Many applicants look only at the country of the project and apply because the location appeals to them, without looking at the topic and the other details. Most applications are rejected at the first screening because the applicant did not read the details of the call. Our guide on how to find Erasmus+ and European Solidarity Corps (ESC) projects shows where the offers are published, and the sections below help you compare them.
Last updated: November 2026.
What should you compare first?
Look at the topic and the details of your tasks, not only the country.
🎯 Topic and tasks: look at the topic and the other details, and clarify everything with the organisation, especially the details of your tasks.
🏙️ City and organisation: research the country, the city and the organisation, because someone used to a big city who goes blindly to a very small town is not happy there.
🗓️ Studies and work need planning: short-term projects fit summer holidays or semester breaks, while for a long-term project university students usually suspend (pause) their enrolment. Our guide on ESC project lengths lists the durations.
🏠 Accommodation and food: in the European Solidarity Corps, the organisation usually provides the accommodation and gives food money, so the volunteer can cook at home or eat out. ESC volunteers usually live in a shared volunteer flat; sometimes in a dormitory or apartment-style residence, and rarely with a host family. In Erasmus+ youth projects, participants usually stay in hotels, and rooms can be for 2, 4, 6 or 8 people. Our guide on whether ESC is fully funded goes through the costs.
⏰ Working hours and leave in ESC: ESC volunteers work at least 30 and not more than 38 hours a week, and have 2 days of leave per month.
💬 English: most projects accept participants with basic English. For Youth Exchanges, a high level of English is usually not needed, but if the topic is technical a better level helps.
🛡️ Clearance requirements: clearance requirements means a criminal record check. Clearance requirements are usually not asked for at all, but they can be asked for projects working with children or other vulnerable people under special protection.
Does the country matter?
The experience depends on the project and the team, not on the country. Everyone applying to Spain and Italy joins a long queue; demand is much lower in the Baltic countries, Poland, Romania, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Hungary and North Macedonia, so the chance of being accepted is higher. Two friends can technically go to the same ESC project, but host organisations usually prefer volunteers from different countries for intercultural diversity. Our guide on the ideal ESC volunteer covers what host organisations look for.
What do you need to check in the call itself?
A good info pack includes the project topic and objectives, dates and city/country, activities and methods, travel budget, reimbursement rules and when travel costs are reimbursed, accommodation and meal details, participant profile (age, country, skills), and application steps and deadline; if any of these are missing, ask for clarification before applying. The info pack is shared at the application stage, so you already know all the conditions.
📮 How to apply: for Youth Exchanges, Volunteering Teams, training courses, seminars and study visits, young people apply to the call itself; the call may ask you to apply directly, or it may name a sending organisation in your country through which you have to apply, so you must read the details of each call. Our guide on what a Youth Exchange is explains that format.
🏢 Sending organisation: if a call asks for a sending (support) organisation, you can find all organisations holding a Quality Label on the European Youth Portal and ask one of them to be your sending (support) organisation. Give your sending organisation's details in your first email. Our guide on the ESC supporting organisation explains its role.
📅 Date of the call: many calls circulating online are old: the deadline has passed, the place is filled or the project never started. Apply to calls with a current date on the official portal or websites like Youth Works Hub.
🧾 Participation fee: in Erasmus+ Youth Exchanges, training courses, seminars and study visits, about one in ten calls asks participants for a participation fee; Youth Works Hub does not support this practice. The participation fee is not a payment made in advance: the fee is usually deducted from the travel reimbursement. Our guide on hidden costs in fully funded projects explains what to watch for.
🔍 Real organisation: to check that an Erasmus+ youth organisation (Youth Exchange, training course) is real, ask the organisation for its OID and for its previous projects. You can also ask the National Agency of your own country about the organisation. Nobody pays anything at the application stage, and nobody transfers money to an organisation. Our guide on how to spot fake offers lists the warning signs.
What should motivate your choice of project?
In the European Solidarity Corps, travel and language learning are side benefits; the core of the programme is volunteering, contributing to the community and solidarity. ESC is not a temporary or part-time job, an internship or paid work, only fun, a tourist trip or a language course, cheap labour, or university study abroad. The Youth Works Hub Match page finds projects suited to you and asks 8 questions; using Match requires creating an account on the site, and Match does not filter directly by country. Our guide on the ideal ESC volunteer and our guide on ESC mistakes before you go help you decide.
Frequently asked questions
Should I apply to many projects?
Twenty good applications work better than a hundred copies. Our guide on Erasmus+ application tips helps with the rest of your application.
Can I ask the organisation questions before applying?
Yes: if any detail of the info pack is missing, ask for clarification before applying. Our guide on how to apply takes the steps one by one.
Should I start with a short or a long project?
Volunteering Teams are particularly suitable for a first experience in volunteering. Short-term projects fit summer holidays or semester breaks. Our guide on ESC Volunteering Teams explains the format.
How do you make the final choice?
The experience depends on the project and the team, not on the country. The Youth Works Hub pages below cover the next steps.
Related pages: how to find Erasmus+ and ESC projects · where to start · ESC project lengths · whether ESC is fully funded
👉 ESC projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=esc-projects
👉 Erasmus+ projects: youthworkshub.org/?tab=erasmus-projects
