Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary
Consequences of Mobility: 
the New EU Paradigm
Scientific article
UDC 378:316.444(4)
KEY WORDS: higher education institutions, mobili-
ty, new paradigm, EU, Slovenia
ABSTRACT - Higher education institutions are going 
through turbulent times. Never before have the expecta-
tions of their potential contributions been so high. Si-
multaneously, doubts concerning the quality and execu-
tion of higher education institutions have never been so 
critically evaluated or universal. The article evaluates 
both the determinants of studying abroad, as well as 
the consequences of returning from an Erasmus+ pro-
gramme. So far, 1.3 million people have received the 
Erasmus+ funding to improve their skills abroad, and 
3.3 million people have been going abroad with the help 
from Erasmus+ since 1987. The general method of the 
research is an overview of the previous empirical lite-
rature which features recent interviews with eight stu-
dents who have studied or worked abroad. The results 
demonstrated four elements, determining mobility. The 
interviewees demonstrated a strong relation towards the 
EU. Their opinion is that mobility demands support in 
English (foreign language) as well as the promotion of 
local languages and cultures, which implicates on the 
new paradigm in the EU. Students who went abroad will 
be more employable, and the EU employers are already 
“fighting” over such employees.
Znanstveni prispevek
UDK 378:316.444(4)
KLJUČNE BESEDE: visokošolske institucije, mobil-
nost, nova paradigma, EU, Slovenija
POVZETEK - Pričakovanja o tem, koliko visoko-
šolske institucije v teh turbulentnih časih prispeva-
jo k napredku v družbi, so visoka. Kakovost izvedbe 
njihovih storitev, ki so postale obsežne in univer-
zalne, je kritično ovrednotena. V članku predsta-
vljamo storitve visokošolske institucije - odhod in 
povratek študentov iz tujine. Do sedaj je 1,3 mi-
lijona ljudi prejelo sredstva Erasmus+ za študij 
v tujini. Od leta 1987 je 3,3 milijona ljudi odšlo 
na študijsko izmenjavo v okviru mobilnosti Eras-
mus. Za potrebe raziskave smo uporabili metodo 
intervjuja in meta analizo. Intervjuvali smo osem 
študentov, ki so študirali ali delali v tujini. V rezul-
tatih raziskave so predstavljeni štirje elementi, ki 
označujejo mobilnost. Sodelujoči izpostavijo moč-
no navezanost na Evropo. Menijo, da je pri mobil-
nosti potrebna podpora v angleškem jeziku (prvi 
tuji jezik), da pa je nujno tudi spodbujanje k učenju 
lokalnih jezikov in kultur, kar nakazuje na novo pa-
radigmo v EU. Študenti, ki so se izobraževali v tuji-
ni, bodo tako bolj zaposljivi in delodajalci v Evropi 
se že »pulijo« zanje. 
1 Introduction
Studying abroad allows participants a unique opportunity to gain additional skills. 
Such developments include both students and staff of higher education institutions. 
Participants who move abroad gain not only additional experience through extending 
their personal life, but also attain a higher standing for employability. Researchers for 
the European Commission (2014) state that a greater degree of employability increa-
ses the chances of receiving a job offer and is an advantage in job interviews (Europe-
an Commission, 2014). 
Studies of the literature (Mishchenko, et al., 2016; Wu and Mok, 2016) indicate 
that the international mobility of students and staff of higher education institutions give 
Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
19Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
them an opportunity to improve their professional and educational prospects. Additi-
onally, international mobility also creates an opportunity to develop global academic 
and professional identities (Choi and Tang, 2016). All forms of international academic 
mobility: Erasmus, Erasmus Mundus, Erasmus entrepreneurship, bilateral exchanges, 
summer and winter schools, joint programs, etc. aim to broaden and strengthen ca-
reers, personal and professional skills, as well as cultural and intercultural identities 
(Myers, Hill and Harwood, 2005; Spiering and Erickson, 2006; Di Pietro, 2015). 
The European Commission (2014) (EC) survey shows that of all mobile students, 
67% indicated that English was the language of instruction at their host institution. 
This figure was higher than the EC statistical average for English as the language of 
instruction abroad (50%). As for the students who were abroad during the survey and 
those intending to go abroad, 63% answered that English would be their language of 
instruction at their host institution. However, the percentage amongst alumni was sli-
ghtly lower (61%). Of the mobile students who declared English to be the language of 
instruction at the host institution, 7% indicated that was their mother tongue. 29% of 
mobility students claimed that English was one of the languages of the host country. 
For a further 19% it was also a part of their field of study. English is often the lingua 
franca of institutions receiving students on mobility programmes (European Com-
mission, 2014; Biloslavo and Panjek, 2011; Konda and Gričar, 2015). 
In support of the (aforementioned) literature and its overview, we would like to 
emphasise the relationship between language skills and career mobility. Due to the in-
creased internationalization, reduced job security and a shift in career ownership to the 
individual, language skills represent a vital career skill today. Using qualitative and 
quantitative data collected by a Finnish survey, we uncovered multiple career-related 
uses for language skills. Language skills permeated the basic components of career 
competence – “knowing how,” “knowing why,” and “knowing whom” – and enabled 
respondents to surpass boundaries. Respondents who possess the best language skills 
also demonstrated the highest levels of both psychological and physical career mobi-
lity, as reported by Itani, Järlström and Piekkari (2015).
It is not only outgoing students and staff that gain new competences from mobility 
programmes. The new paradigm of the European Union (EU) is internationalisation. 
Through surveys by Miklavčič (2011) and the debate by Beelen (Konda and Gričar, 
2015), we found that outgoing students and staff can make positive influences on 
the home staying students and staff. This latter point is resultant of the participants 
gaining new experiences through internationalisation. Internationalisation is the new 
preferred method for academic development in at least two ways. Firstly, by reducing 
mobility costs in the next Erasmus program e.g. after the year 2020. Secondly, the aim 
is to increase the number of staff mobility exchange in the programmes. As a part of 
this paradigm, the outgoing students and staff gain experience from abroad which they 
are able to convey to those individuals staying at home institutions (UNESCO, 1998). 
Storme et al. (2016) stipulates that internationalisation is crucial for the quality 
of research and its implications. Moreover, it is essential in the preparation of new 
generations of students. These new generations play a leading role in a society where 
20 Revija za ekonomske in poslovne vede (1, 2016)
labour markets and economies are regionalising. The latter is beyond national borders, 
internationalising and even globalising. Increasingly, all countries need new generati-
ons that are prepared to participate and share internationally, whilst still contributing 
to their own society (van Ginkel, 2011).
There are currently several previous studies on student mobility. To the best of our 
knowledge, none of these studies explains the consequences of the mobility directly 
from the students involved. The present study is the first to include students on mobi-
lity from several different EU and non-EU countries, e.g. United Kingdom, Germany, 
Slovenia, and Montenegro. Students were/are studying in the EU and non-EU countri-
es, such as: Macedonia, Switzerland, Montenegro, Poland, and Sweden. 
The paper is structured as follows. In the next section, we introduce the methodo-
logy used in the survey. Section three is the main section, it demonstrates the results 
of the study and its implications. We further discuss the implications the results have 
on society. In the fourth section we discuss the new EU paradigm. In the last section 
we form our conclusion.
2 Methodology
In the wake of economic crises (Krstić and Stanišić, 2015) and a challenging 
employment context throughout the world, Europe needs to create jobs and prosperity 
(European Commission, 2014). To achieve this, higher education linked to research 
and innovation can play a crucial role (Zagorc and Krečič, 2015) in personal deve-
lopment and economic growth. The latter is providing Europe with highly qualified 
people and competent citizens (Rodica and Gričar, 2016).
The qualitative analysis of the data generally focuses on the target groups, as set 
out in the specifications of the study. However, this analysis provides overall averages 
from across the Central, Northern and Southern Europe.
2.1 The aim and objectives of the research
According to data from Eurostat (2015), learning English as a second language 
is a priority in most EU nations. English is one of the primary working language of 
Erasmus+ between students and staff. The English language is as key component of 
the mobility system or Erasmus bubble. Currently the EU is comprised of 24 official 
languages (EUROSTAT, 2015). In 1958, legalisation specified: German, French, Itali-
an and Dutch as the official languages of the EU predecessor, the European Commu-
nities. There have always been fewer official languages than EU Member States; some 
of which share common languages. For example, in Belgium the official languages are 
Dutch, French and German. 
The aim of this paper is to present the new paradigm of the EU, such as internati-
onalisation at home and why English is spoken by 77% of EU citizens. Subsequently, 
we have included the experiences of students and staff who have worked abroad. As 
part of these experiences, we included the effects it had on their everyday life, job 
21Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
opportunities, language editing and internationalization. The paper is written as an in-
vited paper for possible publication in a Slovenian Journal. We decided that due to the 
aim of the paper, it should be written in English rather than Slovenian. The objectives 
of the paper are presented under the Results section.
2.2 Research question(s)
Following the objectives of the paper, we prepared a series of research questions 
specifically for open interviews. The questions are as follows: Q1) Please introduce 
yourself (name, surname, country of residence, country of mobility, school/faculty/
working place) and tell us more about your mobility period (time, country). Q2) Why 
did you decide to study abroad, or further emigrate more permanently? In addition, 
the second question prompted the subject to discuss when and why they decided to be 
mobile at that particular time of their life.
We created a third and fourth question to further explain the Europe‘s paradigm 
of international life and internationalization at home. Q3) What are the benefits and 
weaknesses of staying abroad (working or studying)? Q4) What advice concerning 
mobility and internationalisation can you offer to our readers of the paper titled Con-
sequences of Mobility; the New EU Paradigm?
2.3 Data sample
The table below distinguishes between cases based on types of mobility and cou-
ntry of origin. Due to cases being disclosed from several experiences of mobility, the 
number of individuals differ slightly from country of mobility. 
In the case of students and staff, eight respondents answered all four questions, 
therefore this is the number of students included in the analysis. Further selection was 
not necessary, as the analysis demonstrated represented the target group efficiently. 
Of these, one student was a short run mobile student, e.g. less than a month. In order 
to provide a comprehensive coverage, we looked at the student cases and identified 
four experiences from the Erasmus mobility programmes and four other experiences 
of mobility. One student, Student 8, had only been involved in a panel discussion and 
the correspondent dialogue is not analysed in detail. 
Table 1: Data sample
Sample Home institution
Resident of the 
country/ cycle of 
study
Host institution/
country
Type of mobility – 
target group
Student 1
University of 
Primorska, 
Faculty of 
Management, 
Koper, Slovenia
Slovenia / postdoc
University of 
Montenegro, 
Faculty of 
Economics, 
Podgorica, 
Montenegro
Erasmus Mundus
Student 2
University of 
Applied science 
Karlsruhe, 
Germany
Germany / first
Linnaeus 
University, Växjö, 
Sweden
Erasmus
22 Revija za ekonomske in poslovne vede (1, 2016)
Student 3 University York St John
United Kingdom / 
second
Stockholm 
University, 
Sweden
free mover
Student 4
University of 
Ljubljana, Faculty 
of Economics, 
Ljubljana, 
Slovenia
Slovenia / first
Ss. Cyril and 
Methodius 
University in 
Skopje, Faculty 
of Economics, 
Macedonia
Erasmus+
Student 5
University of 
Ljubljana, Faculty 
of Economics, 
Ljubljana, 
Slovenia
Montenegro / 
second free mover
Student 6
Novo Mesto 
School of 
Business and 
Management, 
Slovenia
Slovenia / first
Wroclaw 
University of 
Economics, 
Poland
Erasmus+
Student 7
Novo Mesto 
School of 
Business and 
Management, 
Slovenia
Slovenia / first no Job mobility – staff
Student 8
Faculty of 
Business and 
Management 
Sciences in Novo 
Mesto
Slovenia / third no Short time
Source: own source, 2015.
2.4 Data collection
Our team of researchers designed a complex and innovative methodology of va-
rious qualitative methods for different target groups. As outlined above, the data col-
lection for the qualitative study was conducted through a series of site visits to each of 
the selected interviewees supplemented by online, telephone, Skype and face-to-face 
interviews. Due to the courtesy of the seven students selected, the data was collected 
by means of asynchronous online interviews (via Skype) with students from various 
higher education institutions in each country; semi-structured interviews with a team 
of researchers (online, telephone – Skype, face-to-face); a focus group with mobile 
students per country; and one institutional panel discussion. 
In all cases the process was similar in order to guarantee the comparability of 
the results. However, depending on the specific characteristics of each case, the exa-
ct composition of the focus varied. In particular, the decision regarding interviews 
depended on the data for outgoing students and staff who participated in one of the 
mobility actions.
2.5 Methodology used
Our team of researchers interviewed students and staff via telephone or Skype, 
using four open questions for each target group. In order to contact the respondents, 
23Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
we used the database of those who had been in contact with Student 1 and had vo-
lunteered to participate in the qualitative study. This database allowed us to select 
individuals from the categories identified in the Table 1 proposal: student mobility for 
studies, student mobility for work placements (staff), free mover students, and post-
doc students. 
In the case of students and staff, a researcher was in charge of contacting respon-
dents and sending invitations to the online interviews. The main tool utilized was the 
dissemination of the questionnaires for the online interviews via telephone and Skype. 
All the conversations were recorded. The correspondents were informed beforehand 
regarding the recordings and also received the questions in advance through email. 
Several preliminary messages were sent to all correspondents between the periods of 
early October until November 2015. However, the main challenge we faced was the 
substantial difference in size of the databases from one country to another.
An initial invitation email was sent out in September 2015, it asked the potential 
candidates whether they would be willing to participate in the interview process. Fol-
lowing confirmation, the interviews were recorded and presented for a panel discussi-
on on 5/11/2015. The panel discussion, which included Student 7 and Student 8, was 
also recorded.
3 Results
Considering students’ communicational habits, Facebook played a crucial role by 
facilitating the need to contact them. Despite tight deadlines and time constraints, our 
team managed to overcome difficulties and the site visits were developed in line with 
the objectives of the study. 
There were several elements taken into consideration in order to facilitate the 
participants’ discussion: ensuring a comfortable atmosphere, encouragement from the 
research member and the use of the relevant mother tongue for the subject. The de-
bates that took place during these sessions provided beneficial practices and areas for 
improvement towards our understanding of the impact of all mobility programmes. 
Following a brief review of previous empirical results in the extended abstract, 
we are able to present and comment on our results. Due to a limited word-count for 
this Journal and how the survey was extended, we decided to present our results of the 
interviews in the table below. Table 2 briefly cites an overview and comments on the 
table content. Following this section, we have prepared sections for both discussion 
areas and a conclusion.
There were eight students that made up the research team: Student 1, Student 2, 
Student 3, Student 4, Student 5, Student 6 and Student 7. Student 8 was solely involved 
in a panel discussion. Their names are not labelled due to candidates’ discretion. The 
conversation with the respondents opened with the following thought: „Dear (name). 
Thank you participating in the interview. My name is X, and I am a representative 
24 Revija za ekonomske in poslovne vede (1, 2016)
of the research group on mobility time for students and staff. We wish to present the 
importance of the mobility and competences that can be achieved due to a mobility 
period abroad. We would be grateful if you could share with us your experiences of 
studying abroad. Here are our questions for your consideration. The participant’s qu-
estions were presented in section 2.2. Clarification of the table and the most important 
consequences, which enrich the new EU paradigm, are expressed below.
There are several personal benefits that should be taken from mobility experien-
ces on each study cycle. Student 1 expressed their opinion of the Erasmus mobility 
experience as one where you can enhance your student life abroad, one never to be 
forgotten. “Just do it, you will never regret” was a comprehensive sentence from Stu-
dent 2. Student 2 additionally said that for one semester you need five thousand Euros, 
but that it is worth the money. 
Student 3 said, “I lived in Stockholm, Sweden, between September 2013 and Ja-
nuary 2014 and studied as part of an Erasmus program at Stockholm University. Initi-
ally I decided to study abroad due to a love interest, but also because I thought it was a 
good way to expand and benefit my education experience. As a result of my Erasmus 
experience I decided to stay in Sweden permanently. I opted to pursue further educa-
tion here in Stockholm as part of their Masters (MA) programme. On mobility you 
work amongst different nationalities and cultures and different ideas.
Student 4 commented that, 
“The consequence of the mobility time is my decision to go further studying. I 
enrolled to the second cycle of the study. For the study I need extra motivation, and 
some of motivation I found in the mobility and bilateral exchange time”
The benefit of staying abroad expands your social life. My studies there proved 
to go quite well, for example, my professors understood English well. The negative 
experiences I encountered during my mobility were aspects, such as: the restrictive 
visa policy for Macedonia. It took me four weeks to finally resolve the matter of my 
visa. This length of time was excessive considering I was only scheduled for a five 
month mobility period. In conclusion, Student 4 wrote the following opinion, 
“On mobility you should step out of your comfort zone to demonstrate your po-
tential and discover some new talents in yourself. I recognise my talent in business 
and economics. Further, in the future I would like to study in Scandinavia. Do not be 
afraid, one should go on as many exchanges as they can.”
Student 5 decided to study abroad because it was financially more beneficial than 
in staying in Montenegro. Advice to other students and staff was, 
„Go to your computer pick up the city you would like to visit and just go there. Do 
so immediately, do not wait, and just move.”
The following is an account taken from Student 6 in February 2016 during their 
mobility period, 
„My mobility time will soon come to the end. What should I do? I am already very 
sad for this. I have done almost all the exams.“
25Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
Table 2: The correspondents’ answers on semi-opened interview, a brief overview; 
anonymous interviewee 
St. Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4
12
- Slovenia is my country 
of residence
- Montenegro is my 
country of mobility 
(otherwise several other 
countries were in my 
mobility period)
- Mobility period(s): 
1993/1994, 2012/2013, 
2013/2014
- Additional knowledge in 
Econometrics
- New experiences
- New cultures
- New languages
- Something new and 
unknown
- Time management
- I learned to be mobile 
from my parents
- Explicit no 
weaknesses
- Only benefits:
- Socialisation
- Languages
- Experiences
- Time management
- etc.
- You should 
be part of 
international life
22
- Germany is my 
country of residence
- Sweden is my country 
of mobility
- Mobility period(s): 
2012/2013, 2013/2014
- New friends
- The industry looks 
for students with more 
experience and good 
knowledge of English
- It was a really great time
- Something new and 
unknown
- Traveling
- The weakness are 
(maybe) costs/money 
you need
- No other 
weaknesses
- Only benefits: 
- Languages
- Knowledge
- etc.
- Go f… out
- I did not met 
anyone who 
regret studying 
abroad
- You will never 
regret going to 
study abroad, 
just do it
32
- United Kingdom is my 
country of residence
- Sweden is my country 
of mobility
- Mobility period(s): 
since 2013
- New environment
- New position
- Escape from the current 
environment
- Love
- No weaknesses
- It was my decision 
to emigrate
- Only benefits: new 
language, love, new 
environment, etc.
- Do always 
what you like
- absolutely 
Erasmus 
program just 
emergency to do
42
- Slovenia is my country 
of residence
- Republic of Macedonia 
is my country of 
mobility
- Mobility period(s): 
2012/2013, 2013/2014
- New cultures
- Diversities of Western 
Balkans
- Explore Western 
Balkans region
- Additional knowledge in 
Economics
- New languages, 
Macedonian language
- Something new and 
unknown
- Traveling
- I decide to be mobile in 
the high school
- Business opportunities 
- Weakness: local 
culture / people are 
sometimes against 
newcomers and 
restrictive visa 
policy, apartment 
procedure. No other 
weaknesses, only 
benefits:
- Meet local people 
- Recognise local 
administration and 
authorities
- New languages
- You should 
take part of 
Erasmus + 
programme as 
many possible
52
- Montenegro is my 
country of residence
- Slovenia is my country 
of mobility
- Mobility period(s): 
2012 and further 
- New languages
- Something new and 
unknown
- Traveling
- I was born to be mobile
- Since I was child I was 
travelling around
- New cultures
- New knowledge
- Only benefits:
- First of all you 
meet a lots of 
new people with 
incredible different 
ways of thinking 
then your own
- 
- Move!
- Just do it!
- Travel!
- Bye 
immediately. 
26 Revija za ekonomske in poslovne vede (1, 2016)
62
- Slovenia is my country 
of residence
- Poland is my country 
of mobility
- Mobility period(s): 
2015/2016
- New languages
- Something new and 
unknown
- Traveling
- I decide to be mobile in 
the high school
- New language as 
benefit
- Employability as 
benefit
- New country
- Do not stay 
at home during 
your study time
72
- Slovenia is my country 
of residence
- Sweden is my country 
of mobility
- Mobility period(s): 
since 2014
- New knowledge
- Better life
- Something new and 
unknown
- I decide to be mobile in 
the high school
- Income
- Language(s)
- Experiences
- Go abroad, it 
gives you new 
broader thinking
Note: St. – student, 2 – Home and host institutions are reported in Table 1.
Source: own source, 2015.
One of the benefits clearly divulged by Student 6 was, 
“One domestic entrepreneur, e.g. a Slovenian company who also have a de-
partment in Poland, asked me to work for them. Whilst being Slovenian, I know the 
Polish language as a result of my mobility period in this country. Now the only questi-
on for me is ‚what to do‘”.
The following paragraph is an account compiled courtesy of Student 7: I spent 
almost a year working in the Romanian capital of Bucharest. Subsequently I moved 
to Sweden this summer (2015). I did not party every weekend, but I still spent the 
best time ever there. I would like to point out that when I came home from mobility, 
everything was the same but I felt full of new experiences that not everyone has been 
fortunate enough to experience.
4 Discussion
All the participants in the survey held certain sentiments in common: Dear instituti-
ons, thank you for permitting me to go on the mobility programme at my host university/
institution for the agreed time period. It was a great experience and a chance to gain 
knowledge towards my personal development. I have done unforgettable (study/rese-
arch/work) and hopefully it should/will be recognised worldwide in the next few years.
In summary, the existing literature and studies argued that a wide range of compe-
tencies and skills are increasingly valued by employers in Europe, such as: disciplinary 
knowledge, foreign languages, adaptability, flexibility, resilience, greater intercultural 
awareness, the ability to assess one‘s own strengths and weaknesses, to make decisi-
ons and to solve problems. As graduates find themselves in an increasingly difficult 
situation on the labour market (Schomburg and Teichler, 2006; Cardenal de la Nuez, 
2006), these skills are in much greater demand. So far, studies on these skills have 
shown that they may be relevant to the labour market. Students collected evidence 
from self-assessments on whether such skills are acquired through study abroad perio-
ds. It was also argued that mobility programmes that target education and training may 
27Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
fulfil this demand by enhancing the employability of graduates due to the acquisition 
of the aforementioned skills (European Commission, 2014; Wu and Mok, 2016).
Our correspondents confirm the benefits of skills achieved abroad for their further 
life. Graduates need these kind of competencies to be more employable on the market. 
From studying Table 2, common determinants can be achieved from students that have 
been studying abroad and from students working abroad: new cultures, new languages, 
professional skills, getting used to administration and government politics, etc. After 
the mobility, people sense that they have changed drastically, have developed a range 
of new skills and had the time of their life. Some extra determinants can be achieved 
by the students working abroad, such as developing their own domestic independence. 
Additionally, other determinants can be achieved by the students studying abroad, such 
as: new contacts, dealing with other currencies and budgeting the costs of living, etc. 
The new paradigm in the EU is that students who have mobility experience will be 
more employable and that employers in Europe will be more interested in their com-
petencies. Alternatively, students who stayed at their home institution will gain lower 
skills, and as a consequence, be forced to request for jobs they are not competent for. 
Moreover, the differences in languages and cultures generate the positive ability to 
empathise with colleagues and co-habitants.
The data sample for the survey was collected between May and October 2015. All 
the respondents were extremely helpful by offering answers to the questions. The rese-
arch group would like to say thank you to all the participants in the survey, and just do it.
5 Conclusion
There have been several studies performed on the Erasmus mobility. The latter 
have been compiled by the European commission or authors whose papers are publi-
shed in scientific journals. We did not find any papers structured in a scientific way, 
where the comrades doing mobility together would be involved. The EU paradigm 
of Erasmus bubble (Konda and Gričar, 2015) is now becoming obsolete, a new EU 
paradigm is forming. We have demonstrated the opinion of seven individuals who 
all agree that all individuals should spend some academic time abroad. This is not a 
question, this is a must.
Through the course of the paper, both Erasmus and other mobility programmes 
(e.g. bilateral exchange and free mover) were introduced. Through the semi-open in-
terviews, all correspondents divulged several similar factors which, in our opinion, 
generate a new EU paradigm. 
For the purpose of extended research we would like to propose that more stu-
dents are included in the survey. Alternatively, the survey could be conducted from the 
Eastern to the Western part of Europe. We are grateful to the Centre of the Republic 
of Slovenia for Mobility and European Educational and Training Programmes (CME-
PIUS) for the grants that we received during the mobility periods. 
28 Revija za ekonomske in poslovne vede (1, 2016)
Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary
Posledice mobilnosti: nova paradigma v Evropski Uniji
Znotraj Evropske Unije (EU) ter tudi širše je izjemno pomembna mobilnost štu-
dentov in visokošolskega osebja (ŠiVO). ŠiVO lahko izbira med številnimi vrstami mo-
bilnosti, kot so Erasmus plus, Erasmus Mundus, Norway Grant, bilateralni sporazumi 
ter mnoge druge vrste mobilnosti. Številni avtorji navajajo, kar v članku podrobno 
povzemamo in prikažemo, da mobilnost ŠiVO prinese družbi številne prednosti. Še več 
prednosti pa mobilnost prinese osebam, ki se mobilnosti tudi udeležijo. Mnogo razi-
skav že kaže trende, da so ljudje, ki so bili na izmenjavi v tujini in so s tem pridobili 
številne kompetence, ki jih delodajalci tudi iščejo, zaželena delovna sila. Še več, danes 
si delodajalci v Evropi, še predvsem v državah z nizko brezposelnostjo, kot so Nemčija, 
Švica, Švedska in druge, močno prizadevajo pridobiti take delavce. To postaja nova 
paradigma Evropske unije (EU), kar sta zapisala tudi avtorja Li in Lowe (2016). Tudi 
Di Pietro (2015) ugotavlja, da so diplomanti, ki so bili na mobilnosti, hitreje zaposljivi 
kot tisti, ki ostanejo doma, in sicer se zaposlijo najkasneje tri leta po diplomiranju.
Mnogi avtorji danes tudi poudarjajo, da ni prednost samo v mobilnosti ŠiVO, tem-
več tudi v internacionalizaciji doma. V članku ugotavljamo, da je posledica mobilnosti 
visokošolskega osebja prav njihov vpliv na študente, ki ostajajo doma. Na ta način 
visokošolsko osebje, ki mora postati še bolj mobilno, prenaša znanje in kompetence 
na »nemobilne« študente, kar smo zapisali v prvem poglavju članka. Avtorji (Flander, 
2011; Konda in Gričar, 2015) tudi navajajo, da je treba pripraviti nesporen sistem 
kakovosti za integracijo domače internacionalizacije v visokošolske dokumente, kot 
na primer v učni načrt ali strategijo razvoja visokošolske institucije.
V članku prikazujemo rezultate raziskave, pripravljene na podlagi sodelovanja 
študentov, ki so bili na izmenjavi, in njihovih tamkajšnjih izkušenj. Po pregledu pred-
hodnih empiričnih raziskav na temo mobilnosti ugotavljamo, da je naš članek prvi, 
ki obravnava to temo iz študentskega zornega kota. Pričujoča raziskava vključuje 
študente iz različnih držav EU in nekaterih izven EU. V raziskavo so vključeni študenti 
iz naslednjih držav: Združeno kraljestvo, Nemčija, Slovenija in Črna gora. Študenti 
iz omenjenih držav so študirali/študirajo v naslednjih državah EU in tudi v državah 
izven EU: Makedonija, Švica, Črna gora, Poljska in Švedska. Za namen in cilje raz-
iskave je bila izjemno pomembna pravilna razporeditev držav na področju centralne 
Evrope v smeri sever-jug. Raziskavo smo začeli junija 2012 in zaključili oktobra 2015. 
Večina visokošolskih institucij je bila izbrana s strani študenta 1 zaradi zagotovitve 
neizbežnosti in transparentnosti izbire ter izvedbe intervjuja. Potem, ko so študenti 
sprejeli pravila o izvedbi raziskave, smo jih še prosili, da za potrebe kvalitativne razi-
skave naši raziskovalni skupini predajo svoje osebne in kontaktne podatke.
Namen in glavni cilj raziskave je prikazati novo paradigmo EU. Poleg višje zapo-
sljivosti diplomantov, ki so bili na izmenjavi, od ostalih je to tudi domača internaci-
onalizacija in dejstvo, da angleški jezik govori kar 77 % prebivalcev EU. Podrejeno 
29Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
glavnemu cilju smo dodali še druge cilje raziskave in pridobljene izkušnje v raziskavo 
vključenih študentov. Vključili smo izkušnje študentov, kot so vsakodnevno življenje 
na izmenjavi, možnosti konkuriranja za novo delovno mesto, izkušnje pri učenju tujih 
jezikov in internacionalizacija. Za raziskavo smo oblikovali tudi raziskovalna vpra-
šanja. Za njihovo izvedbo in potrditev smo uporabili metodo odprtega intervjuja in 
meta analizo. 
Raziskovalna skupina je bila odgovorna za izbor institucije, na kateri študent go-
stuje. Pri raziskavi smo uporabili relevantne podatke, ki smo jih zbirali od leta 2012. 
Transparentno so prikazani v tabeli 1. Vabilo k sodelovanju je bilo študentom poslano 
konec oktobra 2015. Izvedba intervjuja pa se je zamaknila v zimski čas leta 2015. 
Razlog za to je bil, da smo želeli pridobiti čim bolj relevantne podatke o zaposljivosti 
diplomantov.
Glede na namen raziskave se je odprti intervju izvajal preko Skypa ali osebno. 
Skupina raziskovalcev je sestavila raziskovalna vprašanja in se z udeleženci raziska-
ve tudi pogovorila. S študentoma 7 in 8 je bila izvedena tudi okrogla miza, na kateri 
sta bila osebno prisotna. Vsi ostali študenti so odgovarjali na daljavo, njihove izjave 
pa so bile posnete in arhivirane. Informacija o snemanju je bila vsem udeležencem 
predstavljena pred izvedbo intervjuja. Snemanje in arhiviranje intervjuja je izvajal 
študent 1. 
Vzorec raziskave je prikazan v tabeli 1. Glede na izkušnje študentov je družbeno 
omrežje Facebook igralo ključno vlogo v komunikaciji med ŠiVO in raziskovalci. Po-
membni elementi intervjuja za pridobitev kredibilnih rezultatov so bili prav uporaba 
maternega jezika, ugodna atmosfera ob izvedbi in primeren zapis izjav (snemanje). 
V tabeli 2 na enostaven način prikažemo tip mobilnosti, državo mobilnosti in državo, 
iz katere ŠiVO prihaja. Vseh osem intervjuvancev, ki so bili vključeni v raziskavo, je 
odgovorilo na vsa štiri zastavljena vprašanja. Posebna kasnejša razčlenitev rezulta-
tov raziskave ni bila potrebna, saj je ciljna skupina dala primerne odgovore za vero-
dostojno raziskavo na temo mobilnosti in domače internacionalizacije.
V raziskavi je sodelovalo osem študentov: študent 1, študent 2, študent 3, študent 
4, študent 5, študent 6, študent 7, študent 8. Vsi so sodelovali tudi na okrogli mizi, ki je 
bila izvedena na Visoki šoli za upravljanje in poslovanje Novo mesto novembra 2015. 
Imena vključenih študentov zaradi anonimnosti raziskave niso objavljena. Obdelani 
in prikazani rezultati raziskave ponazarjajo posledice nove paradigme EU. Povze-
tek rezultatov je prikazan spodaj, v tem razširjenem povzetku v slovenskem jeziku. 
Raziskava se je izvajala v angleškem jeziku, v katerem sta raziskava in analiza tudi 
zapisani, in sicer iz več razlogov: i) kot praktičen prikaz paradigme EU tudi v samem 
razširjanju (raziskave); ii) prikaz delovnega jezika, ki se običajno uporablja pri mo-
bilnosti, tj. angleščina; iii) avtorja menita, da je članek, (na)pisan v angleškem jeziku, 
namenjen najširšemu krogu ljudi (glede na rezultate raziskav je to 77 % ljudi EU; in 
iv) intervjuji so se izvajali v različnih državah EU.
V raziskavi prikažemo rezultate intervjuvanih študentov. Vsi študenti ocenjujejo 
mobilnost kot nekaj izjemno pozitivnega in jo priporočajo vsem. Podrobno lahko naš-
tejemo številne druge elemente, ki jih študenti izpostavijo kot rezultat svojih izkušenj. 
30 Revija za ekonomske in poslovne vede (1, 2016)
Seveda so to pozitivne in tudi negativne stvari. Intervjuvanci so izjavili: i) za izvedbo 
svoje mobilnosti izberemo želeno mesto, in se odločimo za študij v tisti državi; ii) 
z mobilnostjo so pridobljene možnosti za zaposlitev, še več: podjetja sama poiščejo 
študente/diplomante, ki ustrezajo njihovim zahtevam, in to so kompetence, ki se prido-
bijo izključno na izmenjavi; iii) pridobivanje kompetenc in samozavesti pri znanju in 
uporabi tujih jezikov v vsakdanjem življenju; iv) na mobilnosti se porabi na semester 
približno pet tisoč evrov, a vredno je tega, pove študent 2; v) restriktivna vizumska po-
litika je negativni element, ki ga izpostavi študent 6 (potreboval je kar tri tedne, da si 
je uredil ustrezne vizumske dokumente); vi) študent 3 izpostavi, da je bil na izmenjavi 
v letih 2013/2014, rezultat tega pa je preselitev na Švedsko, najprej zaradi ljubljene 
osebe, kasneje zaradi nadaljevanja študija in zaposlitve; vii) študent 7 je prepričan, 
da je mobilnost nekaj nujnega, saj ko se vrneš domov, sprememb ni, sam pa si si dodal 
v svojo zalogo znanja mnogo novega, kar te krepi in vzpodbudi h kreativnim mislim za 
prihodnji razvoj in uspešnejše življenje; viii) študent 5 se sprašuje, kaj narediti, saj se 
čas mobilnosti hitro izteka.
Za zaključek prikažimo še analizi o mobilnosti študentov, ki sta bili vključeni v raz-
iskavo avtorjev Shaftel, Shaftel, and Ahluwalia (2007) in skupne raziskave Evropske 
komisije (2014). Raziskavi prikažeta, da so mednarodne izkušnje bogata popotnica za 
osebno spremembo, predvsem za spremembo na bolje, npr.: pridobivanje profesional-
nih izkušenj o čezatlantskih kompetencah študentov prvostopenjskega študija iz Zdru-
ženih držav Amerike. Raziskavi prikažeta pridobljene sposobnosti, kot so: odprtost 
razmišljanja, fleksibilnost, sprejemanje medkulturne raznolikosti in aklimatizacija na/
za drugačnost. 
Prav tako raziskavi povzameta primere spodbujanja in zanimanja za študij tujega 
jezika in drugih ter drugačnih kultur, kar je posledica mednarodne mobilnosti. Vpliv 
pa je odvisen od dolžine trajanja programa. Nedavna študija držav EU (Killick, 2011) 
dodaja tudi, da s pridobivanjem mednarodnih kompetenc in izkušenj, pridobljenih na 
mednarodni mobilnosti, državljan EU postaja »globalni državljan«. 
Tako je nova paradigma EU poleg globalnega državljana, ki ima izkušnje z med-
narodne mobilnosti, tudi lažja zaposljivost in delodajalci iščejo take ljudi zaradi pri-
dobljenih kompetenc. Za alternativo pa se »nemobilnim« študentom, ki ostajajo, kot je 
omenil eden izmed intervjuvancev, v domačem hotelu (»mama hotelu«), ponuja nova 
možnost, tako imenovana domača internacionalizacija. Kljub temu pa velja, da taki 
študenti nikoli ne razvijejo vseh svojih potencialov, kar potrjujejo tudi rezultati naše 
raziskave v izjavi študenta 6. Še več: študenti, ki ostajajo doma, niso deležni nove 
paradigme EU, tj. višje stopnje zaposljivosti, znanja tujih jezikov in spoznavanja tujih 
kultur ter sposobnosti večjega vsesplošnega razumevanja.
31Sergej Gričar, PhD, George Neary: Consequences of Mobility: the New EU Paradigm
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Sergej Gričar, PhD, lecturer at School of Business and Management Novo mesto.
E-mail: sergej.gricar@guest.arnes.si
George Neary, Teacher in English Literature at St York University York, United Kingdom
E-mail: leeneary8@gmail.com