Health & Safety

Your students’ health and safety is our top priority. From the start of the program to the end, our staff will always be there to support them.

What do we do?

Communication

Communication is key. ESA will contact all the involved parties to update them immediately about any issue or event related to health and safety. In the event of an emergency that affects one or more participants on the program, a detailed report will be opened and shared with the sending institution.

All of our pre-departure and on-site orientations include detailed information and exclusive sections about health and safety adapted to the local circumstances. Some of the topics covered include hospitals, pickpockets, assaults, and national emergencies.

For those programs with an on-site coordinator, students are requested to inform ESA staff of their independent trips during the program. In the event of an emergency taking place in a location where a student is, ESA will immediately activate our safety protocols to contact and guide the student in order to support them as best as possible.

Support

Every program organized by ESA has a 24/7 emergency phone number to directly contact our coordinators, that will be shared with universities, students, and faculty leaders.

Upon the arrival of the group, ESA will provide all the contact information needed in case of an emergency: local authorities, hospitals, health system and, of course, our own contacts. ESA staff is trained to professionally handle any emergency situation, both on the phone and on-site.

Emergencies

ESA works with local hospitals with international staff with health specialists, including mental health. In the event of an incident that needs immediate support, those programs that have an on-site coordinator will have a member of our staff to accompany emergency situations in person. ESA relies on its detailed crisis management plan that specify the different protocols to follow in case of an emergency.  

Insurance

Every participant of an ESA program must enroll in the travel insurance provided by their home university. We ask our participants to read their policies in advance. ESA staff will be able to support students in the event of needing to contact their insurance during the length of the program.

Additionally, for more information regarding cancellation insurance, please check our insurance section on our website.

COVID

In the light of the current COVID-19 crisis, ESA is closely monitoring the situation, and has taken different measures in order to support your program participants’ health and safety.

Social distancing

One of our measures has been adapting our on-site program to social distancing measures, always applying the local legislation.

Why is social distancing important?

As you know, we are going through a global health crisis due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In order to protect all of us, establishing social distancing measures is the safest way to avoid transmitting this contagious disease as we go about our lives.

How social distance can affect your program?

There are a number of measures that may need to be implemented in order to keep social distance depending on the current situation at the time of the trip and the local legislation in the host country. Those may include wearing mandatory facemasks, applying extreme personal hygiene measures, and keeping physical distance between people. This may impact the capacity of venues and activities, such as transportation, company visits, and accommodation. Those changes can affect both the logistics and the cost of the program, although at ESA we will do our best to minimize the impact on your program’s budget.

Some of the measures that may be needed

• Run the program in one single location.
  
• Accommodation in single or twin rooms.
  
• Orientations reinforced with a pre-departure and on-site information session related to the required measures.
  
• Classroom in a larger space or smaller class groups.
  
• Limiting firm visit group sizes and/or hosting virtual firm visits.
  
• Using multiple coaches and/or reducing group transfers.
  
• Restaurant capacity may be limited and different turns may be requested.
  
• Splitting the group into smaller groups no bigger than 20.
  
• Bringing a second university leader or adding one ESA on-site coordinator.
  
• Participants and faculty health considerations: ESA strongly recommends faculty and participants with high risk health factors to reconsider travelling abroad. You may want to offer such participants the possibility to participate virtually.

Please, don’t hesitate to contact us at info@servicesabroad.com with any questions or concerns.

Virtual programs

In the event that travel is not an option, virtual programs are a safe alternative for  students to experience cultural immersion. ESA has created a variety of customized virtual programs in six different European locations. Read all the information here, and request your quote!

Insurance

We know study abroad is a huge investment for everyone involved, and we want to do our best to help you protect it.

We are able to offer programs a trip cancellation insurance that includes a cancel for any reason benefit. Some highlights are:

• Affordable premiums.
  
• Can be managed as a group (minimum of 10 participants).
  
• Cancel for Any Reason (CFAR) benefit reimburses up to 75% of non-refundable trip costs with cancellation up to 48 hours in advance with a maximum of $10,000
  
• Trip cancelation due quarantine benefits
  
• Regular cancellation reimbursement: 100% up to 72 hours after the event.
  
• Trip interruption reimbursement: 150% up to 72 hours after the event.
  
• Accident and sickness medical expenses: up to $25,000
  
• Other coverages: travel delay, missed connection, baggage loss or delay.

We will include the insurance option in our proposal. Please reach out to us if you have any questions about how we can help you insure your program.  

Here are some of your questions answered

Why should we consider a CFAR insurance?

During this uncertain times, this kind of insurance is strongly recommended for your peace of mind. A CFAR insurance would allow you to have most of your cost trip reimbursed up to 48 hours before the departure, even in the event of travel warning restrictions.

Would this insurance cover a COVID-19 caused cancellation of my program?

Yes, this CFAR insurance does cover up to 75% of the expenses in the event the cancellation of your trip due to a pandemic, up to 48 hours in advance.

Will a participant’s voluntarily withdrawn be covered?

Yes, subject to the CFAR policy (see above).

What if my program is interrupted?

If your program is interrupted due to external causes, you can be reimbursed up to 150% of the cost, by reporting up to 72 hours after the event.

Privacy policy

At Educational Services Abroad (collectively, “ESA”/”we”/”us”/”our”) we are protective and transparent of our participant’s and website visitors' privacy. All the collected data is adequate, relevant, and limited to the specific uses hereby detailed in this document. 

Collection and Use of Information

Collected personal information described in this policy applies to all our programs’ participants (faculty members and students). 

How do we collect information?

• Information will be collected directly from the participant or from the home institution. 
• Information will be shared with ESA via email.
  • Typically gathered information, but not limited to, is:
  • Contact information: Name, email address, phone number, and email address
  • Personal information: gender, date of birth, passport information
  • Emergency contacts
  • Accessibility and dietary needs

What do we do with your information?

• We gather participants’ information to communicate and arrange program logistics.
• We store participant information that allows us to perform our obligations under our agreement with our programs’ participants and home institutions.
• We communicate with the sponsoring educational institution, and with each participant himself/herself/themselves, for all matters concerning the student about the use of their collected data. 
• We do not use this provided information to perform any statistical or marketing analysis, and this data will never be sold, rented, or yielded to any other company or institution. 
• Sensitive information is always deleted from our database after 5 years from the end of the program, and it is always encrypted when stored and sent to providers.
• No personal data will ever be made public, available, or distributed by ESA.

Will ESA disclose any information?

ESA will only disclose information in the following cases:

• Third party service providers that require it for the operation of the program such as coach companies, airlines, or hotels, among others. ESA cannot be responsible for third parties use of that information.
• The program’s home institution, when necessary for academic, legal, safety, or Title IX reasons.

What are my rights?

• Program participants have the right to request access to the personal information we collect and store about them, and to request correction or erasure of that information. 
• Please be also aware that our website contains access to social media and social networks external to our domain. Once a user enters our social media pages, such as Facebook or Instagram, s/he is leaving ESA’s system and any submitted or gathered information is under their platform’s privacy policies, and not ESA’s.

Digital privacy policy

www.servicesabroad.com.com, to protect individual rights, especially in relation to automated treatments and with a desire to be transparent with the User, has established a policy that includes all of these treatments, the purposes pursued by the latter, the legitimacy of them and also the instruments available to the User so that he can exercise his rights. The RESPONSIBLE of the data processing through this website is: Educational Services Abroad.

The navigation on this website implies the total acceptance of the following provisions and conditions of use. The use of cookies will be accepted. If you do not agree, you can send an email to info@servicesabroad.com

The updated version of this privacy policy is the only one applicable for the duration of the use of the website until there is another version that replaces it.

Data Collect

Your data is collected by the RESPONSIBLE.

By personal data we refer to all information related to an identified or identifiable natural person (person affected). It is understood as identifiable a person that can be identified, directly or indirectly, especially by reference to a name, an identification number (ID, passport) or one or more specific elements, specific to their physical, physiological identity, genetic, psychic, economic, cultural, or social.

The data that, in general, could be collected are: Name and surname, address, email, phone number, date of birth, or data related to means of payment. Other data may be collected by being informed by the User.

For what purpose are your personal data processed?

The purpose of the treatment of personal data that can be collected is to use them mainly by the RESPONSIBLE for the management of your relationship with you, improve your user experience and, where appropriate, for the treatment of your requests, requests or orders. A business profile will be developed based on the information you provide. No automated decisions will be made based on that profile.

The data provided will be kept as long as the commercial relationship is maintained, provided that the deletion is not requested by the interested party, or during the years necessary to comply with the legal obligations.

What is the legitimacy for the treatment of your data?

The legal basis for the treatment of your personal data is:

• The correct execution or fulfillment of the contract
• The legitimate interest of the RESPONSIBLE
• The consent of the user or client for the processing of their data
• To which recipients will the data be communicated?

The User's personal data may eventually be communicated to third parties related to the RESPONSIBLE by contract to perform the tasks necessary to manage your account as a customer and without having to request your authorization. Also when communications have to be made to the authorities in case the User has taken actions contrary to the Law, or if the content of the legal notice has not been complied with.

The User's data may be communicated to other companies of the group, if any, for internal administrative purposes that could involve processing such data.

When some data is required to access specific functionalities of the website, the RESPONSIBLE will indicate such mandatory at the time of the collection of data from the User.

Cookies

When navigating through this site, the cookies of the RESPONSIBLE of the site in question and / or of the companies of third parties, can be deposited in your computer, tablet or mobile phone. During the first navigation, an explanatory banner will appear on the use of cookies.

Therefore, when browsing continues, it is considered that you have read and accept the cookie policy and the use of said "cookies". The consent granted will be valid for a period of thirteen months.

For more information consult our cookies policy.

Rights of the user

The user is informed of the possibility of exercising their rights of access, rectification, cancellation and opposition. Each person also has the right of limitation of the treatment relating to their person, of a right of elimination of transfer of personal data transmitted to the data controller and of the right to the portability of their data.

Unless the User objects, by sending an email to the email address info@servicesabroad.com, your data may be used, where appropriate, to send commercial information of Educational Services Abroad.

The data provided will be kept as long as the commercial relationship is maintained or during the years necessary to comply with the legal obligations.

The User is responsible for the fact that the information provided through this website is true, responding to the accuracy of all the data communicated and will keep it updated to reflect a real situation, being responsible for false or inaccurate information provided and of the damages, inconveniences and problems that could cause to Educational Services Abroad or to third parties.

This information will be stored and managed with due confidentiality, applying the necessary computer security measures to prevent access or improper use of your data, its handling, deterioration or loss.

However, the User must bear in mind that the security of computer systems is never absolute. When personal data are provided over the Internet, such information may be collected without your consent and processed by unauthorized third parties.

Educational Services Abroad declines any type of responsibility for the consequences of those acts may have for the User, if he voluntarily published the information.

You can access and exercise these rights by means of a written and signed request that can be sent to the address, attaching a photocopy of the ID or equivalent document.

The request can also be sent to the following email: info@servicesabroad.com.com

These rights will be taken care of, within a period of 1 month, which may be extended to 2 months if the complexity of the application or the number of requests received so requires. All this without prejudice to the duty to preserve certain data in the legal terms and until they prescribe the possible liabilities derived from a possible treatment, or, as the case may be, from a contractual relationship.

In addition to the above, and in relation to data protection regulations, users who request it, have the possibility to organize the destination of their data after their death.

If you have any questions about this privacy statement or our privacy practices, you can always contact us at info@servicesabroad.com.