Global Ambassador Training

The primary responsibility of a Global Ambassador is to help spread the word about Semester at Sea.  Approximately 90% of SAS participants report that they learned about SAS through a peer. Therefore, a large component of the GA role will be putting you in direct contact with prospective students. This may include (but is not limited to) the following types of engagement:

• Communicating with and answering questions from prospective students via emails, text messages, and/or phone calls

• Coordinating and/or participating in campus events independently or with your Regional Director/other SAS staff/alumni (i.e. study abroad fairs, info sessions, students meetings, etc).

• Contributing to our social media presence by engaging with SAS-generated posts and sharing with your network about your voyage experience through your own posts

• Posting reviews on education abroad review sites such as GoAbroad.com, GoOverseas.com, Abroad101.com, DiversityAbroad.com, etc.

• Assisting with miscellaneous projects through the SAS Home Office

• Meeting with your Regional Director when he/she is on your home campus.

• Confer with your RD and determine whether you should make your GA status known to your study abroad office on campus. If yes, collaborate with your RD and study abroad office to determine permitted opportunities to promote SAS on your campus. 

While participating in GA activities, we ask that you adhere to the following:

• Act as a resource for prospective students by providing accurate SAS information, directing them to appropriate SAS and campus resources, as well as making time to meet with them via phone, in person, on-line or over text in a timely manner. Become familiar with upcoming voyages, and understand that, while similar to your experience, each voyage is unique.

• Stay positive! You are likely creating a first and lasting impression of SAS and SAS alumni.

• Recognize that SAS is just one of many options that exist for students wishing to go abroad. 

• While we want you to help recruit students for our program, SAS is not for everyone. Don’t be discouraged if students find another program that better fits their academic, financial, or travel preferences.

• Remain in good standing with SAS; demonstrate professionalism, collegiality, and a spirit of collaboration--in actions and communications --when representing SAS

• Remain in good standing with your study abroad office and abide by all their rules, which may override SAS’s rules/preferences for outreach.

• Complete online Activity Completion Forms within one week of event

• Allow picture, bio, and contact information (in the form of a SAS-provided GA email address) to be posted on the SAS website and social media for future participants that wish to be connected with an alumnus/a.

In order to be accepted into the program we ask that you sign and agree to the terms of the Global Ambassador Volunteer Agreement below. You will electronically sign your agreement via the link included in your accepted email.

I understand that I will do the following:

• Copy my Regional Director (RD) when replying to student emails.

• Reply within 5 business days or less to prospective student emails (I will contact my RD if this is not feasible).

• Fill out the Global Ambassador Activity Completion Form after each activity (event, social media post, website review, etc.).

• Collect contact information from prospective students at any events (as approved) and forward the contacts to my RD and make note of how many materials (brochures, pens, etc.) were used. 

• Abide by all campus policies when representing Semester at Sea.

• Abide by Semester at Sea Social Media Guide and Campus Social Media Guidelines.

• Communicate regularly with my Semester at Sea RD.

• Remain in good standing with Semester at Sea; demonstrate professionalism, collegiality, and a spirit of collaboration--in actions and in written and verbal communications --when representing SAS

• Allow my SAS-provided GA email address, photo, and bio to be posted on the SAS website for future participants that wish to be connected with an alumnus/a

• Attend check in meetings (accept Google Calendar and/or WhatsApp invites so we know who’s coming/if there’s a conflict) 

• Respond to texts, emails & calls within three business days (must cc your RD on emails) and submit the GA Activity Completion Form after each activity or communication chain. 

• Attend one Study Abroad Fair (if applicable) or present one session for a campus organization (Res Life, Classroom, Greek Life, Study Abroad Office) or table per semester.

• Post at least one review/testimonial on one of these four sites:  GoAbroad.com,  Abroad101.com, GoOverseas.com, DiversityAbroad101, Google

Do’s: 

• Post on your social platforms encouraging folks to follow along, keeping in mind professionalism in how/what you post!

• Talk about Semester at Sea and mention personal experiences

• Why you decided to do SAS and how the process was for you. 

• Introduce us to who was with you on the voyage, let us get to know your friends, the food you ate, sights you saw, any field programs/classes you liked, what clubs you were a part of, and more! 

• Write a post that asks people questions so that they can reply and create discussion. Where are you most excited to visit? When do you want to sail?

Don’ts:

• Post anything you wouldn't want your caretakers to see, or other items listed below:

• Anything that would violate the SAS Student Code of Conduct: No partying, no drugs, no underage drinking, no nudity or provocative posts, no hate speech or bullying, no promoting political agendas, no promoting personal businesses.

• If you have ANY questions about the info listed above, please have your RD review your info prior to posting.

Working with your Regional Director, you will determine what events you may be able to host throughout the semester. Hosting events requires time and planning. Here are some helpful tips when planning an event: 

1. Who is your audience? Are you reaching out to all students interested in studying abroad or just a particular group? For example, are you doing an event for a fraternity or sorority? A specific academic major? 

2. Setting the date and time. Are there better days on your campus to host events? Lunch and dinner meetings or early evenings are often more popular. Work with your Regional Director and your Education Abroad Office on days that may be better. 

3. Find a location. Make sure your location is easily accessible to your audience. Can you host the event in a residence hall? Your student center? Perhaps in a group meeting room or at a local coffee shop? 

4. Materials. Do you need materials for the event? If so, please be in touch with your Regional Director or Semester at Sea staff to assist with ordering promotional materials. 

5. Promote the event. Do you have a way to reach out to students on your campus? Social media, posters, chalking, etc. Consider also working with your Regional Director as he or she can reach out to students from your campus who have expressed interest in Semester at Sea. 

6. Collect information. Be sure to have an inquiry sheet or QR code at your event and collect information from students who attend. 

Presenting to Classrooms & Student Orgs

Before you attempt to or are invited to give any on-campus presentations, check with your Regional Director and Education Abroad Office. Global Ambassadors are not permitted to give presentations on some campuses. 

Classroom presentations are often brief - about five to ten minutes in length. A professor will likely indicate the time length he or she is hoping for. Students can always connect with you after the class if they have more questions. These usually do not require Power points, but instead an elevator pitch about what Semester at Sea is. 

Student organizations may ask you to speak longer. Confirm the preferred length of the presentation with them before you schedule it and make sure you’ve considered any materials that might be needed.. 

Your presentation should include the following: 

● Introduction of who you are 

● An inquiry sheet / QR code should be passed around 

● Brief overview of Semester at Sea including a few personal highlights 

● The program is open to all majors 

● Financial aid and scholarships are available 

● Where to get more information 

○ From the Semester at Sea website 

○ From the Education Abroad Office 

Best Practices 

Being a Global Ambassador is a great honor, and it means you get to represent Semester at Sea in a unique way. By representing Semester at Sea, it is therefore helpful to follow these best practices: 

• Always communicate with the education abroad office about events you are hosting or wish to host. All campuses are different, so you should also be working directly with your Regional Director who can guide you more specifically on your campus. 

• Always follow your campus's policies on putting out posters and hosting events. If you are unsure, ask your education abroad office or Regional Director. 

• Semester at Sea is not the only study abroad option for students, and it may not always be the best fit. Never talk down or negatively talk about another program or program provider. Encourage students to do their research and always direct them back to the education abroad office if they are unsure what may be the best program fit for them. 

• Saying “I don’t know, but I’ll find out” is a perfectly acceptable answer when you get asked a question you are unsure of. It is always better to get back to a student with the correct answer than to provide misinformation. 

• Always be early! Being right on time is late. Students will often begin to show up at events before their scheduled start time. Make sure you know where you’ll be going and plan ahead so you will ALWAYS be at least 15 minutes early.

• Dress appropriately. It is likely that your Semester at Sea gear will always be appropriate for the events you are participating in. 

Working with your Education Abroad Office

Working with your education abroad office is one of the most important parts of being a Global Ambassador. It is your responsibility to make sure you are following all their campus rules and guidelines for Global Ambassadors. Remember, you also represent the Semester at Sea program, and anything you do on your campus is directly tied to our office and your education abroad office’s impression of us. 

Shortly after you begin your role as a Global Ambassador, you should connect with your RD and if deemed appropriate, coordinate a meeting with your education abroad office or any other campus constituencies. Note: We are unable to control the relationships offices have with Global Ambassadors. Some of your education abroad offices may choose not to meet with you or may not be able to help mentor you in this role. 

During your meeting with the education abroad office, you should attempt to get the following questions answered so you best understand your campuses policies and procedures: 

1. What are the Study Abroad requirements (academic standing, GPA, disciplinary, etc.) ? 

2. What is the on-campus application process to study abroad? Are there any deadlines? 

3. What are the popular majors of students that study abroad? 

4. How do students transfer credit from Semester at Sea? Are there specific offices (ex: Registrar’s Office) they should be working with, or do they prefer all student questions about transfer credit be directed to the education abroad office to avoid confusion?

5. Can students use their financial aid & scholarships to study abroad? Does the Financial Aid Office have a specific contact that students should be directed to or is it preferred that all financial aid questions be directed to the study abroad office to avoid confusion?

6.  Does the Ed Abroad Office have any study abroad-specific scholarships available?

7. Do you hold any events that I can help with? 

8. Are there any promotional activities that are prohibited on your campus? What about hanging posters? 

1. Sign in to your Seamail as normal. 

2. Set up 2 factor authentication (or will be locked out in 2 weeks)

3. Add a recovery email address (if this was not previously added or needs updating). Use the email you used on your GA application 

   1. Log on to your Google Account

   2. On the left navigation panel, click Personal info.

   3. Under "Contact info," click Email Recovery email. You might need to sign in.

   4. Follow the steps on the screen. 

4. Forward GA emails to personal email account

   1. Click on the settings/gear symbol in your GA Gmail account

   2. Click See all settings

   3. Click the tab labeled Forwarding and POP/IMAP

   4. Click Add a forwarding address

Entered your preferred email address, such as your school or personal email address