External academic internships
External academic internships constitute a training activity carried out by university students and supervised by the University, aimed at allowing them to apply and complement the knowledge acquired in their academic training, and thus promote the acquisition of skills that prepare them for professional activities, facilitate their employability, and foster their entrepreneurial capacity.
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They must ensure that the training received by students is related to the competencies and knowledge to be acquired in their studies, in relation to the field of knowledge of the studies (they can never refer only to transversal competencies)
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As a general rule, the time spent on internships is not counted towards seniority nor does it exempt from the probationary period.
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No obligations inherent to an employment relationship arise from their performance, nor can their content lead to the replacement of the work performance typical of job positions.
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Administrative and teaching support tasks cannot be considered external internships.
Undergraduate students may undertake external internships from the sixth semester onwards, and in order to pursue them, they must have completed a minimum of 120 ECTS after passing the first-year curriculum evaluation and meet the requirements among subjects. Master's students are exempt from this requirement.
MAX 900 hours PER year
As a general rule, you can undertake a maximum of 900 hours of external academic internships per academic year (period from September 16 of one year to September 15 of the following year).
MAX hours PER degree
The number of hours dedicated to external internships (curricular and extracurricular) that a student can dedicate throughout their studies will be at most, and depending on the duration in ECTS of the study plan:
- UNDERGRADUATE 240 ECTS: maximum 1,800h.
- Master's 60 ECTS: maximum of 600h.
External internships, both curricular and extracurricular, should not compromise students' academic performance. Educational centers, based on students' performance, may establish limitations or even deny the possibility of undertaking extracurricular external academic internships.
All students enrolled in any educational center dependent on the UPC may participate in educational cooperation agreements.
Educational centers may establish limitations or even deny the possibility of undertaking extracurricular external internships, based on students' performance.
Extracurricular internships cannot be recognized as curricular internships. The student must make the decision when applying for internships.
The student must inform the university via email at organitzacio.docent.foot@upc.edu of the data to initiate the agreement at least 10 business days before starting the internship. The data to be provided are:
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Company
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Tax ID (CIF)
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ID (DNI)
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Business Name
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Company Tutor
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Tutor's Email
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Tutor's ID (DNI)
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Billing Manager
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Billing Manager's Email
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Legal Representative
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Legal Representative's Email
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Type of Internship
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Total Hours
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ECTS to enroll
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Start Date
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End Date
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Study Aid €/h
Modalities - Curricular and Extracurricular Internships
Curricular Internships:
These are academic activities integrated into the study plan. This means they must be enrolled, have a tutor, and be evaluated and graded. External internships must be completed for all credits specified in the study plan.
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PLAN 2009: The number of optional credits to be enrolled for external academic internships must be a minimum of 12 ECTS (360 hours) and a maximum of 18 ECTS (540 hours), enrollable in blocks of 6 ECTS (180 hours) until the total required credits are completed.
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PLAN 2020: All students will take 18 mandatory ECTS in the 4th year, preferably in one of the patronage's optics (these ECTS cannot be recognized through professional experience).
Extracurricular Internships:
The student may voluntarily undertake extracurricular internships throughout their studies. Unlike curricular internships, they are not part of the study plan or academic record; however, they will be included in the European Diploma Supplement. If the student undertakes internships within a mobility program and in that semester/year is not enrolled, they must pay administrative fees.
Maximum hours that can be completed: 900h per academic year and 1800h in total for the studies.
Internship Typology
Internships in Collaborating Entities
These are academic activities integrated into the study plan. This means they must be enrolled, have a tutor, and be evaluated and graded. External internships must be completed for all credits specified in the study plan.
International Internships
Such as internships that students or Erasmus undertake as a continuation of a stay at another university; those undertaken by students through scholarships from other entities and where there is no foreign university as a partner; or those undertaken by a student in a company abroad without a foreign university as a partner.
IMPORTANT: the student must have travel insurance, as it is not covered by school insurance, which only provides coverage within the national territory.
Internships at the University (CUV) , it will be ensured that the training received and the tasks to be carried out are fully related to the knowledge acquired in the studies. Under no circumstances can teaching support tasks be considered external internships. Between 3 and 18 PAE credits can be earned at CUV (although enrollment must be a minimum of 12 credits), in minimum blocks of 3 credits (90 hours).
- Optometry and/or management internships can be undertaken.
- If you are interested in any of the proposed modalities, contact the CUV reception (in person or at cuv.info@upc.edu) to express your interest.
- To undertake optometry internships, the student must have completed, at a minimum, the clinical cases subject.
- To undertake management internships, the student must have completed, at a minimum, the clinical cases subject or have previously completed the eyeglass optics training cycle.
Economic Regime - Indicative Price
The regulations stipulate that students are entitled to receive a financial contribution from the collaborating entity as a study grant. External academic internships are generally paid.
The indicative price ranges from 8 to 20 euros per hour, and FOOT establishes a minimum of 6 euros per hour. Internships in the master's program are unpaid.
NEW for the 23-24 academic year How to become a tutor for undergraduate students in optometry during external practicum
Attached Documents
| UPC Regulations |
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| Regulations |
| Documentation (via PRISMA/e-secretaria) | |
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| Student Manual for Managing Agreements | Collection of manuals and FAQs |
| Low Diligence |
| Documentation only for practices at CUV | |
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| Educational Cooperation Agreement at UPC itself | Training Project |
| Host Registration | Low Diligence |
| Forms upon completion of practices |
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| Undergraduate Student Self-Evaluation |
| Master's Student Self-Evaluation |
How can you become a tutor for external practicum in the Degree in Optics and Optometry?
- Check this section
Do I need a student intern, what can I do?
- The fastest and most agile way is to post a job advertisement in our Job Board: https://footlaboral.upc.edu
Once the offer is published, what procedure is followed to fill the position?
- Once validated by the FOOT manager, the offer will be made public and will be active for 4 months. Interested students can contact the person responsible for the offer by phone and/or email.
Can a CCE be done with a family business?
- Educational Cooperation Agreements cannot be formalized if the employer and the student have a relationship of kinship up to the second degree.
What are the benefits of an educational cooperation agreement?
- No contractual relationship is established between the company and the student, the nature of the agreement is academic (Royal Decree 592/2014) and therefore the current labor legislation does NOT apply.
If I don't like the student, what can I do?
- The agreement can be terminated at any time. It is only necessary to submit the low diligence document, with the reason for the withdrawal, the date, and the signatures of the company and the student.
What is the maximum number of hours a student can work under the agreement?
- 240 ECTS credit Bachelor's degree: maximum 900 hours per academic year.
- 60 ECTS credit Master's degree: maximum of 600 hours per academic year
- The academic year runs from September 16th to September 15th of the following year.
What are CURRICULAR internships?
- The student can recognize 12 or 18 optional ECTS credits for external internships, taking into account that 1 ECTS equals 30 hours of work. These internships will be previously enrolled and will be curricular for all purposes.
What costs are associated with an educational cooperation agreement?
- In compensation for the work done, and in accordance with the interest and proposal of the company, it undertakes to pay the student directly an amount between 8 and 20€/hour (although 6€/hour is accepted), as a study grant or aid, which is fixed at the time of signing the agreement. Likewise, the Polytechnic University of Catalonia will invoice the company directly 15.7% of the total paid to the student for management expenses. The total cost that the student represents for the company is the total amount of the grant, 15.7% of this amount, and the Social Security fee.
What territorial coverage does the school insurance have?
- School insurance has coverage in the national territory and is not exportable to other countries. To carry out internships outside the national territory, a voluntary policy that covers the country where the internship is carried out must be contracted.
Is the student in internships covered in their travels?
- All trips are covered by school insurance as long as they are related to the purpose of the agreement and are carried out within the national territory.