About us
Cerca Abroad is a business unit of Cerca Trova Ltd, a European based company, that specializes in engineering solutions and educational programs. The company started in 2017 by offering medical shadowing internships to hundreds of participants from around the world. Over the past few years it has expanded its program portfolio of in-person (agricultural, engineering, environmental, health) and remote internships (agricultural, engineering, health & safety, marketing, software) to Erasmus+ funded MSc degrees & courses (electromobility, marine/maritime ICT, precision agriculture), offering a range of exciting educational pathways. Our aim is to offer a top educational experience at a reasonable cost, without hidden fees and without unnecessary extras, giving the participants a freedom to learn, gain professional experience and emerge in a different culture.
We are committed to support our participants to create a positive impact on the local communities in parallel to their learning and developing activities abroad. Recognizing and evaluating ethical issues promotes responsible traveling which translates to a positive impact on the host communities and our interns. The relationships that are formed, the exchanged ideas, the local economy that is revived, the hands-on project that our participants contribute on, all leave a lasting a sustainable impact in each host site.
Our aim is to present realistic expectations to our participants, be honest and transparent on how we operate and use feedback from our interns and host sites to improve our processes and services. We remain committed to create a positive impact, whether it is with our stance for the environment (by becoming carbon neutral) up to working with hosts with similar values. We research heavily on suitable host sites and design each program to be mutually beneficial to interns and host sites. Each placement takes participants at the heart of real-life activities aimed to learn the sector, culture and stakeholders. Our programs allow interns to develop personally and professionally and stand out in an interview.
We set fair fees that support the work of local teams and at the same allow a wider audience of interns to afford a life-changing experience that elsewhere has a forbidding cost. For those that are not able to travel we have designed a set of remote internships to allow participants to gain a professional experience from the comfort of their home. With host sites ranging from research centers to small scale enterprises, interns have the opportunity to collaborate with professionals that lead sustainable and innovative activities.
- We only work with registered organizations that have proven record of sustainable & ethical practices and long-term expertise in their field
- We collect feedback from all our participants and our host sites to continuously improve our participant’s experience
- We regularly visit our host sites to offer support/training, to evaluate processes/costs and provide transparent and affordable programs
- We review and evaluate each intern application and check their qualifications, criminal background and medical status for eligibility and suitability
- We ensure that our participants’ work does not impact the employment opportunities of the local community
- We refrain from overcrowding our host sites with participants and allocating only those that are needed
- All participants are requested to sign a Code of Conduct prior to arrival, which is designed to protect all stakeholders from inappropriate behavior or abuse
- Participants that breach ours or the host site’s Terms and Conditions and Code of Conduct will be removed without refund
- We take extra care allocating participants in sites that involve the care of others as well as animals
Several host sites are organizations that accept donations from other corporations, government bodies and individuals to support their work and awareness campaigns. Our interns are not expected or obliged to contribute in any way to these. The intern’s effort (time/money) to participate in host site activities is of great value and no further financial support should be requested/needed. If a participant chooses to offer a donation (money/items) is welcomed to do so, always in a responsible and sustainable way. Interns should keep in mind to:
- Feel free to decline an invitation to donate
- Only donate what they can afford and deliver what they promised
- Consult the host site staff on a donation idea before acting to verify their actual priorities/needs
- Refrain from starting donation campaigns without receiving permission from the host site staff
- Seek permission from the host site staff before using photo/videos of the premises in any campaign effort
In all programs that involved animals (domestic or wild), interns and hosts are requested to commit to the strict animal welfare guidelines as defined by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH):
- Freedom from hunger or thirst by ready access to fresh water and a species specific diet to maintain full health and vigor
- Freedom from discomfort by providing an appropriate environment including shelter and a comfortable resting area
- Freedom from pain, injury or disease by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment
- Freedom to express (most) normal behavior by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind
- Freedom from fear and distress by ensuring conditions and treatment which avoid mental suffering
In all programs that involved animals (domestic or wild), interns and hosts are requested to follow the strict policy and protection guidelines as defined by organizations such as Doctors of the World.
Hence, program participants:
- Are not allowed to escort, house, gift or feed vulnerable adults outside the placement site during or after the program period
- Should always follow the instructions of the host site on vulnerable adult care
- Should not take any photos/videos of vulnerable adults with out their and the host staff’s permission
- Should not behave in any manner (verbal/physical) intended to shame, humiliate, force, discriminate, display favoritism, sexually harass, belittle or degrade vulnerable adults
Hence, program hosts and their staff:
- Are required to be officially recognized by the government as an adult care facility, maintain this status and present evidence on demand
- Facility staff must undergo regular criminal background check and not to allow unauthorized visitors to enter or allow unsupervised visitors near vulnerable adults
- Should not behave in any manner (verbal/physical) intended to shame, humiliate, force, discriminate, display favoritism, sexually harass, belittle or degrade vulnerable adults
- Should support family/human rights, personal freedoms and prevent dependency issues of the the vulnerable individuals within their care
- Host sites should invest in the life-long learning and development of their staff
- Should offer detailed introductory information to program participants to set expectations, roles and conduct
- Should allow periodic process review to evaluate their suitability as a host site
Although this is not an exhaustive or exclusive list, participants and host sites must avoid actions or behavior which may encourage, facilitate or constitute abuse or exploitation of any kind. Failure to follow the policy and protection guidelines is valid reason for instant dismissal from the program
