After graduating from crayon stick figures at the age of four, are you now stenciling entire scenes on your bedroom walls? Is your notebook full of ingenious recipes just waiting for taste testers (that aren’t named Mom and Dad)? A creative mind should never be confined—it’s ripe for exploring new territory, pushing the limits, and finding a unique edge. Which is why that same creative mind needs to be seeking internships for creatives... abroad.
Whether it’s practicing photography during Carnival in Rio or writing a fantasy from New Zealand’s wondrous mountains, internships abroad for artful souls are the perfect opportunity to add new elements to your portfolio and expand the breadth of your art form.
Here are our favorite types of internships for creatives that will take you to new places and inspire your next masterpiece.
Top international internships for creatives
If your heart’s already pounding just thinking about the possibilities heading abroad can bring, peruse our list of Picasso-worthy creative internships abroad and get ready to let your imagination run free.
1. Art Internships Abroad
Art is one of the universal languages, so you’ll be able to find art-based internships in galleries, studios, youth camps, and more in almost any country you visit. You can go the classic route in Europe, where artistry overflows from Le Louvre in Paris to the rich architecture of Rome. Who wouldn’t want to indulge in an art-based eurotrip before/during/after your art internship abroad. Why not start out with one of the BEST Programs in Spain where you can also enhance your romance language skills.
Or, take your skills to Africa where you can learn from artisanal pros. Not only will you get to understand hand-made craft making and utilize the colors and textures of nature, you can also practice your business skills in a sustainable internship to help local artisans sell their work with Kaya Responsible Travel. Extra bonus: participating in village life! An experience that will literally change our life. (If you don’t come out of a village experience a better person…no, not possible, you will!)
Can’t pick just one place? You don’t have to – programs like Artbound Initiative provide a multi-dimensional platform. Get to know the similarities and differences between urban art scenes as you jump from pop art in NYC to street art in Berlin.
Get inspired by the art all around you as you travel and take that to work every day.
2. Photography Internships Abroad
You don’t just want to take seflies with the Taj Mahal—you want to shoot it at the right angle, with the right sunlight, and with juuuust the right amount of people bustling through (you’ll get your selfie in after). Check out photography internships for creatives abroad and snap, snap, snap away!
Whether you are with a magazine, newspaper, photojournalist, or social media account, snapping photos of new sights, in new land, around new people will be thrilling during a photography internship abroad. The Institute for Global Studies’ photography internship will take you to the outback of Australia to teach you how to click the kangaroo mid-air, while the Global Nomadic photography program in Thailand will teach you how to appropriately ask the friendly women in the fruit market for a photo.
Since it doesn’t matter if the photo is black or white (like Michael said), what does matter is finding a program that will give you the most hands-on experience. Look for opportunities that include fieldwork or the opportunity to be advised by a pro.
3. Graphic Design Internships Abroad
Thanks to the World Wide Web, graphic design is a booming international industry. An internship in graphic design can range from an A list corporation where you can assist the design team, or a start-up NGO that needs all the design help they can get.
Instead of heading straight away to the booming digital marketplace in cities like New York and Tokyo, think about giving some emerging locations and placements a shot. You will not only get more individual attention, you will also have more opportunities to improve your self-direction and business skills. Customized placements through Premier Internships at start-ups in Ireland or Bridging Gaps at diverse companies Cape Town will give you a fresh and innovative international experience.
Don’t brush off this opportunity!
If your media interests lie in many fields, Connect 123 offers a multidisciplinary internship in design, film, AND photography in the oh-so-beautiful Buenos Aires. Improve your skills both behind the lens and in front of the computer screen – the variety will not only keep you interested, it will also give you a leg up in the job market.
4. Advertising Internships Abroad
One of the most important aspects of advertising and marketing is understanding how to reach out to the needs and wants of the people. Interning abroad in advertising challenges you to enhance your skills by understanding these needs amongst a population and culture different from your own.
Two main options for advertising internships abroad are working at a formal ad agency or working in the advertising department for a company or field you love. (Sports? Social services? Marine conservation?) With the Institute for Global Studies, which has 16 different placement countries, you get to decide which of these two paths to take!
Or, you can gain some street cred and a resume boost by working with top local and international corporations in Asia with BUNAC. If you already know you want to work in the big leagues, this would be a place for you.
There’s no such thing as over packing when it comes to your equipment.
5. Creative Writing Internships Abroad
Creative juices flow when you get out of your comfort zone and out into the world – so it makes perfect sense to head abroad for writing internships (plus, writer’s block will have a hard time following you globetrotter you).
If you want to get your feet wet in travel writing, now’s the time to do it. American students can head to Sydney to delve into an on-the-road writing adventure in culture, history, landscape, and society. If environmental writing has your focus, you can takes your travel writing a step further into the realm of journalism and storytelling, using your content for awareness raising and advocacy.
Since it’s no secret that journalism is a highly competitive field, get a leg up by working and networking with mentors and experts through internship seminars with RoosterGNN in Cuba or Spain. Workshops, excursions, fellow writers, and real-world experience—all while having a wonderful experience during international internships for creative writing majors? Yes, please!
6. Culinary Internships Abroad
Some palates are made for ethnic and international cuisines. Don’t hold yours back! Get your taste buds ready to enhance old recipes with exotic flavors and new recipes with old (grandma approved) methods.
If you want a more formal or traditional culinary experience, search through IES Internships to become a world-class chef. And, if it’s those annoying dietary restrictions you’ve been living with that pushed you into the kitchen to create your own meals, have no fear. Specialized culinary internships, like GoEco’s vegan bakery internship in Israel, are available, too!
Embark on your own Moveable Feast and channel a little Hemingway.
Rock these creative internships abroad
Each country and culture adds its own elements to every aspect of the arts - from painting to craftwork and writing to photography. Now it's time to see what you can add to your creative art! Your form of expression and talent, no matter how common or unique it is, will have an outlet out there in the world (Hey, if they have goat yoga, you’ll definitely find your seemingly strange, but actually awesome, art form, too).
Don’t let your imagination get ahead of you before you step foot on the plane! You still want to make sure the program is right for you. Read reviews and reach out to program alumni to get the 411 on all things creative internships abroad.
Ready? Set? Make the world your creative oyster!
KEEP READING: How to Get Art Internships Abroad
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