« Revenir et repartir ! Trajectoires de mobilités étudiantes et diplômées du sud et du nord de l'Europe »

This article looks at the world of professional and qualified migrantsin Europe, and at a statistical minority of graduates of highereducation establishments : ex-Erasmus university graduates. Itfocuses in particular on those who choose the expatriate route as ameans of entry into professional life. Even though they remain aminority in Europe, these flows of young « middleclass » Europeans from the south of the continent and/orfrom mass-education programmes are none the less socially significant.They show that international geographical mobility is increasinglycommon today as a means of moving up the social ladder. But the ins andouts of these expatriate movements are not the same for all thedifferent journeys these involve : they vary with differentpositions on the geographical and social scale.