International Youth Internship Program (IYIP)
Peru | FAQ

• Have a post-secondary diploma (Cégep and above) or a DVS.
• Be between the ages of 19 and 30 when the final selection is made.
• A Canadian citizen or a permanent resident.
• Be legally entitled to work in Canada.
• Hold a passport valid until six months after completion date of the internship.
• Never have participated in the IYIP.
• Have a basic knowledge of spoken and written Spanish.

• Accommodation included.
• Individually assigned internship supervisor.
• Logistical support and regular follow-ups with Éducation interantionale.
• Pre-departure meeting and debriefing upon return.

You will receive a monthly living allowance to cover transport and personal expenses during your internship in Peru. The amount is subject to change depending on the costs of your accommodation, as well as the cost of living in the host country. This allowance can vary between $700 and $800 per month.

The International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) is part of the Government of Canada’s Youth Employment Strategy, which provides Canadian youth with the tools and experience they need to launch successful careers. It is designed to offer Canadian post-secondary graduates (DVS and +) the opportunity to gain professional experience abroad in support of sustainable international development initiatives proposed.

The team at Éducation internationale supports you throughout your internship; from your selection up to the post-internship debriefing by providing support and advice. Our team’s expertise allows us to provide efficient follow-ups and full logistical support. Furthermore, our team is in constant communication with Éducation internationale’s local partners involved in the IYIP in order to help achieve the objectives of the internship.

As part of the IYIP, Éducation internationale works jointly with the Regional Bureau for Education in Metropolitan Lima (DRELM, for its acronym in Spanish). The DRELM has a mandate to promote and ensure a quality education in Lima, Peru’s capital. It oversees educational institutions, including CEPTROs (vocational education centres) in the fulfilment of their mandate. CETPROs are vocational education centres that offer short study programs focused on the learning of a trade, including hotel management and tourism, textile manufacturing, beauty care, computer technology, and arts.

Thanks to this partner with whom Éducation internationale has worked for over 10 years, the IYIP interns can be placed in one of the 200 CETPROs of Metropolitan Lima or also directly at the DRELM itself. The IYIP internship assignments are developed by the partners in consultation with our team, according to the needs identified locally by the DRELM.

The internship is from Monday to Friday, working 35 hours a week. You will quickly realize that Peruvian people work long days and leave late into the evening, so they usually exceed the 35 hours a week that are expected of you. The supervisors have been advised of this and you will be able to leave after having worked your daily 7 hours.

Weekends are valuable opportunities to spend time with your host family in order to discover the Peruvian culture with them. You can also plan activities in and around Lima with other interns. You will have a full week off half-way through your internship to get some rest and visit other regions should you wish to do so.

Your supervisor is the main person responsible for the development and evolution of your internship assignment. It will not fully be set before your arrival in order to give you latitude to clarify it according to your interests, experience and ideas. The first few weeks of your internship are dedicated to clarifying your assignment with your supervisor, establishing clear objectives and developing a work plan. It is your responsibility to structure your activities well from the start of your assignment.

In addition to completing your internship, two AIEEP must be completed, with at least one of which during your internship assignment.

The topics are as follows:

• Serve as a chaperone for a group of students participating in an Éducation internationale’s program (places are limited).
• Seek potential employers upon returning from your internship.
• Carry out activities related to international development in primary or secondary schools in Canada.
• Twinning projects with primary or secondary schools in Canada.
• Web communication (social media, blog, videos, etc.).
• Work under the mentorship of an expert in the field of the internship.

A long stay abroad requires a thorough preparation. Éducation internationale therefore organizes an eight-day-long pre-departure training in order to prepare you as well as possible for this experience.

To that end, the training covers the following topics:

• Intercultural relations.
• North-South Relations.
• The environment.
• Gender Equality.
• Results-based management.
• Safety and logistics.
• Peruvian culture.
• Introduction of partners and supervisors.
• Introduction of internship assignments.
• Employability in international development.

After your internship, a full weekend of meetings and discussions is organized in order to help you make an assessment of your experience. The aims being to facilitate your reintegration, help integrate newly acquired skills during the internship and give you the tools to move onto the next stage that is seeking an employment.

Safety is a core concern for Éducation internationale. Working in international development involves going to countries with, in some cases, a higher level of risk due to social, economic or political issues that exist among the population. To this end, Éducation internationale has fully developed a safety policy and safety guide that will be handed to you during the training.

Living with a host family is preferred in order to allow you to have a more rewarding experience, get to know the culture in depth and create unique relationships. They could become your adoptive family for the duration of your internship! They are selected jointly by Éducation internationale and its partners. The host families are families who have volunteered to host you in their home. They are not remunerated; however, they receive a compensation to help cover their expenses for food and lodging. They are motivated by the intercultural exchange and the host experience. They have signed an agreement with Éducation internationale in order to officialize their responsibilities with you for the entire duration of your stay in Peru. After a month living with your host family, you are free to choose a different form of accommodation, such as an apartment.

Éducation internationale and Échanges azimut will book your return flights. The costs will be covered by the program.

You will receive information about the luggage policy of the chosen airline company. Should their policy not include any luggage, Éducation internationale will pay for one suitcase. However, you will have to assume the fees for any additional luggage.

Daily transportation in Peru will be covered by the monthly living allowance that you will receive. You will be informed of local transportation options during the pre-departure training.

In order to enter Peru, your passport is required to be valid until 6 months after the end date of the internship. You do not need a visa in order to enter Peru as a tourist (as your internship is not considered as remunerated, even though you receive a monthly living allowance). The maximum duration of your stay as a tourist is 183 days per year, the exact duration of your internship.

To retain your health insurance coverage, you must be present in Québec 183 days or more per calendar year (January 1 to December 31). Absences of 21 consecutive days or less are not tallied, nor are the days of departure and return. Please note that every time you spend 183 days or more outside the province in a given year, you lose your eligibility for that year. The RAMQ will require that you repay the cost of any healthcare services received during this time.

During the pre-departure meeting, Éducation internationale will give you a confirmation letter of your participation in the program. It is important to contact the RAMQ by phone prior to departure in order to update your status to Full-time, unpaid trainees outside Quebec. By updating your status, you will benefit from a special coverage with the RAMQ; it pays the full cost of hospital services received in an emergency and 75% of the cost in other circumstances.

Moreover, by updating your status with the RAMQ, the 183-day internship is tallied as time spent outside Quebec during that year.

If you are a resident of another province or territory of Canada, ask your public health system about the coverage policies of a temporary departure from Canada.

A complementary health cover will also be provided by Éducation internationale for the duration of your internship. It will no longer be active once your internship is finished so you will have to plan for another cover should you wish to travel after finishing.