IAESTE measures in response to the COVID-19 outbreak

The IAESTE A.s.b.l. is closely monitoring information regarding the Coronavirus (COVID-19) outbreak through the committees located in each of the 90 IAESTE countries. We work on the “trust chain” basis: each IAESTE country committee is working closely with the local authorities, following the institutional guidelines, being in permanent contact with employers and students, and taking care in the best possible way of students who are currently doing their internships. All IAESTE trainees are doing well.

We are aware that travel to and from affected regions may have to be postponed or cancelled, and participants may wish to return early.  It is for participating organisations and individuals to decide on the course of action to take, in light of the national travel advice and repatriation schemes, for example, cancelling or postponing all non-essential travel to affected areas. 

The COVID-19 outbreak impacts also the season of the application process for internships. Many universities have frozen international exchange programmes or are closed. 

Each IAESTE country committee handles the application process in the best way according to the local situation. As most IAESTE internships happen between June-August, we will keep the preparations process running, but we will take appropriate measures: 

• We provide the necessary support and instructions to each student travelling with IAESTE right now.
• We negotiate with employers, shifting the internship period/length, so it can be flexible according to the situation.
• We ease the nomination process, by accepting applications without some documents that are not possible to obtain now, due to closed universities (certificates of enrollment, transcript of records etc.).
• We stay in very close contact between each IAESTE committee so that first-hand information and recent authority guidelines are followed by each IAESTE country.