Safety Abroad

All undergraduate students undertaking an international placement must read and sign a Generic Travel Risk Assessment. You will need to familiarise yourself with the risks you may encounter during your international placement and take the recommended steps to mitigate those risks. 

Staying safe while abroad is all about being well-prepared and well-informed. The University is here to offer advice, but ultimately you are responsible for ensuring that you do your research before you go and that you make sensible decisions once you’re abroad. Some of the risks you face in your destination country will be similar to risks you face in the UK, but might be more difficult to deal with because of language, cultural or procedural differences; other risks, like natural disasters or political instability, might be completely new to you.

It is important that you read Travel Risk Assessment and Approval Process 2022/23 which is located in your Learning Content, within My Placement.

Pre-departure Risk Assessments

All undergraduate students undertaking an international placement must read and sign the Generic Travel Risk Assessment located in the 'Documents Sections' in My Placement.

In addition, an Adapted Risk Assessment will be required if any of the following apply:

• if your international placement is in a ‘moderate’ or ‘high’ risk country as defined by AIG.
• if you are undertaking a work or volunteering placement for which the nature of the work has been defined as ‘high’ risk.
• if you have a pre-existing mental and/or physical health condition that is serious, unstable or difficult to manage.
• if you have personal characteristics that may place you at increased risk in undertaking your placement e.g. disability, ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation, gender

If your Country or Placement activity has been defined as 'high' or 'moderate' your Placement Co-ordinator will let you know.

Core Conditions for International Placement Approval

In order for an international placement to be approved to go ahead in the relevant host country. ALL of the following conditions must be met:

• The Generic Risk Assessment must be e-signed within My Placement;
• If required, the ADAPTED risk Assessment must be completed and fully signed off;
• The host country must not be under Foreign Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO) ‘advice against all but essential travel’ or ‘advice against all travel’
• If you have declared a pre-existing physical or mental health condition (however mild or under control) confirmation of fitness to travel should have been secured from a medical/health professional- please see Go Abroad | Preparing to go | Health & Wellbeing | The University of Manchester for more information.

Researching your destination before you go is one of the most important things you can do to avoid risk. The more you know, the better prepared you’ll be. Research can include Googling online resources, talking to students who have gone to the destination before you, looking at FCDO Travel Advice and NaTHNac. You can use the travel insurance policy number to create a profile on the AIG Travel Guard site which will give you access to resources such as country and city specific safety and security information and online modules on safety abroad.

While you are abroad, you should attend all the orientation and briefing sessions offered by your host organisation or institution and get the advice of local people on the best ways to stay safe.

Resources

General

• FCDO – Travelaware
• FCDO – Country specific guidance
• Travel Health Pro
• What to do in an emergency situation
• AIG Travel Guard

Travel/Transport

• UK Government – Driving Abroad
• US Dept of State – Road Safety Overseas
• AA – International Driving Permit
• Travel abroad from England during Coronavirus 

Health

• University of Manchester Insurance
• AIG Travel Guard
• Travel Health Pro
• Occupational Health Travel resources (University of Manchester guidance)
• World Health Organisation (WHO) International Travel and Health
• US Center for Disease Control
• Mind How You Go (FCDO advice for mental health issues)

Personal Factors

• Culture Shock and Homesickness (University of Manchester guidance)
• Overseas travel guidance for staff and students with protected characteristics (University of Manchester guidance)
• Travel Advice from the Occupational Health Service (University of Manchester guidance)
• IES Country-Specific Diversity Resources
• LGBT Foreign Travel Advice
• Stonewall Global Workplace Briefings
• Ahead - Association for Higher Education Access and Disability (Based in the Rep of Ireland providing guidance on studying abroad with a disability)