Intern Health and Safety
The safety and wellbeing of our interns has and always will be our number one priority. We are trusted by interns to ensure they are well prepared for their trip, and that we have processes and procedures in place to ensure our interns stay safe and any risks are minimized.
Like our sister organization, International Volunteer HQ, we’ve always followed best practice and industry-leading procedures. We are proud to say that we have an unmatched record when it comes to keeping interns safe.
"Living with a family that was not my own was a scary thought, but I couldn’t have asked for a better experience. I felt safe and comfortable in their home, and they were very supportive and accommodating to my needs. The staff always welcome you with a warm smile, the activities every week helped me bond and create some great friendships with awesome people, and the support that the local team offers to help us succeed and make the most of our time here is limitless"
Managing health and safety across our programs:
We have a comprehensive approach to managing health and safety procedures and reducing risks across all of our programs. This gives interns the knowledge and confidence they need to stay safe, secure and healthy.
- As part of our B Corporation certification process, we regularly review and optimize our health and safety policies to ensure that our impact on interns, in-country teams and local communities remains a positive one.
- When programs are set up, we train the local team on best practice intern management, including industry-leading health and safety procedures.
- All Intern Abroad HQ programs are required to adhere to our Risk Management Policy. We regularly visit our programs to meet with local teams and interns to ensure that this is being adhered to.
- We actively seek feedback from interns and continually revise our health and safety procedures to ensure they are effective and meet expectations.
- The Intern Abroad HQ team provides wrap-around support from start to finish and our local teams are available in-country 24/7 for interns to voice any concerns and support any incidents that arise.
- We require interns to have travel insurance when they travel abroad with us. We can help you choose a provider that covers everything you need.
Protecting interns with the right travel insurance
All interns participating on Intern Abroad HQ overseas internship programs are required to purchase comprehensive travel insurance cover.
Interning can include a range of activities that standard travel insurance or medical insurance policies might not cover. That’s why Intern Abroad HQ offers its own travel insurance cover for our interns that has been customized specifically for the types of claims you may need to make while traveling abroad with us.
Learn more about travel insuranceHow we keep you safe during your program
- All interns are met by a member of our local team when arriving at their program destination and receive an airport transfer to ensure they arrive safely at their intern accommodation.
- Interns complete a Program Orientation, which includes a detailed briefing about risks that are specific to your location and helps you get to grips with the local culture and program objectives.
- Local teams are on hand 24-hours a day to provide direct support and interns are given contact details for these staff members so they can be reached quickly.
- Intern Abroad HQ staff also regularly check-in with interns at the accommodation to ensure everything is going well.
- All Intern Abroad HQ programs are required to adhere to our Risk Management Policy that has been specially designed to acknowledge that no two intern programs have the same risk profile.
- Risk mitigation plans for each program are monitored and updated through a formal review every year and compliance checks are completed in-person by visiting.
- All host families and all staff directly or indirectly employed by Intern Abroad HQ undergo thorough background checks before we begin working with them.
The clinic I worked at was only a 15-minute walk from my home stay and was very convenient and safe. The program descriptions matched with what I did at the clinic, so there were not any surprises. My program coordinator with Intern Abroad HQ was always so quick to respond if I had any questions, however the internship manual has a lot of the information you need prior to departure. Best decision I made.
Emergency response:
- Every intern is provided with detailed briefings about what to do in the unlikely event of an emergency, and local teams have evacuation plans in place as well as support networks of skilled professionals that they can call upon should a need arise.
- Interns are given emergency contact phone numbers and they are supported to purchase local mobile phone connections so they can get help quickly.
- Emergency response procedures in each destination are reviewed, audited and refined on a regular basis and we’re constantly making improvements.
