Equipeople’s Role in the Placement

We are here to try and place the student with the placement best suited to providing him/her with an enjoyable and safe time in Ireland.

Placement
We have a host base of over 400 host families who have all been visited by us in advance and who we feel are suitable to host a student. We look at the details provided by the student and try to link them with a host. When we visit a host we have a look at the accommodation available, the farm itself and discuss in depth with the host what our students require and what their motivation is for coming to Ireland. It is important to us that the host understands that the student is here to learn and is not cheap labour.

Second placements
If a student is really not happy with their placement and is staying for longer than six weeks, we will attempt to place them with another family free of
charge subject to availability. Sometimes you can have a great student and host but their personalities are not compatible, in this case, we will usually be able to place the student with a second family and in exceptional circumstances a third. However, we will not place students in a second work experience if the first placement does not work out because the student has taken drugs, stolen or behaved in a socially unacceptable way such as getting drunk.

Welcome packs
Upon arrival, students receive a Welcome Pack from us. In the Welcome Pack we have information about farming, Ireland and places to visit. It also contains material on tourist safety. We include some info on sightseeing tours that are available to our students. These trips are very popular with our applicants as they get to see some of Ireland, learn more about its farming methods and generally have a good time with people of their own age. Also in the Welcome Pack is a Contact Sheet with the names, nationalities, location and phone numbers of all the other students we have in Ireland at that time.

Phone calls
Soon after the student’s arrival into Ireland we call them to make sure that both the student and the host are happy with the match. At this stage we are in a position to sort out any small teething problems between host and student to ensure that the placement works for both of them. Sometimes if there are minor issues we keep a note to call the student again in a couple of days or a week to see how he/she is getting on. Very often there are just settling in problems.

Site Visits
All students staying at least three months receive a site visit from us. We do not guarantee a visit to students staying for shorter periods of time, but if we are in the area, we will do so. At the placement, we sit down and talk to the host and the student separately. We make sure that we have a chat in a closed room so that the host/student feels free to speak their mind. We ask them both how they are getting on, if there are any problems or if there is anything that Equipeople can do for them.

If there are any problems we try to sort it out but if we can’t or we feel that the placement is not going to work out then we can offer them another work experience. We keep a detailed record of any discussions with both the host and student, firstly, so that we are building up a history of the host, and secondly, to ensure that we have a record of how the student felt about the placement at this time. One copy of this record is attached to the student’s file and one to the host’s file. Occasionally students will receive two site visits from us, but that is usually only if they are here for a long stay.

Travel Arrangements
Equipeople organises the students transport to and from the airport, but the student pays for it. Once we have the students arrival details we will organise for them to get to the host. Sometimes, the host will collect the student at the airport, other times they will need to get a bus or a train. We will e-mail you these details which include exactly what to do and how much it is going to cost. We also include our contact details and the host’s contact details in the event of a problem. Download a Sample of a Travel Arrangement

Back up services
Equipeople is here to deal with any problems or queries that the student has. In the event of a serious problem or if we should feel that the student is not safe we will remove the student from the placement and will arrange safe alternative accommodation until a new plan is organised.