As a part of the application process, all participants must agree to the terms of the following Onsite Code of Conduct Addedum.
Insurance
All participants are required to have emergency and medical insurance that covers them for the duration of the program. Barcelona SAE is not responsible for any medical costs associated with any injury or illness that participants may sustain during their study abroad program. Participants also understand that it is their responsibility to determine whether or not the medical and accident insurance included in the program is adequate for their personal circumstances, and, if not, to obtain insurance to supplement the provided insurance package.
Medical Information
As a participant on a Barcelona SAE program it is mandatory to provide us with the following information:
Medical Self-Assessment*
A copy of a valid passport (the expiry date needs to be at least 6 months after arrival)
The participant’s emergency contact details (email, phone, and home address)
The participant’s personal contact details (email and phone)
Proof and a copy of the participant’s emergency and medical insurance
*By providing the Medical Self-Assessment, all participants accept that this information will be accessed by the onsite team and could be shared with the activities staff, medical centers, the host family (if the participant has chosen this housing option), and the participant’s host university faculty. In a Customized Program, the home university will decide whether to disclose this information or not. This information will be treated according to Spain’s data protection law, along with the LOPD and GDPR policies. If a participant decides not to share this information, the onsite team will not be able to provide health resources to the participant. Providing the Medical Self-Assessment does not imply that the onsite staff will be liable if something happens to a participant.
Weekly Plans Check-In
Participants are required to fill out the Weekly Plans Check-In form every week throughout their stay on the program, to indicate if they are traveling, so that the program is aware of their whereabouts and the best way to reach them in case of emergency. Participants will receive a warning should they fail to fill out the Weekly Plans Check-In form. Participants are responsible for contacting the program to report their whereabouts and safety should they become aware of an emergency.
Early Withdrawal
Participants are requested to notify our staff if they decide to withdraw from the program after arriving onsite, and will have to sign the Withdrawal Agreement Form, in person, at the Barcelona SAE office. Barcelona SAE, and CISaustralia will not reimburse the participant the total or partial amount of the program cost.
Minors
Participants under 18 years old are only allowed on faculty-led programs with home institution approval and will be required to obtain their legal guardian’s consent pre-departure.
Activities:
It is mandatory that participants sign up for activities through the Team Up App (or webpage for any activities & trips that have an added cost) by the deadline listed. If a participant signs up for an activity, they must attend the event. Warnings will be issued in the case that either:
A participant signs up and does not attend, or
Attends an activity without signing up
If a participant signed up but can no longer attend an activity for health-related or other reasons, it is mandatory to send an email to our staff with enough time to cancel reservations. See below for the timeframe you must notify staff prior to each type of event:
Weekly Activities: 24h in advance for most activities, 48h in advance for Cooking Classes
Day Trips: 7 days before
Weekend Trips: 1 month before
If a participant decides not to participate in an included activity or trip, it won't be refunded. For activities/trips that have an extra cost, participants will be refunded entirely if they withdraw within the time frames above. If any participant withdraws after the time frames above they won't be refunded OR they may be refunded only a proportion of the amount they have paid (this is determined on a case by case basis).
If a participant has any food allergies or dietary restrictions, they should make note of this when signing up for an activity. Requests will try to be met, but suitable food options are not guaranteed.
Participants must be punctual for events, day trips, weekly activities, and weekend trips. If any participant is late to a given meeting point, our staff will wait 5-10 minutes for tardy participants (if possible), but reserves the right to leave without the student running late.
Participants must follow the Code of Conduct at all times while on program activities. Additionally, participants are expected to show respect for staff and guides that accompany the group.
All activities scheduled within a day trip or weekend trip are mandatory (unless stated otherwise in the itinerary) and all participants must stay with the group. It is mandatory that during activities organized by the program, participants respect and follow the scheduled itinerary for safety reasons. This means that the participants cannot abandon the activity. As an exception, Barcelona SAE will allow participants to leave the group if it has been agreed upon with the activity’s staff leader and participants have signed the online Agreement Release for Independent Travel.
Rooming requests for overnight activities will be met when possible, but cannot be guaranteed.
Bringing guests to activities is not permitted under any circumstances.
When trips include transportation by plane, participants will be asked to provide the documentation they are going to travel with at least 1 month before departure. Any students not complying with this won't be able to travel with the group.
Orientation:
Orientation materials are tied to this Code of Conduct. Not attending an orientation does not exempt a participant from adhering to this Code of Conduct.
If a participant cannot attend a Welcome Orientation, they must notify program staff in advance. The participant missing the Orientation will be required to complete a Missed Orientation Quiz (available in the Online Student Guide) and score at least an 85%.
If a participant misses the Cultural Orientation they will be issued a warning and sent all the information needed to ensure their knowledge of acceptable cultural norms and behavior via email. They will be held accountable for reviewing this information and behaving accordingly.
Image Rights - Photo Release:
Participants will be asked to give their image rights to our program. If any participant decides that their image cannot be used by Barcelona SAE, or CISaustralia for marketing purposes, they must inform any staff/faculty members when participating in any events and consciously move to avoid appearing in any group photos.
Attendance:
Absences: At the local universities you are only allowed a few absences (the number of which is related to your course’s contact hours) before your grade is impacted. There are no excused absences, so we highly recommend that you save these days for cases of illness or unforeseen circumstances.
Once you have surpassed the allotted absences, your grade will be lowered by one third of a letter grade for each additional absence. This means that if your final grade is a B+ but you had 2 absences above the allowed limit, your final grade will be a B-. If you have any questions about the number of absences allotted to your program before grades are impacted, please ask our Academic Coordinator. Specific situations and excuses will be granted only after careful review and with appropriate documentation.
Punctual & Present: You should always arrive to class on time. It is important that you are present at the start of the class and ready to learn. Consistent or excessive tardiness to class will be considered an absence. Sleeping or not being alert in the class is considered very disrespectful and will result in being marked as absent.
Making Up Course Assignments: You will not be excused from making up any missed coursework due to absence or illness. You are responsible to speak with your professor regarding the possibility to make up missed coursework. It is unlikely that you will be able to make up missed exams, unless in the case of an extreme circumstance like hospitalization or a family emergency.
Classroom Conduct:
Respectful & Engaged: At local universities it is forbidden to bring any food or beverage (apart from water) into the classroom. During class, you should not be on your cell phone or laptop unless it is for course-related purposes. You are expected to engage in classroom discussions. In order to participate in the class and receive a full participation grade it is essential that you are awake and alert throughout the duration of the class.
Inappropriate Behavior: Inappropriate behavior in the classroom will not be tolerated. It is inappropriate to be disrespectful to the teacher, which includes talking while the teacher is talking, being disruptive in class, acting in a way that questions their authority, or intentionally not following instructions. Making inappropriate comments towards the teacher or fellow classmates will be taken very seriously.
Discriminatory, biased, or abusive language or behavior: will not be tolerated towards any Barcelona SAE staff, professors, university faculty, host families, internship supervisors, or other Barcelona SAE program participant, related to any factor such as sex, gender, gender identity, race, ethnicity, genetics, language, religion, political affiliation, disability, age, and sexual orientation. This kind of behaviour will result in an official warning (your home university will be notified), and potential expulsion from the program.
Drugs & Alcohol: The abuse of drugs and alcohol on this program are strictly forbidden and coming to class when you are under the influence, hungover, and/or unable to fully participate may result in an official warning (your home university will be notified), and potential expulsion from the program.
Assessment
Coursework/Assignments: Your academic performance will be assessed by a variety of assignments, projects, and exams throughout your program. You will also be assessed on participation, which is factored by your punctuality, participation in class discussions, and preparedness for class. You are expected to submit all work on time and to come to all classes and field studies prepared to be engaged. Failure to complete any of these elements will result in a direct impact on your final grade.
Exams: Your midterm and final exam will be heavily weighted. There will likely be fewer assignments throughout the semester, which makes your midterm and final exams very important, as the majority of your grade may depend on your performance on these tests. It is not uncommon in Spain to fail a course. Even if you are taking a class as Pass/Fail, you will need to submit all coursework and pass all exams or you will fail the class.
Academic Concerns
It is your responsibility to be on top of your grading, assignments, and knowing your academic standing. If you have any concerns or need additional help or resources, we encourage you to reach out to your professor or to our Academic Coordinators.
Penalizations
Warnings & Expulsion: Incidents will result in a warning. More than one incident or major incidents will result in academic probation or could potentially result in expulsion from the program. Your home university will be notified of all behavioral incidents.
Academic Probation: If you are put on academic probation your home school will be notified. The terms of probation are as follows: teachers will be notified that you are on probation, no further absences will be allowed, you must be on time to classes and prepared to participate, you cannot receive grades below a 75 on any exams or assignments, and there should be no cases of inappropriate behavior. Failure to comply with these rules may result in expulsion.
For interns, your internship placement is the most important aspect of your program abroad. As this is your priority, there are certain expectations that you must abide by while interning for a host company in Barcelona.
All interns will be assigned to a host company that matches their interests, background, profile and/or major.
All interns are required to have a virtual interview with the Barcelona SAE, or CISaustralia staff before acceptance and need to comply with all the requirements of the Internship Program.
The onsite internship team works to find the best fit based on intern goals and interests. The intern can reject an internship position presented to them, but only if there is a justified and solid reason. During the matching process, there will be a maximum of 3 potential placements and both the company and the participant need to accept the matching.
All participants who apply for an internship program agree to respect and follow these commitments:
Treat the internship as you would treat any job, with respect and professionalism.
Complete the expected hours per week.
Approach the experience with an open mind, everything from time to communication, to feedback could be approached differently than what participants are used to.
Work toward real results that are useful to the company and accomplish the tasks that are given to you by your supervisors.
Show up on time to work and meetings.
Be able to work both independently and in groups as needed.
Show initiative.
Comply with all arrangements negotiated for the placement, and do everything necessary to make the placement a success.
Abide by the rules and regulations of the host organization, such as the agreed-upon schedule, code of conduct, and rules of confidentiality.
Notify your supervisor as soon as possible if you are sick or need to change your hours. If you miss work, the hours must be made up. All absences must be justified with a doctor’s note (or professional specialist) or previously agreed upon justification.
Inform the onsite staff about any problems regarding the placement in a timely manner.
Changing internships is not possible once the program has started unless a student has a severe need and our onsite staff determines it. If experiencing issues, participants need to contact the Internship team at internships@barcelonasae.com and fill out the Internships Program Concern Form as soon as possible, so that staff can work efficiently to find a solution.
Absences
All absences must be justified with a doctor’s note (or professional specialist), or previously agreed with your supervisors upon justification. You must notify your supervisor as soon as possible if you are sick or need to change your hours. If you miss work, the hours must be made up, so you will have to coordinate with your supervisor how you will make up those hours. It’s mandatory to complete the total number of internship hours per week, so it’s your responsibility to contact your supervisor if you need to modify your schedule. In case of sickness, it's important to inform the Internship team also.
Penalizations
Warnings & Expulsion: Your supervisor will communicate any breakage of this code of conduct. Any incident will result in an official warning. More than one incident, or major incidents, could potentially result in expulsion from the program. Your home university will be notified of all behavioral incidents.