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Airlines are already penalising customers for all manner of minor indiscretions, such as bringing 1 kg of extra baggage or not printing a boarding pass before arriving at the airport. But when the airlines are the ones in the wrong – when their flights are delayed or cancelled, or when a passenger’s luggage goes missing – it seems that it is once again the customer who will have to pay.

If you choose to study in Spain, you can enjoy the year-round mild and sunny weather, and immersive yourself in rich Spanish culture. Read on to find out about your eligibility to study in Spain, how to apply for a course and what you might be expected to pay.

Why not choose to study for your degree in Germany, with its many excellent universities, such as Heidelberg University? Read on to find out if you are eligible to study in Germany, how to apply and how much it would cost to study there.

Want to study for your degree in Europe? Why not choose France with its high quality of living, vibrant cities, excellent food and its numerous world-class universities, such as the renowned École normale supérieure? Read on to find out if you are eligible, how to apply and how much it would cost to study in France.

For most UK students, time spent in Europe is restricted to a third year abroad, usually as part of the Erasmus+ scheme or a language assistantship. But a significant number of students are choosing to complete their full degree course in a university on mainland Europe. 

A third year abroad is an excellent opportunity to learn new skills, to meet new people and to travel and experience new places. Yet it also means living away from home and a university environment that you have become familiar with. Homesickness, loneliness and lack of confidence in the local language can leave students feeling isolated during their third year abroad, which means they may not make the most of the experience. Try not to let that happen to you. Have a look at Send My Bag's top tips for a third year abroad to help you maximise on your experience from the outset.

You don’t have to be part of a scheme like Erasmus+ or the Language Assistantship to enjoy a third year abroad. Instead, you can plan your own activities, like taking on full or part time work, or jobbing as you travel around different locations. While taking an Erasmus+ course or being a language assistant gives you invaluable transferable skills, you will get more immediate experience of a working environment if you choose to work ‘in the real world’, which will have direct impact on your employability.

Instead of studying at a European university as part of the Erasmus+ scheme, you could spend your third year abroad as a British Council language assistant. Assistantships operate in numerous European countries, run by different organisations in different countries. If you are studying at a UK university, you will apply through the British Council for an assistantship position in another European country. The British Council Language Assistantship scheme allows you to spend an academic year abroad helping to teach English to schoolchildren, in either a secondary or primary school.

There are a number of ways that you can spend a third year abroad but one of the most popular is the Erasmus+ programme, which allows you to work or study abroad. Read on to find out what the Erasmus+ programme is, who is eligible for Erasmus+ and much more.

Studying in the UK on a Tier 4 (General) Student Visa

If you are a foreign resident (not normally resident in the European Economic Area or Switzerland) wishing to study in the UK, you will need to obtain a Tier 4 (General) student visa. To apply for this visa you must:

• be a resident in a country outside the European Economic Area or Switzerland 
• have secured a place on a course of study at an eligible institution (a licensed Tier 4 sponsor)
• be able to speak, write, read and understand English
• be able to pay for your course of study, as well as living costs.