals);
• the social security and insurance cover chosen;
• the applicable regime: secondment or contract on hold.

Practical tip: have the agreement translated if the host organisation doesn't read French, and keep both a digital and a paper copy. A travel document organiser folder will save you from hunting for your agreement, your insurance certificate and your European health card on check-in day.

How do you fund your trip?

That's the real question. Here are the options, from the most accessible to the most technical.

Erasmus+: the funding backbone

Since 2014, apprenticeships have been fully integrated into the Erasmus+ programme, managed in France by the Agence Erasmus+ France / Éducation Formation. Apprentice mobility falls under the "vocational education and training" (VET) strand.

• Both short mobilities (10 to 89 days) and long ones (ErasmusPro, 90 to 365 days) are eligible for funding.
• Amounts depend on the destination country (cost-of-living groups) and cover travel, subsistence and sometimes language support.
• Top-ups exist for people with specific needs (disability, financial hardship) and for green mobility (train or coach rather than plane).

Important point: you don't submit the application yourself. It's your CFA, your vocational school or a consortium that runs the project and holds the accreditation. First step: ask your mobility officer whether your institution holds Erasmus+ accreditation. If it doesn't, it can go through a regional consortium.

The "mobilité internationale des apprentis" grant

In many regions, a specific grant tops up Erasmus+ to cover remaining costs: transport, accommodation, supplementary insurance. Amounts and conditions vary widely from one region to another — check with your regional council (conseil régional) and your CFA.

Other avenues

• OPCOs: some skills operators fund mobility packages for apprentices in their sector.
• Your employer: full or partial salary continuation, payment of the plane ticket, housing through a subsidiary. This is negotiable — and it must be negotiated before signing the agreement.
• Bilateral programmes: the Office franco-allemand pour la Jeunesse (OFAJ) funds professional exchanges with Germany; the Office franco-québécois pour la jeunesse (OFQJ) does the same with Quebec.
• Higher education mobility grants if your course is run by a university.

To budget for despite the grants: rental deposit, international banking fees, local SIM card, your first few days on site. Set aside a reserve of €500 to €800.

Health, social protection and insurance: don't leave without them

This is the most neglected and the riskiest part.

In the European Union, the EEA and Switzerland

Request your European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) via your Ameli account or from your local health insurance fund. It's free, valid for 2 years, and must be requested at least 15 days before departure. It gives you access to medically necessary care in the host country on the same terms as local residents.

Be aware: the EHIC does not cover repatriation, personal liability, or costs not reimbursed by the local scheme.

Outside the European Union

You need to check whether a bilateral social security agreement exists (the Cleiss publishes the list and the relevant forms). If there isn't one, you have two options:

• voluntary membership of the Caisse des Français de l'étranger (CFE);
• private insurance covering healthcare, repatriation and personal liability.

Workplace accidents

Under secondment, the French employer's workplace accident insurance continues to apply. With the contract on hold, the host country's scheme applies: check in black and white in the agreement that you are covered, and top it up with individual insurance if necessary. A compact travel first aid kit in your backpack is no luxury when you arrive in a country where you don't yet know how the healthcare system works.

What about the qualification? Getting the period abroad validated

This is worry number one: "am I going to fail my exam?"

The answer depends on your CFA and your qualification framework. There are three possible set-ups:

• The mobility replaces a period in the company and the skills acquired are assessed through the agreement: this is the simplest scenario.
• The mobility is added on: you catch up on classes remotely during or after the period. Some CFAs offer online modules and a dedicated tutor.
• The mobility is built into the framework, notably for qualifications with a "mobility" endorsement or the optional mobility units that exist in certain vocational baccalaureates and BTS programmes.

In every case, insist on getting the following from your CFA in writing:

• the list of assessments you are going to miss and how you'll make them up;
• the name of the mobility officer and a way to reach them during your stay;
• the assessment arrangements for the period abroad (skills grid, report, oral defence).

Also think about Europass Mobility: this free European document officially certifies your period of mobility and what you learned during it. It makes an impression on a CV. A foreign-language travel journal kept daily will help you feed your mobility report and avoid forgetting anything when the oral comes around.

Reverse planning: when to do what?

On language preparation, two months of regular work is often enough to move from "classroom" level to "operational" level: a language course with audio for twenty minutes a day makes more difference than a three-day intensive course right before departure. And for the journey, a universal travel plug adapter will save you from a dead phone on your first evening.

Mistakes to avoid

• Leaving without a signed agreement. Without it, the period is neither covered nor creditable: officially, you are absent from your contract.
• Assuming your salary continues. With the contract on hold, it stops unless the employer explicitly agrees otherwise. Get it in writing.
• Forgetting personal liability insurance. Many host organisations require it before signing.
• Underestimating accommodation. In major European cities, lead times are long. CFA partner residences and youth housing platforms (including the Eurodesk network and Info Jeunes centres) are useful starting points.
• Waiting until the final year. CFAs often favour the second year of the contract, when the basics of the trade have been mastered and the exam isn't imminent.

What mobility really gives you

Beyond the line on your CV, the feedback gathered by the Agence Erasmus+ France and by CFAs all points the same way: greater independence, rapid language progress, exposure to different ways of organising work, and a clear effect on employability. For an apprentice aiming for a role in an international group, in logistics, in an export-driven industry or in hospitality, it's a genuine differentiator.

The hardest part isn't the language or the paperwork: it's daring to bring it up with your employer and your CFA. Many companies simply never think of it, and agree as soon as the project is clearly framed, costed and won't disrupt the team. Turn up with a one-page proposal: dates, host organisation, planned funding, benefits for the company. That's often what tips the answer in your favour.

Where to find information

• Alternance.emploi.gouv.fr — template agreement and legal framework.
• Agence Erasmus+ France / Éducation Formation — funding and accreditations.
• Centre Inffo — technical fact sheets on apprentice mobility.
• Cleiss — bilateral social security agreements.
• Ameli — European Health Insurance Card applications.
• OFAJ and OFQJ — professional exchanges with Germany and Quebec.
• Europass (European Commission) — mobility certificate.