ESTIEM (European Students of Industrial Engineering and Management) was founded in 1990 and since then dozens of university and college IEM departments have joined.
Kaplaaki is one of the founding members of ESTIEM. ESTIEM currently has 77 local organisations in 30 countries and around 60 000 members.
ESTIEM aims to create and nurture relationships among European students of the Industrial Engineering and Management field and therefore has many different projects at both local and European level. The best known projects and events are T.I.M.E.S and Vision, as well as various student exchange schemes. ESTIEM’s policies are decided at the twice-yearly Council Meeting (CM). Kaplaaki is always represented at these meetings.This page presents the guidelines for ESTIEM travel reimnursments. Please read the instructions carefully to avoid unnecessary corrective work. Please send the completed claim form to talous@kaplaaki.fi and estiem@kaplaaki.fi
Activity weeks = Activity Week focuses on a specific cultural theme such as art, food, sport, history or leisure activities. The week can include festivals, excursions, hiking or even skiing. Activity weeks offer ESTIEMers unique experiences while also ensuring their intercultural development.
BrainTrainer = An academic event which provides a high quality and interactive learning experience focused on soft and business skills. The event is led by professional trainers, and the training is meant to prepare participants for their future business lives.
Council Meeting = General Assembly of ESTIEM, held twice a year. Representatives from all Local Groups across Europe gather for the meeting. The meetings decide on upcoming projects and events, and set future directions. Additionally, elections for ESTIEM’s board members and committee project leaders take place during these meetings. Two delegates are sent to the event, and in addition to them, anyone can apply to become a working group leader in the CM or participate in the event through extra spots.
Europe 3D = An academic event in which participants get to experience European countries in three different dimensions: politics, economy and culture. The participants get to promote the sense of community within ESTIEM and enhance their international awareness. The event includes for example workshops, lectures, activities, or other cultural events. Typically, 20 ESTIEMers and 20 participants from outside ESTIEM are able to attend the event
LG Exchange/ LG X = A week long exchange to another Local Group’s city. The week typically includes a city tour, an introduction to the local culture, night activities, delicious food and amazing ESTIEM spirit. LG Exchanges are low threshold activities that anyone can apply for! LG Lappeenranta participates in these exchanges annually and information about the events are communicated on Kaplaaki’s Facebook and Telegram channels.
T.I.M.E.S = Tournament in Management and Engineering Skills
A prestigious IEM case study competition, in which Kaplaaki has achieved moderate success. In the initial rounds of the competition, various case tasks are solved and the results are presented to a judging panel composed of our department’s staff. The winning team from the initial rounds advances to the semifinals to compete against other winning teams. Kaplaaki organizes the T.I.M.E.S. preliminary rounds every year in late autumn or early spring.
Vision = Vision is a week-long event that includes not only an academic component but also a lot of leisure activities and exploration of the local culture. The academic studies often relate to the specific expertise or focus of the Local Group (LG) hosting the event. These projects aim to foster relationships among students, researchers, and representatives from the business world. The goal is also to enhance students’ creativity and skills through various workshops and training sessions.
In Lappeenranta, Vision events have also been organized, with the most recent one taking place in January 2010.
All ESTIEM members can apply for the events. If you are not a member yet, you can join ESTIEM by sending an email to: estiem@kaplaaki.fiApply for events at www.estiem.org/events
Kaplaaki supports your travels and participates in the costs arising from the events.
- Navigate to the front page of the ESTIEM portal.
- Log in to the ESTIEM portal. For this, you’ll need your ESTIEM account information, which you most likely received during your orientation weeks. If you don’t have the credentials or if you have questions related to travel, contact the ESTIEM coordinator at estiem@kaplaaki.fi.
- Go to ‘Home’ -> ‘Events’ -> Select the event you want to attend. You’ll now see a page with detailed information about the event. To apply for the event, click on ‘Apply for the event’.
- A text field will open up where you can write a motivation letter to the event organizers, explaining why you should be chosen for the event (some events might have a lot of applicants).
- Fill in the requested information in the fields.
Note: Finnish participants do not need to fill in the visa section.
International students: Check whether you need to apply for a visa for the trip.
Checklist:
- Find the cheapest flight/train tickets for your trip and remember to keep the receipts.
- Have the best week of your life at the ESTIEM event, and get to know new people and cultures.
- Submit your travel report and expense reimbursement request along with receipts to the ESTIEM responsible and Kaplaaki’s treasurer. It’s most sensible to submit both the travel report and reimbursement request at the same time, and for clarity, it would be good to compile all receipts into a single PDF file.
Conditions that need to be met for reimbursement of expenses
- You are a member of Kaplaaki and ESTIEM and you are currently a student.
- You have taken part in an ESTIEM trip and have received a certificate of participation and a certificate of payment. These documents can be obtained by requesting them from the organiser of the trip.
- You have written a travel report on your trip. Examples can be found on the Kaplaaki website. If you are traveling with several people from Kaplaaki, you can write a travel report together. One travel report per trip is sufficient.
- You must apply for reimbursement within 2 months of the start date of your trip. The dates of your ESTIEM events need to match the dates of your travel tickets. If for any reason this is not the case, please contact the person Local responsible BEFORE you buy your tickets.
Be aware!
A maximum of two trips in the same calendar year will be reimbursed!
All necessary receipts and proof of payment must be presented!
How do I claim reimbursement?
- Download the form on the Kaplaaki website:
- To find the application form: Kaplaaki -> Rules and instructions -> Expense reimbursement form.
- The PDF file has active text fields where you can fill in the information directly.
- There are two different expense claim forms on the website; the only difference is that one of them is accompanied by additional specification sheets, for those who may need them. For ESTIEM travel expenses, you can use the more concise form, the “Expense claim form”.
- Fill in the required personal information in the active fields:
- full name
- phone number
- email address
- Bank
- bank account number.
- Please attach proof of payment for tickets and participation fee and any other receipts:
- date of receipt
- the date of the receipt (e.g. air ticket Helsinki-Paris)
- The amount of the receipt
- NOTE! The document base has an automatic totalizer that adds up the totals of all the receipts you provide. Check that the total is correct, and correct it manually if it is incorrect.
- In the Attachment field, indicate which documents you have attached.
- E.g. 2x air ticket, 2x receipt for air ticket…
- NOTE! You must attach a screenshot or other proof from your online bank showing the amount paid.
- Include the date, place and signature of the payment.
Please read the material provided carefully to ensure that your application is not incomplete.
How many journeys will I be reimbursed for?
Each Kaplaaki member is entitled to two (2) reimbursable trips per calendar year. The amount of reimbursement for ESTIEM trips depends on the event as well as the type of event. ESTIEM trips are categorised into three types of events for reimbursement purposes:
- Hobby event
- Academic event
- Representation trip
If you want to travel more, remember that even without reimbursement, ESTIEM trips are really cheap. The participation fee includes everything.
How much will my trip cost?
The costs of your ESTIEM trip consist of the participation fee and travel costs (e.g. plane tickets). For all reimbursable trips, €50 of the participation fee will be reimbursed. For representation trips, the full participation fee will be reimbursed.
In addition, Kaplaaki will reimburse a percentage of the travel costs according to the type of event.
The percentages for the reimbursement of travel expenses are as follows, depending on the type of event:
- Fun event – 50%
- Academic event – 70%
- Representation event -100%
Travel expenses to the destination country and to the final destination within the destination country are considered as reimbursable travel expenses.
- For example, if the event is held in Lyon, the costs of the flight to Paris and the train to Lyon will be reimbursed.
The maximum amount of travel expenses reimbursed for a single trip is €250 per trip.
On the Event Types tab, you will find a list of ESTIEM events where you can check which category of reimbursement your trip falls under. If you cannot find your event in the list and are unsure about its reimbursement, please contact the local responsible.
What is not reimbursed
Trips within Finland are NOT eligible for reimbursement.
- For example, if the event takes place in Lyon:
- Flights to Paris and trains to Lyon are reimbursable.
- Train tickets Lappeenranta-Helsinki and HSL ticket to the airport are NOT reimbursable.
Extra charge for a suitcase or other extra service.
- For example, a hold bag, seat selection or in-flight meals are NOT reimbursable.
Special categories of air tickets.
- For example, a flight in business class is not reimbursable.
Other expenses incurred during the event
- Any voluntary/independent activity during the event which is not part of the official agenda of the event is not eligible for reimbursement.
- All compulsory fees during the event are included in the participation fee (transfers, meals, accommodation, etc.)
- For example, self-catered hotel bookings, meals or activities are NOT reimbursable.
What should I know?
The travel expenses for the reimbursement of expenses will be paid according to the cheapest possible tickets.
- Unless otherwise stated, please reserve the participation fee for your trip. In most cases, payment will be made on the first day of the event to the organisers.
- For most events, no certificate of participation or receipt for the participation fee will be provided without a separate request.
- You will need these receipts for reimbursement, so please contact the event organisers for these documents.
In addition to your tickets and ticket receipts, you will need to attach a screenshot of your online bank account.
If you have any queries or would like more information on the eligibility criteria, please contact the Local responsible at estiem@kaplaaki.fi.
Special cases of reimbursement of expenses
Participation in a “small event” before the Council Meeting
If you are attending a Council Meeting and are also attending an event in the same area on the days before or after the Council Meeting, you can apply for a special permit for reimbursement of expenses. This special authorisation allows you to obtain reimbursement of travel to and from the destination country, taking into account the different travel dates/destinations due to participation in both events.
To qualify for this special authorisation, you must meet the following conditions:
- You agree the situation BEFORE purchasing the tickets with the CT and ESTIEM representatives
- The local responsible will assess each situation individually and decide whether a special permit is possible.
- You attend a Council Meeting.
- You will attend an event in the same area, which will take place just before/after the Council Meeting.
Members are entitled to apply for a special permit as we want to encourage and activate Kaplaaki members within ESTIEM. This special permit allows Kaplaaki members to attend the Council Meeting as well as the “small event” preceding/after it, without using both of the two expense reimbursed trips at the same time.
BUFFALO=if another ESTIEMER notices you drinking your drink with your right hand and notes you about this, you must finish your drink at once
GA= general assembly, Counsil Meetings have general assemblys aka meetings during the day to go over various ESTIEM related issues such as budgets, strategy etc.
IN= International Night; participants from different countries come to the event and bring something local and well known from their country, such as different drinks and snacks, and arrange them on their own tables by country, which participants then go around during the evening
ESTIEMer= ESTIEM member, freshmen and Kaplaaki’s students can join ESTIEM during fresher week or by sending a message to the Kaplaaki’s KV and ESTIEM -Responsible
EXCHANGE= LGs (Local Groups) can organise “exchanges” between themselves, usually lasting about a week, i.e. they visit each other
LG= Local Group, i.e. a local organisation of ESTIEM, e.g. LG Lappeenranta
LR= Local Responsible, the person responsible for running the Local Group. Each Local Group has its own Local Responsible, usually re-elected annually
PUNISHMENT= some kind of punishment you can get, for example if you lose your name tag or Local Group’s flag, in which case especially the whole LG gets punished
LG FLAG= each Local Group has its own flag representing that LG. For the general penalty for loss, see above
BOARD= ESTIEM’s Board, composed of the most active members of ESTIEM and who are responsible of running ESTIEM’s activities
REGION= ESTIEM is divided into different regions (LG Lappeenranta is part of the Nordic Region), and managed by a Regional Coordinator
RC= Regional Coordinator, who directs and monitors regional activities and advises Local Responsibles
COMMITTEE = supports the ESTIEM Board and assists in decision making, committees include HR, PR, IT and Training.
LEADER = Leaders are responsible for the various groups supporting the Board, for example committees and regions have their own leaders.