In many European countries there is a growing political interest in work placement as part of vocational education. This paper, built on two European Union projects carried out in four European countries: Cyprus, Ireland, Germany, and Sweden, discusses the integration of school based and work based learning, mainly within the fields of tourism and trade. A crucial question is the boundary crossing arrangements and the organisation of such integration, between two institutional settings with their different practices. The results of the project indicate that integrational contact between school and work place are infrequent, particularly discussions on learning. Rarely were educational activities involving workplace mentors carried out. The special role of the vocational teacher in such a learning system was not focused to any greater extent. The integrational contacts mainly focused on practical issues related to the placement. The concept of practice architecture is used here to discuss and compare national differences and institutional preconditions for integrational work.