Short term opportunities
Discover funded opportunities to teach English in Taiwan or research inclusive communities in Europe and bring ideas back to Nottingham.
Excellent Mandarin Programme (EMP)
Within the Framework of the Excellent Mandarin Programme led by Taiwan’s Ministry of Education, NTU in partnership with I-Shou University has been granted some generous scholarships to allow NTU students from all levels and all programmes to spend three months in the south of Taiwan, to learn Mandarin and help ISU with their ambitious plan of becoming a bilingual university by 2028.
During your stay in Taiwan, you will be spending 15 hours a week (three hours per week day) learning Mandarin and discovering Chinese culture. You will also be expected to assist the NTU / ISU Education Hub students with their English proficiency for at least four hours a week. Depending on your background, you may be able to get additional paid hours to help students with their English.
Programme dates
There are three intakes available:
- 31 August - 13 November 2026 or,
- 30 November - 19 February 2027 or,
- 1 March - 14 May 2027.
Scholarship
- Scholarship from I-Shou University - NT$28,000/month (£685/month approximately)
- Monthly expenses
- Mandarin course - NT$10,000 (£245 approximately)
- Accommodation (one-off payment in month one) - NT$27,370 (£640 approximately)
- Health insurance, books, etc. (one-off payment in month one) - NT$5,000 (£125 approximately)
Please review your finances before applying. You will be responsible for the cost of your flights and local travel. You will also need to supplement any extra cost required in the first month. In the second and third month of your programme, you will receive around £400 from your I-Shou University scholarship to use for spending money, food, drinks, and travel.
Eligibility
To be eligible for this programme, you must be one of the following:
- A final year student who is graduating in 2026.
- A fully enrolled student at NTU on a degree course and in your placement year during 2026/27.
- A Postgraduate student.
You must also fulfil the following requirements:
- English as a first/native language.
- Be committed to taking the preparatory course in Mandarin, which will be organised by ISU prior to departure. The course usually takes place during the month prior to your departure.
- Be available to attend the whole three months of the programme.
- Have the permission of your course team to attend the programme if participating means that you will miss classes and/or assessments for your NTU course, before you apply.
How to apply
Please apply for the Excellent Mandarin Programme here. Application closes on Sunday 31 May at 11.45pm.
Questions? Email goabroad@ntu.ac.uk for further information.
European Inclusive Communities Challenge
The European Inclusive Communities Challenge (European Challenge) offers a platform for NTU students to make their voice heard and work collaboratively to build a more inclusive future for their local community through social innovation.
Through this challenge, you will connect with the four councils including Mansfield, Ashfield, Bolsover District Councils, along with Nottingham City Council, NTU academics and other students in Northern Europe to explore shared societal challenges and develop ideas that contribute to making communities more inclusive, connected and sustainable.
This year, NTU Global is inviting up to 32 NTU students to take part in an exciting funded opportunity to travel to Northern Europe during the Easter break from 29 March to 2 April 2026.
What do you have to do?
To bring back insights and recommendations that will help make Ashfield, Mansfield, Bolsover and Nottingham more inclusive places to live. You’ll work in one of four groups, each made up of eight students and an academic mentor, to explore one of these themes:
- Youth engagement through digital media and the arts
- Making healthy living easy
- Hearing and seeing youth voice: towards active citizenship
- Sustainable fashion for a circular economy
Before you travel, you’ll take part in research sessions developed with the four councils, connect online with peers from Northern European universities, and attend planning sessions with your academic mentor.
After the trip, you’ll present your findings and ideas to the councils and senior NTU colleagues at the Showcase event.
All four groups will start their research in Lille, France, travelling by Eurostar. The challenge kicks off with a visit to our partner, the Catholic University of Lille, before heading off by train to either Rotterdam, Karlsruhe, Utrecht or Antwerp. The destination city depends on your project area.
The draft travel programme (subject to change) is:
- Day 1 (Sunday 29 March) – Students and mentors travel to Lille via Eurostar. A coach will pick you up in Mansfield and/or at the City campus to take you to London St Pancras.
- Day 2 (Monday 30 March) – Visit the Catholic University of Lille and travel to your next city.
- Day 3 (Tuesday 31 March) – Full day in your host city.
- Day 4 (Wednesday 1 April) – Full day in your host city.
- Day 5 (Thursday 2 April) – Travel back to the UK via Eurostar.
NTU Global will cover your accommodation costs and travel costs to/from Lille and to/from your European destination city/cities.
Students are responsible for the costs of food and drinks, local travel within cities, and personal expenses.
Before travelling, you will be required to:
- Attend a research afternoon in conjunction with Mansfield, Ashfield and Bolsover District Councils and Nottingham City Council. This may include learning about current projects, upcoming initiatives and areas they would like you to explore.
- Attend meetings with your mentor group.
- Actively engage with your mentor group via our Challenge MS Team.
- Collaborate online with students and staff from universities in Northern Europe and project leaders.
- Attend our pre-departure session, where we will provide all the information you need for the trip to Europe.
- If you do not actively engage, you may be withdrawn from the Challenge.
Whilst in Europe, you will be expected to:
- Attend all sessions and activities arranged for you and actively participate and engage.
After travelling, you will be required to:
- Work with your group on recommendations for the councils.
- Engage with your mentor and group members to produce a poster and a pitch.
- Present your findings to the four councils and senior NTU colleagues at the Showcase event, held at the NTU Mansfield Hub. Transport will be provided.
Important dates
Successful students will need to be available for the following dates:
- From Monday 2 February onwards – Engage with your mentor group, including meetings and chats in our European Challenge MS Team.
- Wednesday 4 March, 2 pm - 4 pm – Research Afternoon and Pre-Departure session with the four councils at the Mansfield Hub. Transport from the City Campus will be provided.
- Sunday 29 March to Thursday 2 April – European travel; work on posters and pitch on the last day.
- Wednesday 15 April or Wednesday 29 April (TBC), 5 pm - 7 pm – Showcase event at Mansfield Hub. Transport from the City Campus will be provided. Attendance at this event is mandatory for all students.
Applications are welcomed from HE students in any discipline with an interest in this theme.
We particularly encourage applications from students who:
- Study at our Mansfield campus.
- Are from Nottingham or the Ashfield, Bolsover or Mansfield areas of Nottinghamshire/Derbyshire.
- Have limited travel experience.
To be considered for this challenge, you must:
- Be a fully enrolled HE student in the 2025/26 academic year.
- Must not be an incoming or visiting exchange student.
- Be available to attend the entire programme, including research sessions, the pre-departure session and the Showcase event after the trip (see above for details).
- Have at least six months’ validity on your passport from April 2026 (expiry after November 2026).
- International student must already hold a multi-Schengen visa at the time of submitting your application.
Please note that this is an academic project and you are expected to attend pre and post departure sessions, all sessions arranged during your trip, and undertake any assignments given to you by your academic tutor.
Complete the online application form by Monday 19 January 2026 at 9 am. Please send any questions to faye.martin@ntu.ac.uk.