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About This Project
Nine students from Italy came to Portsmouth in June 2026 for an Erasmus+ work placement organised by IBD Partnership Group. We matched each of them with a local employer in their field, placed them with host families and kept tutors on hand from the moment a driver met them at arrival on Sunday 21st June.
Monday brought a first meeting with tutors Raja and Alf, an icebreaker, some cultural and study preparation and a walk round the city. Inductions on Tuesday 23rd June started the placements properly. After that came weekly welfare meetings every Thursday, days out to Brighton and Oxford with Sahil, and a last trip to London with Connie on Thursday 16th July.
What the Students Did
Two students spent their placements in retail, which turns out to be the fastest English lesson going. Customers don’t wait for a sentence to be built, so the students learned to answer quickly, keep stock moving and stay pleasant while doing both. The first few shifts were about keeping up; by the end, they were the ones being asked where things were.
Another two worked in health and social care, a setting where the language barrier matters more than it does on a shop floor. Much of the job is listening properly and noticing what someone needs before they say it, and that takes a while in a second language. It got easier as they learned the daily routines and the people in them, and both left better at communicating with care than they’d have guessed on day one.
One student was placed in a primary school, working with children who have no interest in adjusting their vocabulary for a visitor. Helping in a classroom meant following instructions at speed, joining in with activities and explaining things simply, and the hardest part was being understood by six-year-olds first time. Explaining things simply is a skill she took home with her.
A fourth student joined a conservation project, which meant swapping a desk for practical outdoor work. The tasks were physical and the vocabulary was new (tools, plants, weather), so she had to pick up both at once. By the end she could follow instructions and work with the team without needing anything repeated.
The other three placements were in construction and design, hospitality and digital photography, so nine students ended up across seven sectors between them.
Feedback from Participants
“My Erasmus experience in Portsmouth was amazing, especially because I also had the opportunity to work there! But London was definitely the highlight of my time in the UK. It was so easy to visit by train, and I completely fell in love with its incredible energy. I absolutely loved seeing the iconic Big Ben and walking across Tower Bridge, which felt just like being inside a postcard. From enjoying the vibe of the city’s parks and markets, every trip was unforgettable. Working and studying in Portsmouth was a great experience, but having London so close made my Erasmus journey truly perfect!”
Zahya Fatmi, Italian student
About IBD Partnership Group
IBD Partnership Group has organised Erasmus+ and international work placements for European students in the UK since 2005, welcoming more than 50,000 participants from across Europe. We handle everything from employer matching and host family accommodation to welfare support, airport transfers and all Erasmus+ documentation. If you are a school, VET college or sending organisation looking to place students in the UK, contact us today.
