Once you have been formally accepted to ELAP, you will receive an email to access your online student portal. If you have already been accepted to an ISA program, you will have additional ELAP forms included in your existing online student portal. Please make sure to complete all forms and payment, as listed in your student portal, by the given deadline so that we can begin making on-site preparations for your ELAP program.

Approximately 2-3 weeks before departing you will receive a final packet (mailed to your permanent address) with information on your host family, housing list of other students in your program, email list, flight list, final letter and some additional goodies. Please take this information with you abroad.

Before beginning your placement abroad, an ELAP Coordinator will conduct an orientation on the culture of your host country, on-site services, health and safety, local currency, transportation, communication and answer any questions that you may have. You will also participate in a city tour during your first week in-country. If you are participating in an ELAP stand-alone program, you will work with a Spanish language tutor during the first week of your program. Tutoring is for approximately 15 hours and no transcript is given.

You will set your schedule with your on-site supervisor for your weeks of volunteering. Your ELAP On-site Coordinator will inform you of special meetings for all ELAP volunteers (weekly or biweekly) to help with suggestions at your placement, discuss challenges or triumphs and support you in any way. Each participant will also complete three evaluations during their program 1) pre-service survey 2) midpoint reflection and 3) final reflection. These are meant to help the volunteer in their personal evaluation and reflection process and also allows ELAP to respond to any concerns and/or see any personal accomplishments made by the volunteer during their time abroad.

Medical insurance is included in the price and covers the program participant for the official on-site period of program. This is not an optional benefit; every ELAP participant will be covered by the ISA medical insurance coverage. ISA requires that all students have comprehensive insurance and has arranged for a group insurance policy. Please see our Medical Insurance page here for more information on this coverage.

All participants will be placed with host families. The homestay gives participants the opportunity to experience aspects of the host country and lifestyle that are inaccessible to the average visitor, not to mention the invaluable opportunity to practice the Spanish language with locals. Each family has been carefully selected by ISA's resident staff in order to ensure a comfortable living situation. Please recognize that a certain degree of flexibility is needed to adjust to the host culture's way of life and customs. Please visit the ISA webpage here and click on the city of interest to view the complete housing descriptions in each site.

The program cost does NOT include flights, so this will be the responsibility of the ELAP participant. The program does include airport pick-up and drop-off, if arriving on the start date and departing on the end date of the program, during the times specified on the flight information document (this will be located in the online student portal).

Any travel in-country is the responsibility of the ELAP participant. ISA always encourages participants to learn more about their host country by traveling on their own during the weekends.

Local cultural activities (movies, museums visits, etc) are included. Excursions are included with your program price if you are also participating in an ISA program that includes excursions (i.e. semester/year and summer programs). If you are participating in an ELAP stand-alone program, you may choose to participate in any ISA excursion by paying the additional excursion cost. Please contact an ELAP Coordinator for dates and prices on ISA excursions that you may be interested in. You can visit the ISA webpage here and click on the city of interest to view the excursions offered per term in each site.

Please note that it is important that all ELAP participants check their email frequently and respond to emails as soon as possible. Participants must inform ELAP Coordinators of any changes in their contact information.

Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have questions!

Once you have been formally accepted to ELAP, you will receive an email to access your online student portal. If you have already been accepted to an ISA program, you will have additional ELAP forms included in your existing online student portal. Please make sure to complete all forms and payment, as listed in your student portal, by the given deadline so that we can begin making on-site preparations for your ELAP program.

Approximately 2-3 weeks before departing you will receive a final packet (mailed to your permanent address) with information on your host family, housing list of other students in your program, email list, flight list, final letter and some additional goodies. Please take this information with you abroad.

If you are participating in an ELAP stand-alone program, you will begin your placement approximately one week after arrival. During your first week in-country you will be busy with orientation, city tour and Spanish language tutoring. If you are participating in an ELAP Add-on program (following your ISA program), you will most likely begin your placement the following week. If you are participating in an ISA semester or trimester program in conjunction with ELAP, you will begin your placement approximately 3-4 weeks in-country, to allow you time to adjust to your new surroundings

Your on-site ELAP Coordinator will accompany you to your placement during your first visit. You will discuss your schedule with your supervisor at the placement at this time. All participants are expected to volunteer 15-40 hours per week, or 5-10 hours per week if combining ELAP with an ISA semester or trimester program, as you will be volunteering around your class schedule.

The ELAP Coordinator will inform you of special meetings for all ELAP volunteers (weekly or biweekly) to help with suggestions at your placement, discuss challenges or triumphs and support you in any way. Each participant will also complete three evaluations during their program 1) pre-service survey 2) midpoint reflection and 3) final reflection. These are meant to help the participant in their personal evaluation and reflection process and also allow ELAP to respond to any concerns and/or see any personal accomplishments made by the volunteer during their time abroad.

Medical insurance is included in the price and covers the program participant for the official on-site period of program. This is not an optional benefit; every ELAP participant will be covered by the ISA medical insurance coverage. ISA requires that all students have comprehensive insurance and has arranged for a group insurance policy. Please see our Medical Insurance page here for more information on this coverage.

All participants will be placed with host families. The homestay gives participants the opportunity to experience aspects of the host country and lifestyle that are inaccessible to the average visitor, not to mention the invaluable opportunity to practice the Spanish language with locals. Each family has been carefully selected by ISA's resident staff in order to ensure a comfortable living situation. Please recognize that a certain degree of flexibility is needed to adjust to the host culture's way of life and customs. Please visit the ISA webpage here and click on the city of interest to view the complete housing descriptions in each site.

The program cost does NOT include flights, so this will be the responsibility of the ELAP participant. The program does include airport pick-up and drop-off, if arriving on the start date and departing on the end date of the program, during the times specified on the flight information document (this will be located in the online student portal).

Any travel in-country is the responsibility of the ELAP participant. ISA always encourages participants to learn more about their host country by traveling on their own during the weekends.

Local cultural activities (movies, museums visits, etc) are included. Excursions are included with your program price if you are also participating in an ISA program that includes excursions (i.e. semester/year and summer programs). If you are participating in an ELAP stand-alone program, you may choose to participate in any ISA excursion by paying the additional excursion cost. Please contact an ELAP Coordinator for dates and prices on ISA excursions that you may be interested in. You can visit the ISA webpage here and click on the city of interest to view the excursions offered per term in each site.

ELAP participants can work with their university to receive academic credit. The policies of colleges and universities vary so this may not always be an option; however, many ELAP participants have successfully received "Independent Study," "Internship," "Directed Studies," or "Special Topics" credit for their volunteer program. Please click here to see a list of universities with which we have worked in the past. An asterisk next to the university name denotes that a student has received credit from the institution for their ELAP program. This list is not exhaustive; you still may be able to receive credit even if your university is not listed or marked with an asterisk. Please contact your study abroad advisor to see if it would potentially be an option for you. Many times participants can work with a professor who would be able to award the credit as well. There are no transcripts issued for any ELAP program (only for ISA academic programs from host universities); however, we do provide a certificate of volunteer hours upon completion of the program. Additionally, we can provide evaluations and training materials to your school and/or advisor, if necessary.

Steps to receiving credit:

1. Make an appointment with your advisor. Be prepared to educate him or her thoroughly about ELAP, and be sure to ask how ELAP might fulfill your college credit or internship requirements. Some advisors and universities require you to submit a paper upon return, but requirements vary from one institution to the next. If you need general assistance on these steps, please contact Karrie Hraban, your ELAP Coordinator, at elap@myelap.com.
2. Also make an appointment with an Internship Advisor (usually located in the Career Center or Center for Service-Learning) and a Study Abroad Advisor at your college or university. Inquire whether financial aid can be transferred to cover the ELAP participation fee. Bring along any information that would be required for discussing ELAP and credit possibilities, including dates you will be participating, a description of ELAP (mission statement), ELAP application, and any forms that would require the signature of the advisor, including financial aid forms.
3. Be sure and save all work materials you accumulate while abroad, such as notes, papers, reports, journals, etc. This may be particularly important to your college or university in granting academic credit.

Please note that it is important that all ELAP participants check their email frequently and respond to emails as soon as possible. Participants must inform ELAP Coordinators of any changes in their contact information.

Please feel free to contact us at any time if you have questions!