UNIR Internships at Education Counselorships Abroad: What the New 2026 Agreement Regulates

Key data

UNIR students have had a formal pathway since June 24, 2026 to complete internships in the network of Education Counselorships that Spain maintains abroad. The agreement, published in the BOE on July 7, 2026 through the Resolution of the General Technical Secretariat, establishes the conditions, rights and obligations of all parties involved: UNIR, the Ministry of Education, Vocational Training and Sports, and the students themselves.

This is not a call for positions or a scholarship program with published economic allocation: it is the legal framework that makes it possible for these internships to be formalized and have academic validity.

What does this regulation establish?

The agreement regulates all essential aspects of external academic internships abroad. The key points are:

• Types of internships: both curricular (integrated into the study plan) and extracurricular (voluntary, outside the official curriculum).
• Scope of implementation: Spanish offices and educational centers abroad under Education Counselorships.
• Applicable legal framework: Royal Decree 592/2014, which regulates external academic internships for university students.
• Individualized training project: each student will have their own training project, adapted to their profile and destination center.
• Dual mentorship: a tutor designated by UNIR and another by the host Education Counselorship will jointly supervise the student.
• Integration into Erasmus+: internships can be framed within the European Erasmus+ program, which opens the possibility of additional funding for mobility.
• Student rights: the agreement expressly includes the rights of interns during their stay.
• Termination causes: the circumstances under which the internship may be interrupted early are regulated.
• Intellectual property: it is established who owns the products, works or materials generated by the student during the internship.

Economic and operational impact

This agreement does not establish specific monetary amounts or compensation for students: its function is to create the legal framework that enables internships. The economic and operational impact occurs on two levels:

• For UNIR students: the possibility of completing internships abroad may involve travel and accommodation costs that, depending on the destination, can be significant. Integration into Erasmus+ can cover part of these expenses through the European program's mobility grants.
• For Education Counselorships abroad: they must assume the administrative management of individual internship agreements, the designation of tutors and the supervision of training projects. This implies an additional operational burden for each Counselorship's teams.
• For UNIR: the university assumes academic coordination, the designation of its own tutors and the validation of each student's training projects.

No data has been published on the number of available positions or the economic allocation associated with internships. These aspects will be specified in individual training projects and, where applicable, in applicable Erasmus+ calls.

Who does it affect?

• UNIR undergraduate students who want to complete curricular or extracurricular internships abroad.
• UNIR postgraduate students (official master's programs) with the same interest.
• Managers and directors of Education Counselorships abroad, who must organize the reception, designate tutors and manage training projects.
• UNIR academic coordinators responsible for managing external internships.
• UNIR academic tutors who supervise students at their destination.

Practical example

A UNIR postgraduate student—for example, from the Master's in Teacher Training—wants to complete their extracurricular internship at a Spanish Education Counselorship abroad. Thanks to this agreement, the process would be as follows:

1. The student requests from UNIR to complete external internships abroad under this agreement.
2. UNIR and the destination Education Counselorship agree on an individualized training project adapted to the student's profile and the center's needs.
3. Two tutors are designated: one from UNIR and one from the host Counselorship.
4. If the destination is in a country participating in Erasmus+, the student can apply for the European program's mobility grant to cover part of travel and accommodation expenses.
5. The works or materials that the student generates during the internship are subject to the intellectual property clauses included in the agreement.
6. Upon completion, both tutors evaluate the student's performance according to the agreed training project.

What should stakeholders do now?

1. UNIR students (undergraduate and postgraduate): contact UNIR's external internship department to learn about available destinations at Education Counselorships abroad and access requirements.
2. UNIR internship coordinators: review the agreement published in the BOE and adapt internal procedures for managing external internships to the framework established by Royal Decree 592/2014.
3. Managers of Education Counselorships abroad: prepare protocols for hosting student interns: tutor designation, training project model and management of intellectual property of generated works.
4. Students interested in Erasmus+: consult with UNIR whether your internship destination is compatible with an Erasmus+ grant and what the application deadlines are for each call.
5. UNIR academic tutors: familiarize yourself with the termination causes of the agreement and the student rights included in it, to properly advise the students under your supervision.

Official source

View complete regulation at official source

Notice: This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute legal advice. For specific decisions, consult a qualified professional. Source: https://www.boe.es/diario_boe/txt.php?id=BOE-A-2026-14738