Polish bioinformatics student spent 5 months at FORTH in Heraklion
Result: Contributed to a genomics pipeline for ancient-DNA samples; co-authored a poster at an international conference
🇬🇷 Greece
Erasmus+ Internships and Mobility Programs in Crete
Piktalent organises Erasmus+ internships and mobility programs in Crete, Greece for higher-education institutions, VET providers and individual students. Each placement includes a vetted host company, accommodation, insurance and on-site coordination. Crete is Greece's largest island and a year-round hospitality, marine-research and agricultural-innovation destination, with Piktalent placements primarily in Heraklion across luxury hotels, the FORTH research foundation and the olive-oil and wine industries.
In short
- Location
- Crete, Greece
- Programmes
- Erasmus+ KA131, KA171, VET, HEI, BIP, job shadowing
- Duration
- 2 weeks – 12 months
- Includes
- Placement, accommodation, insurance, 24/7 support
Cost of living for interns in Crete
Mid costTypical monthly intern budget in Crete based on Piktalent-arranged shared accommodation. Figures are indicative and updated against current placements; Final pricing is confirmed with your proposal.
- Room
- €250–450/mo
- Daily expenses
- €280–400/mo
- Total monthly
- €530–850/mo
- Erasmus+ grant
- Erasmus+ grant comfortably covers monthly cost of living for most participants.
What Piktalent delivers in Crete
Every mobility programme in Crete is fully managed end-to-end — so coordinators at sending institutions can focus on academic outcomes while we handle logistics, compliance and on-the-ground support.
Accommodation
Vetted, safe housing in Crete within commuting distance of the workplace — typically shared apartments or student residences.
Insurance
Travel and liability insurance covering the full mobility period, aligned with Erasmus+ requirements.
24/7 support
Local coordination team in Crete plus a 24/7 emergency line throughout the placement.
Host company matching
Placement matched to the participant's field of study and learning objectives across our Crete host network.
Mentoring & orientation
Airport transfer, city orientation and weekly check-ins with the on-site coordinator in Crete.
Documentation
Learning agreements, mid-term and final reports, Europass certificates and all paperwork required by the sending institution.
Mobility programmes
Erasmus+ mobility programmes we run in Crete
Piktalent delivers every major Erasmus+ mobility programme type in Crete — for institutions sending interns to Greece. Pick the format that fits your accreditation and budget; we handle the rest.
Also available to individual students
À la carte support services in Crete
Accommodation
Vetted housing close to the host company in Crete — apartments, residences or host families.
Insurance
Health, accident and liability cover compliant with Erasmus+ and host-country requirements.
Visa & documentation
Guidance on visas, residence permits and host-country paperwork for non-EU participants.
Language courses
Pre-departure and on-site language training to speed up workplace integration in Crete.
TEFL — Teach English Abroad
Accredited TEFL certification — open enrolment, no internship required.
Internship job portal
Browse and apply directly to open internship positions in Crete and across Europe & the USA.
Why Crete for internships and mobility programs
Crete's working culture blends the structured intensity of luxury tourism with the relaxed pace of one of Greece's most distinctively independent regions. International interns typically live in Heraklion (the capital) or Chania's old Venetian harbour. Weekends fill with hiking the Samaria Gorge, exploring Knossos and beach days at Elafonissi or Balos. The island's scale (260 km long) means meaningful regional variety even within a single semester.
Economy
Crete is a key economic hub in Greece, attracting international companies and offering an internship market that spans early-stage startups, established SMEs and multinational employers.
Key sectors
Active host-company sectors in Crete: hospitality, tourism, agriculture. Each Erasmus+ internship is matched to the participant's field of study.
International environment
English is the working language in most international placements in Crete. Teams are typically multinational, and incoming Erasmus+ participants integrate alongside an established alumni network.
FORTH (Foundation for Research and Technology Hellas) — Greece's leading research institute
Major year-round luxury-hospitality market across Heraklion and Chania
Renowned agricultural-innovation cluster (olive oil, viticulture, herbs)
University of Crete — strong international student community in Heraklion and Rethymno
Working Greek useful for hospitality; English standard in research and tourism
Stable Mediterranean climate enabling year-round outdoor lifestyle
Available internship fields in Crete
Piktalent offers Erasmus+ internships in Crete across the fields below. Each link opens a dedicated page with host-company examples, durations and learning outcomes.
How an Erasmus+ internship in Crete works
Four steps from first brief to final report. Plan twelve weeks of lead time for a quality mobility programme in Crete.
- 1
Brief & matching
Share participant profiles, dates and target field. Piktalent matches each intern to a vetted host company in Crete.
- 2
Learning Agreement & paperwork
We co-sign the Erasmus+ Learning Agreement, issue insurance and confirm the mobility programme details with the sending institution.
- 3
Pre-arrival & accommodation
Vetted accommodation in Crete is booked before arrival; pre-departure briefing covers culture, transport and emergency contacts.
- 4
On-site support & reporting
Local team in Crete runs check-ins, monitors the internship and delivers final reports plus Europass Mobility documents.
Internship examples in Crete
Recent placements managed by Piktalent in Crete.
Who is Crete best for?
Crete works particularly well for the participant profiles below. If your sending institution matches one of these, we typically have host capacity within 2–4 weeks.
- 1HEI students in marine biology, biotechnology or computational research (FORTH)
- 2Hospitality, tourism and culinary-arts students
- 3Agricultural-science and viticulture students
- 4Erasmus+ participants drawn to distinctive island cultures and outdoor lifestyles
Frequently asked questions about internships in Crete
Other cities in Greece
Compare Crete with other Piktalent destinations in Greece.
Related cities by sector
Other Piktalent destinations with overlapping host-company sectors to Crete — useful when comparing cost, language and lead time across the same field.
Plan your internship program in Crete
Tell us your sector, dates and group size — we'll send a tailored proposal for Crete within 48 hours.