WELCOME TO THE IAAS EXPRO

Discover the amazing world of IAAS Exchange Program. The ExPro exists over 60 years and in this time, more than 20.000 students have been exchanged with IAAS.

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what is expro?

You’re about to discover the amazing world of IAAS Exchange Program. The ExPro exists over 60 years and in this time, more than 20.000 students have been exchanged with IAAS. The IAAS Exchange Program gives the opportunity to all students to do an internship in another country in agricultural and related sciences. With ExPro, you can learn and experience things that cannot be learned out of course books all while immersing in a new culture.

internships we offer

With ExPro you can do an internship in another country in agricultural and related sciences. You can learn and experience things that cannot be learned out of course books.

Ceres

Internships on farms such as organic crop farms, dairy farms. Interns can learn the basics of planting, harvesting, watering, etc. it’s mostly field work, sometimes alongside with marketing and indoor work.

Archimedes

Internships related to education, research, engineering, and management. Often, Archimedes takes place in companies, organizations, universities and research institutions.

Libertas

These internships are community-based projects. They are mainly volunteering internships in collaboration with Village Concept Projects.

FEATURED OPPORTUNITIES

The ExPro exists over 60 years and in this time, more than 20.000 students have been exchanged with IAAS.

more About ExPro

What ARE aims of our internships?

A positive learning experience that builds practical skills in a foreign environment, enhances intercultural understanding, and strengthens both theoretical and practical leadership abilities. It allows students to apply their personal and professional skills within the organization and host community.

What ARE NOT aims of our internships?

It is not intended to provide an opportunity for earning money or to serve as a holiday, nor is it meant to be a permanent career placement or recruitment opportunity in another country; if an organization chooses to extend an internship permanently, IAAS will have no role in facilitating it.

Who may participate in ExPRO?

All applicants have to be students or have graduated within 24 months from an agricultural or related sciences program. Applicants are not necessarly IAAS members but please note that priority will be given to IAAS members, then to students and lastly to recent graduates.

Who may NOT participate in ExPRO?

A student who has graduated since two years or more does not qualify for this exchange program.

Empowering Students Through Knowledge and Connection

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Explore IASS

1. Application & Screening

Contact NexCo, understand the Exchange Program, submit your application, and complete the NexCo interview where personal details, internship preferences, and documentation are reviewed.

2. Placement & Confirmation

Participate in the company interview, finalize internship expectations, receive your Letter of Acceptance and Timetable, complete ExPro fee payment, and sign the contract with the company.

3. Internship & Completion

Begin your internship, document your experience with photos and videos, and submit your testimonial and media at the end of the program.

check your expro country fees with the map

IAAS is a global network of young, motivated people interested in solving the issues that are affecting agriculture, society and the world today and shaping it for a better tommorow.

Latest Testimonies

mENET CELIAN

Company: Milifarms

Home Country: Belgium

Internship Country: Ecuador

Frequently Asked Questions

Full timeline of application process

Most repairs are completed within 10 business days, this varies due to the severity of the damage, and the response time of your insurance company.

What is an Expro?

The IAAS exchange program – ‘Expro’- exists over 45 years and in this time, more than 20.000 students have been exchanged with IAAS. The IAAS exchange program gives opportunities to all students in countries where a recognised local committee of IAAS is active, to do a traineeship (internship) in another country. With ‘Expro’, you can learn and experience things that cannot be learned out of course books.

What is an Exco?

Each IAAS committee has at least one ExCo who is in charge of the organisation of the Exchange Program at your university and in your country. Sending ExCo: the person you will be in contact with at your university and who will be working on the initial steps of the application process. Receiving ExCo: the person you will be in contact with in your country of destination and who will be arranging the internship place.

What is the Exchange Quality Board?

This is a group of people, members of IAAS, who helps the Vice President of Exchange is his/her tasks. You can contact the EQB if you have difficulties in solving a problem on the local level of IAAS.

Contact: eqb@iaasworld.org.

International, national and local teams are working on ExPro, each with different objectives and focuses.

Why choose Expro ?

IAAS is the only international students association related to life sciences. An internship abroad with IAAS gives you the opportunity to meet people involved in the same field of study as you. You will be a part of the global network. Moreover, the internships are organised by students for students. The personalised contact with the local committees can help you to explore the country of destination as an insider which is a unique experience and a one in a lifetime opportunity!

What are the aims of Expro ?

⦁ A positive learning experience.

⦁ Practical skills and knowledge in a foreign environment to complement their higher educational background.

⦁ Interaction with a different social and cultural environment with a view to gaining intercultural competences.

⦁ Development of theoretical and practical leadership skills.

⦁ Opportunity to apply their personal and professional skills, knowledge, attitudes and values to work for the organization as well as the host communities.

⦁ Develop the student’s awareness and knowledge of social issues and different practices of the sending and hosting country.

⦁ Opportunity to contribute to students personal and professional life goals.

What are not the aims of Expro ?

⦁ To provide an opportunity for the purpose of earning money.

⦁ To provide a holiday.

⦁ Intended to be a permanent career placement or recruitment opportunity in another country. If the organization decides to extend the internship on a permanent basis, IAAS will have no role in facilitating this.

⦁ A vehicle for any person to permanently leave their country. IAAS does not encourage the extension of internships beyond the limit of 12 months.

Can I do an Expro ?

You can participate doing internships from the start of your study career in bio-science engineering or agronomy and until two years after you’ve graduated. You have to be coming from a country that is ‘full member’ or ‘Candidate member‘ of IAAS. Note that you have to accord with the working-visa restrictions of the country you are travelling to.

What are the different kinds of Expro I can apply for ?

There are three categories:

- Ceres: internships on farms.
- Archimedes: education, research, engineering and management (universities and research institutions are perfect for this).
- Libertas: voluntary work, for the moment only exists in Indonesia and Morocco.

What is the length of an Expro ?

The internship can last from 3 weeks up to 1 year.

Where can I go ?

There are two options to find a suitable internship:
Fixed internships: On the website some available internships are provided. In your registration you can select your country of preference and interest. We suggest that you contact the National Exchange Coordinator to inform them that you’re interested in that specific internship.
Internships on request: It is possible to request an internship in a specific field of interest or specific countries. Fill in the registration form and contact the National Exchange Coordinator/Regional Exchange Coordinator and inform them about your preferences. Keep in mind that the second option takes more time to arrange.

How much does it cost ?

The amount of the fee depends on your country category.

Category Fee

A 75 euros

B 75 euros

C 100 euros

D 100 euros

E 100 euros

F 100 euros

If the sending ExCo charges any other extra costs this should be communicated beforehand. As a student, you have the right to inform the Exchange Quality Board about extra costs charged by your committee if you have any doubt or question about these higher costs. A receiving (hosting) committee is not allowed to charge trainees in any way, unless this has been specified in the internship offer.

Will I receive salary, food or accommodation ?

It depends the internships, the information about salary, accommodation and food are specified in the website description of the internship. You can also ask to the Exco from the receiving country. In most cases the internships are unpaid (depends on the laws in each country), but we always ask the employer to give accommodation and food. If this doesn’t work out, you have to pay your own accommodation and food. It’s important to make this clear at the beginning of the negotiations with a company.

I found an internship spot, how do I apply ?

To apply for an internship spot, first create a student account and fill in your personal details. Then, go to internships hub. If you like an internship, you can apply by clicking on details. Then, wait until you are contacted by our team.

If you do not get a message after some time (two weeks), send a reminder email to your national exco: expro.[country]@iaasworld.org (e.g.: expro.belgium@iaasworld.org). and/or the exchange quality board: expro@iaasworld.org.

For more details about the follow-up of the process, please check the “Full timeline of application process”.

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My internship is cancelled or I didn’t find an internship, can I be refunded ?

The full amount can be recovered if no place was found for a student when the deadline passes. A student shall be refunded after the invoice has been obtained by the sending country. ExPro fee shall be paid back when:

⦁ Cancellation of application before an acceptance note has been given by the student.

⦁ Deadline of confirmation passed before being placed.

⦁ Cancellation of the placement by the receiving country.

My internship is confirmed, how can I get prepared ?

You have to prepare your personal insurance. The costs for insurance and visa as well as the cost of transport to and from the hosting country are on the charge of the trainee. You take the full responsibility of preparing these documents on time.

You have to plan your lodging and food if they are not provided by the internship. If you need help are advises you can ask the receiving IAAS committee.

For certain countries, it is necessary to get vaccinations, prophylaxis (e.g. against malaria). You should seek professional medical advice in advance. If there is no information about this in the ‘country specific information’ tab on the website, please contact the NExCo of the country you will visit.

If you have allergies or if you suffer from chronic diseases, it is necessary to inform the accepting ExCo beforehand.

During the traineeship, there will be other expenses, depending on activities in the hosting country. You have to bring enough money to provide for these expenses.

During the traineeship, you will have to integrate in another society. This takes effort on both sides, because cultural differences come into play. Therefore, every trainee and host should try to prepare an internship by learning more about the other culture, its customs and moral issues and if possible a little bit of the language.

We strongly recommend that you inform yourself about the organization where the internship will take place. If they have a website, it is easy to find information about their activities and their goals and missions.

I have other questions, who can I contact ?

If you want to go on an internship, always try to contact your National or Local Exchange Coordinator. If you don’t get any response (due to inactivity or holiday period for example), you can contact the Regional Exchange Coordinator of your specific region.

For general questions, you can consult the trainee guide which is at your disposal in the downloads section of the website. You can also contact eqb@iaasworld.org. The whole ExPro team is ready to help you and make the best out of your experience with our Exchange Program!

Some useful addresses :

Vice-president of Exchange	vpexchange@iaasworld.org
Exchange Quality Board	eqb@iaasworld.org
RExCo of Africa	expro.africa@iaasworld.org
RExCo of Americas	expro.americas@iaasworld.org
RExCo of Asia	expro.asia.pacific@iaasworld.org
RExCo of Europe	expro.europe@iaasworld.org
RExCo of MENA (Middle East and North Africa)	expro.mena@iaasworld.org

What are the main steps of the application process ?

The application process is divided in three different status :

Red status : It’s before you register into the website, are approved to participate in the exchange program and pay the participation fees.

Orange status : It’s the process of application to an internship in particular with discussion with the receiving organism etc…

Green status : When your participation in the Expro is approved. It included your travel and the achievement of the internship.

For more details please check the “Full timeline of application process”.

Which useful documents do I have at disposal ?

If you need information about Expro and your missions, you should read the Exco guide which gives detail about the Expro and its organisation.

The Expro Catalogue contains the description of all the IAAS Expro places.

The trainee guide explains Expro for an applicant.

Partnership proposal and Expro presentation will help you to advertise the exchange program and contact new hosting places.

You can find all these documents on the download part of the website.

What is the application process for an Expro ?

The application process is divided in three different status :

Red status: It’s before the trainee registers into the website, is approved to participate in the exchange program and pays the participation fees.

Orange status: It’s the process of application to an internship in particular with discussion with the receiving organism etc…

Green status: When the participation in the Expro is approved. It included the travel and the achievement of the internship.

These are the main steps but you should consult the detailed timeline of the application process below.

What are my tasks as a sending Exco ?

Make publicity: do this by informing students in person, by informing the student associations and by presentations. Also try to inform your university, because universities love to send their students on internships.

When an interested student contacts you, you can explain him the basics of this program, give him the trainee guide, show him the way to our website and tell him he has to start his application online. Keep in mind that our website doesn’t work always as it should work. If that is the case, the student should contact the NExCo.

What are my tasks as a receiving Exco ?

The hardest, but most important job of the LExCos is to find internship places. When you found an internship, you can inform the quality board of exchange and enter it in the website.

The other task you have as a receiving Exco is to organise the trainee selection and arrival. So, you will have to make an interview with him to check if he has the indicated skills (for example language). You will also provide him the Expro Guide, answer his questions and put him in contact with the receiving organisation. You should also confirm some steps of the application procedure on the website.

Try to do activities with interns and secure that they are treated well at their internship. Help the interns when needed. You can do fun stuff with the trainee in his free time. The interns will experience this as a huge plus.

I don’t know how to find new internship places, do you have some tips ?

First of all: there are an infinite number of farms, companies, institutions and universities that can be contacted to arrange internships with.

The best thing to start with, is to make a list of options by doing a brainstorm with the whole IAAS committee together. Just write down all options that come in mind. For example:

– Why not just contacting the dean or some professors that you like at your own university? They also have a bunch of contacts with companies. Just go talk with them during a class or send them an email. You will be surprised how much they like motivated and committed students.

– Why not contacting IAAS-alumni and/or university spin offs?

– Why not contacting farms or companies with family links in your own committee?

– Why not going to the local (organic) grocery store and ask them who their deliverers are? It’s easier to have personal contact and build trust when the farms our close to your place.

– Why not contacting delegations of companies at a job fair or just talk with the guide at a guided tour during an exchange week?

How to exactly contact the hosting places ?

At first, I would only give them a general introduction of who we are and what ExPro is in an email, or during a real talk. If they don’t answer the email (after 1-2 weeks), it’s a good idea to call them. You can hold calling sessions in a group, if you don’t like to call on your own.

If they are interested, you can give them more information and ask about the exact conditions: What will be the job of the intern? For which period do you need an intern?…

Further on, when you have enough information, you can set up a Contract farm/company-IAAS between you and the farm to settle down how you’re going to work together. In this stage, you can contact the NExCo: he will guide you in case you have questions.

Do we need contracts between IAAS and internship spots?

This is not absolutely necessary, but in this way it’s more clear that the company really wants to work with us and what we can expect from each other.

Do we as IAAS have to help the trainees with their visa an insurance applications?

This is the responsibility of the interns, but the more we help, the better our service is and the more the trainees will like us. So, help them if possible.

Can contracts be signed digitally?

Yes, if all parties accept this.

Can we accept people for our internship that aren’t student anymore?

The rule of IAAS world is that people can participate in ExPro until two years after they’ve graduated. Nevertheless,you have to respect the legislation of your country about free labour for non-student.

I have other questions, who can I contact ?

If you need more information about Expro and your missions, you should read the Exco guide which gives detail about the Expro and its organisation. You can find it is the downloads section of the website.

You can also contact your regional expro, the vice president of exchange or the quality board of exchange. They will be happy to answer your questions.