Practical Information
York International (YI) is here to assist you in bringing your classroom around the world, by providing the following supports:
1. Partnerships: to connect you with York University's institutional and community partners in the location abroad and facilitate the co-creation of the program including planning of educational and socio-cultural activities.
2. Budget Planning and Finance: plan and determine program fees which include in-country costs as student accommodations, program activities (ex. field and study trips, museums, and cultural tours), local transportation and contingencies. YI organizes a financial account for your program, maintain your program budget, make advance payments to vendors, and consolidates and report after the program. Faculty can request for a travel advance, as needed. Faculty members are advised to secure funding sources for covering their own expenses incurred from the program. Any item in the budget that causes a deficit in the program shall be covered at faculty member’s expenses. On the other hand, if there is a surplus of CAD 100 or more per participant after budget closing, it will be returned to the students who participated in the program.
3. Agreements and contracts: YI helps facilitate and determine if agreements/contracts are needed for your program and assist you in the process.
4. Promotions and Visibility: to recruit and register students to join the class. These include a dedicated webpage for the course, social media campaigns, posters and graphic materials, information sessions, classroom visits, and promotion to York global partners and other Canadian institutions as desired. Faculty members shall also help with the promotion to the targeted students from their faculty and department.
5. Applications and student program fee payments: YI hosts an application system, answer student queries, receives program fees, pre-screen all applications, issue acceptance notifications in coordination with faculty lead. The targeted number of students (minimum number of students required for this program) for the program shall be reached 3 months before the departure.
6. Logistical Arrangements and Vendor /Service provider coordination: to research, confirm and book all on-site (in-country) logistical arrangements, including but not limited to accommodations, field/study trips, and local transportation. It also includes establishing housing contracts applicable and providing housing guidelines for students.
7. Pre-Departure Training and Safety Abroad: YI will enact measures to keep the safety and well-being of staff, faculty, and students participating in faculty-led study abroad programs. The Safety Abroad Manager within York International provides travel risk and safety abroad supports including pre-departure training, registration in the travel registry (emergency contact and waivers), insurance and monitoring safety developments in faculty-led study abroad destination countries. Faculty members should also be aware of the risks associated with the destination, consult the Global Affairs Canada Travel Advisories, and contribute their local knowledge to enhance the safety abroad and risk management module for students studying abroad.
8. Student funding and awards: YI facilitates access to various funding and awards such as the York International Mobility Award (YIMA) and the Global Skills Opportunity (GSO) Funds.
9. Return and Assessment supports: YI will finalize and close the budget, collate invoices and reconcile expense claim for the program. YI will also gather feedback from students (program content, delivery and logistical arrangements) as well as feedback from local partner(s) if applicable.