What insurance is required for Erasmus+ teaching assistants?

The State Claims Agency (SCA) confirms that the School, its servants and or/agents, will be indemnified by the State in respect of any claims for personal injury and third party property damage, arising from the negligence of the School, its servants and/or agents in respect of third level students on work placement with the School.  This indemnity extends to cover only the negligence of the School, its servants and/or agents, and does not extend to indemnify any third party, its servants and/or agents concerning any negligent act or omission by the latter.

As State indemnity cannot extend to cover the negligent acts of third parties, any third parties being engaged e.g. (Individual, University, training centre or company with whom the applicant applied through) should have the appropriate insurances in place to cover their negligence. The territorial and jurisdictional limits should include the Republic of Ireland.  In addition, the participant should obtain a valid European Health Insurance Card (EHIC) for the duration of the trip if appropriate.

For such work placements we advise the following risk management (non-exhaustive) considerations;                 

• All activities/programmes that the students are involved in should be formally approved by the Board of Management;      

• Those on work placements should be engaged on the basis of an agreed protocol. This should include:  

  • Terms and conditions of the engagement, for example working hours, duties, reporting structure etc.;

  • Risk assessment - as with any activity a risk assessment must be completed prior to engagement of the individual and identified control measures implemented. Risk control measures for engagements of those on work placement should be directly related to the individual’s level of competence and the activities they shall undertake. The risk assessment should also consider data protection and confidentiality policies/protocols etc.;

  • Supervision - requirements in relation to supervision should be clearly set out. Those on work placements should be appropriately supervised at all times;

  • Training requirements - all those on work placements must receive, at minimum, appropriate induction training. Should a person on a work placement require additional training, such as manual handling and/or people handling training, arrangements should be made for the provision of same before they are engaged by the school;    

  • Garda clearance/vetting, references and proof of qualifications where necessary.  

  • All placements should be conducted in accordance with terms and conditions of any contracts agreed with the third-party organisation