UW-Madison International Connections

Propose an internship

Our office can help establish an internship arrangement that benefits both UW-Madison students and your connections abroad. If you have contacts, or even just an idea for an internship in your discipline, please contact us.

How much work is involved?

Our role is to facilitate the logistics and liability of the internship coordination – so you won’t need to!

We recognize that faculty and staff have busy schedules, so we are flexible and able to involve you to the extent that makes you feel most comfortable.

Here are some ways that you could be involved in the process:

• sharing the name of a partner that you work with who may be interested in hosting an intern
• providing background about your relationship to the organization
• introducing us to your partners via email or video call
• sharing the internship opportunity with students and colleagues

Legal considerations

Students and faculty are often unaware of the campus requirements for international experiences.

It is important for you to know about the legal and risk management issues associated with working with students who are abroad. If you advise or work with a student planning to go overseas but not through our programs, please be aware of the considerations below.

Agreements

Only the Chancellor and a small group of designated representatives have contract-signing authority on behalf of the university. Therefore, you MAY NOT sign a student’s internship agreement with an external organization unless one of these representatives has signed as well. Our office can help facilitate this, or you can work directly with the International Division’s International Relations Manager, Legal Services and the Risk Management Office. Faculty or staff who execute agreements without delegated contract signing authority are not considered to be acting within the scope of their employment, and as such, may not receive the legal protections provided to state employees under Wisconsin law, and therefore risk personal liability for the contents of the agreement.

For questions relating to international agreements, contact the International Relations Manager at agreements@international.wisc.edu.

Supervising credit

Sometimes students reach out directly to faculty to supervise credit for an international experience in their discipline. We want to support these opportunities by ensuring that university guidelines for international activities are being followed. In addition, we can help to identify funding opportunities, provide visa and insurance advice, and more.

Please contact us for more information.

Liability

The UW System mandates that safety advising and emergency response must be provided to UW students who are overseas and enrolled for credit; see Administrative Policy 145 for details, including liability waiver requirements. You assume responsibility for any student who is overseas and not on an approved UW-Madison study abroad program if they are enrolled in a course with you (e.g. directed study, distance education).

If this is not something you are prepared to do, please contact us about having the student participate in an official program. If our current opportunities do not meet your needs, we are happy to work with you to customize programs for you which also address the legal requirements.

Insurance

Under UW System Administration policy, all University of Wisconsin students studying/traveling abroad under a UW-sponsored program are required to enroll in CISI health and travel insurance. Students traveling abroad through UW-Madison’s International Academic Programs (IAP) for credit will automatically be enrolled in CISI for the duration of their program. Contact Intern Abroad staff for more information.

Students who are traveling abroad independent of an approved UW-Madison study abroad program should visit the Division of Business Services website for information on how to enroll in CISI.

Visas

Having the appropriate visa is imperative, whether enrolling for credit or not. It is a student’s responsibility to obtain the right visa for the experience, and Intern Abroad staff can help advise students in this process. If you are working with a student who you know is going overseas, please have them consult the appropriate embassy/consulate and work with our office. We don’t want the repeat of some horror stories we’ve heard, where students are turned around and put back on a plane upon landing (as was the case for two SoHE students trying to enter the UK on tourist visas for summer internships), or even worse – held by police in-country for having an inappropriate visa.

Safety

Depending on the student’s destination, there may be additional considerations such as applying for a waiver for travel to a location with a Travel Warning from the U.S. Department of State. Please refer to the UW-Madison International Safety and Security website for additional information and resources.

Credit

Students can earn credit for internships through the UW Undergraduate Internship Credit program online course, but many also seek an optional directed/independent study arrangement as a complement to explore a discipline-specific topic, following campus policy.

Connecting with students

Faculty and staff are key partners in sharing internship opportunities with students!

Please let us know if you would like any of the following:

• Print materials
• PowerPoint slides
• Classroom presentation or customized event
• Custom email message for your students