I learned the language much faster than I thought I would. The French people were so nice and excited to learn more about me. I had an extremely memorable experience that I will never forget.”
Mollie Cinnamon Jones, Hamline University, Paris, Fall 2005
A semester in Europe is one of the most valuable experiences your son or daughter could undertake. It’s challenging, stimulating and above all exciting. Not only does it lead to an impressive resume, but it equips students with a skill-level and confidence they would never get by staying on home territory.
We understand you will have concerns. Concerns about safety, about the type of work the students will be asked to do, about where they will be living. We’d like to address those concerns. The majority of us are parents ourselves. We know how important it is to have confidence in the program responsible for your son or daughter's well-being abroad.
It is up to every student to take a proactive approach to his or her internship.
Your son or daughter will be expected to act responsibly and demonstrate
willingness and enthusiasm in the workplace. As a parent, you can play a
valuable role in preparing them for this period of independence. 
Accommodation
Housing is generally either in apartments or with families. A substantial part of the program fee is devoted to helping students cover housing costs. There are various pros and cons to the different types
of accommodation available, explained here
in the FAQs.
Safety & Care
Student safety and security is of paramount importance to everyone at EPA. All
students undergo an orientation – an introduction to living and working
in the city – as soon as they arrive, and safety issues are discussed
in detail. In some non-English speaking countries, orientation will include
an intensive language course with an emphasis on verbal skills.
In each city there is a Program Director who is responsible for the day
to day running of the program. Each director is experienced in helping students
settle in quickly and derive the maximum benefit from the internship and
the courses. The Director is also on hand to assist in dealing with any problems,
social or academic, that may arise, consulting with the home university where
necessary.
Work experience
All programs offer an unpaid internship. Our students are placed with government
departments, international organizations and world-class corporations. We
can do this, because after 25 years in the business we have all the right
contacts. This is just one of many good reasons to choose
EPA when considering an international internship for your son or daughter.
We place students in a field of their own choosing, based on the information we are given on the application form. It is therefore vital that students state clearly the type of experience they are seeking, as well as how this fits into a career plan.
We try to ensure that students are given real and challenging projects to work
on, but naturally they should be willing to occasionally take on the more
‘routine’ workplace tasks with good grace.
Academic credit
At the same time as working, students are enrolled in academic courses at
local universities. Course grades are based on essays, exams and sometimes
oral presentations. These are taught by the local universities and generally
involve meeting once a week with fellow students and the course tutor.
Many of our credit-granting institutions will
have additional requirements - such as the keeping of a journal. The student
is responsible for finding out about these, but EPA will provide assistance
as necessary.
Nina Dearborn, University of Maine