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Thank you for your interest in starting an IAESTE Local Committee on your campus. Below you will find information on what our student chapters, also known as Local Committees ("LCs"), do and what you can do to start a chapter on your campus.
Background and Purposes
IAESTE, the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience, is an international organization with over 80 member countries. IAESTE United States is the U.S. national committee of this organization. The National Committee is located in Columbia, Maryland. Local Committees serve as local chapters all around the country. There are more than 25 student chapters based at the best engineering and sciences universities in the U.S.
IAESTE United States is a membership organization dedicated to developing global skills in tomorrow's technical leaders. IAESTE United States offers a number of experiences designed to give members global skills, leadership training in a technical context. Student and professional members attend conferences, administer IAESTE events and activities, and meet other IAESTE engineers and scientists from around the country and world. Members also work to further international understanding and goodwill among students, host companies, educational institutions and the community at large.
In addition, IAESTE LCs assist the National Committee in locating U.S. technical employers willing to hire an international intern. IAESTE United States exchanges these internship commitments, or "offers," with IAESTE counterpart countries from around the world each January at an annual exchange conference. Therefore, we return home from the conference with a reciprocal number of internships for U.S. students that would like to intern abroad. During the spring, the IAESTE National Committee works with its counterpart committees around the world to identify a single qualified candidate for its internships. After the U.S. employer approves the internship, the national committee provides the necessary work documentation for international students to come intern in the U.S. Local Committees then organize housing, airport pickup, and social activities for incoming international interns. In return, we try to send as many U.S. students overseas as the number of offers we have located.
All LCs work to further the mission of IAESTE United States: "Developing Global Skills in Tomorrow's Technical Leaders." In fact, all LC activities should relate to this mission.
Similarly, all LCs share a set of common purposes:
- To serve the membership by facilitating experiences and events that develop global skills in tomorrow's technical leaders.
- To promote and arrange educational activities for United States and international students in order to advance their knowledge of engineering, natural and physical sciences, other technical fields of study and cultural education.
- To further international understanding and goodwill among students, host companies, educational institutions, and the community at large.
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Activities
What types of activities are LCs involved in to achieve these purposes and mission? IAESTE Local Committees participate in the following activities:
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Act as affiliates of the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE) United States.
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Cultivate domestic internships with U.S. employers in return for sending LC members overseas for international internships.
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Assist with locating housing and organizing social events for incoming international IAESTE student interns.
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Execute student organization activities that promote the mission and purposes of IAESTE United States. Represent IAESTE United States on campus.
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Attend regional and national student conferences.
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Engage in fundraising activities that support the mission and purposes of IAESTE United States.
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Requirements
Technical students at U.S. universities wishing to establish an LC of IAESTE United States must meet certain criteria for joining the organization. There are two levels of recognition, Associate status and Full-member status, both with different criteria and benefits. LCs must first join as associate members. Prospective associate member LCs must:
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Ensure that your college or university is an accredited college or university offering a bachelor's, master's, or Ph.D. program in engineering, computer science, natural and physical sciences, architecture, agricultural sciences or other technical field.
- Have an engineering, science or other technical bachelor's, master's, or Ph.D. program that is ranked in the top 25 universities in the United States according to U.S. News and World Report at the time of application.
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Procedures
If your school meets the above requirements, the procedures to become an associate member are as follows:
- Agree to adhere to the guidelines of IAESTE United States.
Become an officially recognized student group by your university.
- Submit your bylaws to the IAESTE National Office. It is important to use the Sample By-Laws since it contains language required by IAESTE United States explaining the LC's relationship to the national office.
- Participate in securing job offers for international interns. That is, raise (submit signed offer form to the National Office) a minimum of one job offer(s) for international interns and/or provide reception. activities for incoming interns. It is important to note that all LCs must identify commitments from U.S. employers and ensure that the employers are fulfilling this commitment. LC admission and good standing status is based in part on the ability of a LC to locate positions and provide reception services for international interns.
- Complete the Associate LC Application. The application consists of the components below (all may be requested by contacting iaeste@aipt.org).
- The "LC Application" with the signatures of the chapter President, Job-Raising Coordinator, Reception Coordinator, Faculty/Staff Advisor, and 10 students willing to join the group. This application should be accompanied by 10 membership applications and membership dues.
- IAESTE United States Chapter Affiliation Agreement.
- Tax Application to receive a Federal Tax ID Number as part of IAESTE United States Group Exemption.
- This application will be presented to the IAESTE Regional business meeting at the Fall Regional Conference, which takes place annually in September or October. The student group applying should attend the meeting and discuss their application with business meeting participants.Associate member LCs must receive a simple majority to officially enter the organization.If accepted, the LC will be recognized as an Associate LC and receive official member discounts for applications for placement.
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Benefits
Some of the many benefits of Associate Membership include:
- Access to Members-Only Web site.
- Ability to attend all IAESTE United States Conferences.
- Access to international internships for members in return for raising domestic internship offers.
- All benefits offered to individual student membership (upon acceptance); this is the only way to join as a student member.
- Support from National Committee Regional Coordinators and Regional Representatives
- Access to new LC funding opportunities.
- Discounts for applications for placement and members-only scholarship opportunities.
We recommend that you review the student members-only section of the IAESTE United States Web site (contact iaeste@aipt.org for a guest login ID). The members-only section contains resources and tools necessary for successfully operating a Local Committee. Next, you should contact your elected regional representative to learn more about what other LCs are doing in your region. We can also supply you with promotional materials and hard copies of brochures, LC manuals and other giveaway items.
Please contact iaeste@aipt.org or 410.997.3069 for more information and regional coordinator contact information. Thank you for your interest in IAESTE United States.
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