Short Term Art & Fine Arts Internships Abroad

I had a fantastic time in Kosovo with Isla this past summer. Not only was I able to find an internship perfectly curated to my field and my interests, but I made connections with people that I still talk to today. The Isla team provided any information that I could ever need about the country, culture, travel to and in the country, and helped me take care of any concerns that arose while there. The communication was excellent and Isla really helps to build a community amongst the interns and offers many events and activities to take part in. This was my first experience going abroad alone for an extended period of time and I felt so safe and confident doing so with the help of Isla. I met so many people from all over the world and got to network with some incredible people in my field. The people in Kosovo are also extremely welcoming and it’s so easy to fall in love with the region. One of the best experiences I’ve had.

Spending 10 weeks in Kosovo was an amazing experience. From learning bits of the language and the deep history and culture, exploring the city, its cafes and restaurants, to hiking and travelling to nearby countries on weekends ( Montenegro, Albania, North Macedonia, Turkey and Greece), my time spent there gave me a summer to remember. Isla Internships Abroad made me feel incredibly safe and supported while interning abroad. I enjoyed my placement working in women’s rights, empowerment and policy advancement. I enjoyed meeting many other Isla interns and spending time with them while in Kosovo. I’m so grateful to Isla Internships Abroad for helping me experience such an amazing summer!

I came into this internship hoping to gain experience that would help me in my career, to travel and learn about a new culture, and to make valuable friendships and memories. My summer in Kosovo with Isla and The Ideas Partnership checked all of these boxes as well as opening up opportunities, relationships and experiences I couldn't have imagined myself having. Through the university course Isla hooked me up with, I met an ethnographer who invited me on a trip across the countryside to film for her tv show. Isla's Albanian language classes allowed me to connect with the staff and children at my work despite a language barrier. I gained knowledge of how an NGO runs and the important methodologies behind ethically serving and working with a community. I enjoyed my work and my time abroad so much that I continue to work as an international remote intern at my org The Ideas Partnership where I'm now creating a pen pal project to connect American kids and Kosovan kids. I got everything I wanted and so much more!

Had a great time with Beyond Academy in Tokyo. Every week they'd have events were you could meet the coordinators and other interns. I got set up with my own room in share house with a very good location. Definitely met a lot of nice people and had a bunch of cool experiences. I would recommended Beyond if you're looking to go to Tokyo!

I did an Intership in a non-profit at Sapphire Employability and Wellbeing. I met the COO Nancy and the CEO Jasmine, two very inspiring women, with a lot of passion for what they are doing and a willingness to make the World a better place. I learned a lot, they let me manage a lot of task during the Internship since they trusted me. As far as experience with Absolute, Cortney and Emma, were wonderful, they mede us feel more as friends than work. They were there for us for every little problems.

I am so grateful to have gone to Spain with Isla last summer. Malaga is a beautiful and fun city where I made many international friends and got to experience the amazing Spanish culture. My internship wasn’t exactly what I was expecting, but Isla worked with me to set up new opportunities to ensure I was getting a lot out of my experience. I met so many wonderful people on my trip and had so much fun.

This program was amazing, at least for me. You can travel abroad and interact with different cultures that you are unfamiliar with. My time in Japan was super fun and busy at the same time. Because even though I have 2 months of this internship, I still feel like that won't be enough because there are so many activities that you want to explore and try for the first time here. As for the internship, I got out of my bubble because I was working with a startup company that pushed my skills in engineering further, and their office is one of Tokyo's biggest incubator centers! I never knew it was a place before working here. I have met and talked to many different people from various countries. Q: What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it? A: The most nerve-racking moment is usually how I communicate with the Japanese people. Even with ChatGPT/Gemini Live translation or Google Translate, it still takes a lot of efforts to communicate with each other for both me and them. However, if me and them are patient and respectful enough with each other, that usually can be solved easily! Pros - Food - New friends - Places/View What other participants should know - Not as cheap as you actually thought (For - some services) - Confusing for the first few days (language, transportation)

I’m currently in the final two weeks of my program, and it’s been a really positive experience so far. Moving to another country and starting a new program can be a little overwhelming at first, but the Sekaia team did a great job coordinating everything and making the process much smoother. Of course, there were a few small hiccups along the way, which is probably unavoidable in any international program. What impressed me most was how professionally the team handled them. Whenever something came up, they were quick to respond, kept everyone informed, and worked hard to make sure things were resolved as smoothly as possible. Living in Tokyo has also been an incredible experience. Outside of work, I’ve had plenty of opportunities to explore different parts of the city, try new food, visit attractions, and experience everyday life in Japan. One of my favorite parts has been using weekends to travel outside Tokyo and see other areas of the country, which has made the experience even more memorable. The Sekaia staff has always been friendly, approachable, and genuinely willing to help whenever needed. It never felt like we were left on our own, and knowing there was a reliable support system made a big difference. While I still have a couple of weeks left, I’m very happy with my experience so far and would definitely recommend the program to anyone interested in spending time in Japan while gaining valuable international

Living in London was one of the most transformative experiences of my life. For two months, I immersed myself in a world of history, music, friendship, and entrepreneurship, creating memories that would stay with me forever. I spent my days exploring London's incredible museums and historic landmarks, and my nights discovering its vibrant nightlife with friends. One of the most unforgettable experiences was performing piano concerts at the top of The Shard every weekend for two months. Looking out over the London skyline while sharing my music with others was an extraordinary experience that combined my passion for music with the excitement of living in one of the world's greatest cities. I also had the opportunity to visit Stonehenge, standing among thousands of years of history and experiencing something I had previously only imagined. At the same time, I was building my own e-commerce business, digitally selling my inventions for the first time. While exploring a new country and experiencing incredible opportunities, I was also learning how to turn my ideas into products and share them with the world. Looking back, what made this experience so special was the combination of everything happening at once. I was discovering new cultures, meeting incredible people, performing music, exploring history, and building a business of my own. London changed the way I saw life. It showed me that I could pursue my creativity, build something meaningful, and experience the world beyond what I had ever imagined. Those two months gave me confidence, independence, and a renewed sense of possibility. It was a chapter filled with adventure, personal growth, and unforgettable experiences that helped shape the person I am today.

I enjoyed working in collaboration with ISLA this past summer and my subsequent internship with PROAMB in Malaga. The ISLA staff is very supportive and attentive to your needs, and Malaga is a vibrant young city with lots to offer! PROAMB was a small sustainability consultancy, whose campaugn this summer requirede the work of myself and a team to travel to towns all over the province of Malaga and work with local communities (stakeholders, businesses, local governements, etc.) to improve their circular economies. The team was truly accommodating, and my housing was in the university neighborhood filled with bars and restaurants. Overall, a very positive experience.

Thanks to AI, I got an internship at a Singaporean company. They were super nice and flew me to the Philippines and Malaysia, so I got to see firsthand how business works across Southeast Asia. I learned a lot, worked with people from different cultures and backgrounds, and made good connections that I still keep today. It was a great experience, and I would happily do it all again tomorrow.

I had the opportunity to intern abroad for two months as part of Absolute Internship's intern abroad program. I am especially grateful, as this program provided me with the invaluable opportunity to grow outside of my comfort zone, creating new connections with professionals from various backgrounds, and helped me develop and strengthen skills such as cross-cultural communication and the ability to adapt and efficiently navigate through diverse perspectives and situations. Additionally, I was fully immersed in Chinese language as I spoke Chinese to the teachers and my supervisor every day, improving my language skills and learning words that were more applicable to everyday conversation rather than textbook words I’ll usually never use after I learned them. Honestly, I learned more Chinese from my company in two months than from my textbook that I’ve had for two years! As I plan to be a mental health therapist for my future profession, I wanted to focus my outreach on Asian communities, as mental health is not often discussed in Asian communities due to cultural values and beliefs. For example, if you face mental health challenges, many will come to the assumption that you don’t respect and appreciate what your parents have done for you. When I had the opportunity to intern abroad, it was a big challenge for me to find such a specific internship due to the language barrier, as my Mandarin isn’t good because I speak Cantonese at home. Luckily, I found ELG (Engage, Learn, and Grow), a bilingual school for neurodiverse children that offers not only education but also integrated therapy in various fields. For example, in addition to classes such as math, science, and literature, they also have music therapy, art therapy, speech therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. Rather than approaching neurodiversity as a “problem that needs to be solved,” like how mental health challenges need to be “fixed” or in other words “gotten rid of,” I admire how ELG takes a strength-based approach for their kids, working with what they can already do and continue to build on top of their skills. Many of the kids at ELG are autistic or undiagnosed; there are also kids with Tourette's syndrome, Rett’s syndrome, and Down syndrome. While planning my career path, working with neurodiversity had never really crossed my mind. Although I didn’t get to work in mental health, I’m really glad that I was able to experience first-hand how speech, occupation, and physical therapy, art, and music-based therapies are done. I am especially grateful for having the opportunity to work directly with neurodivergent kids, as it made me feel happy that I can be a part of their growth and development process, helping them build on their skill sets every day. During the first week of my internship, I was really overwhelmed because I had never really worked with neurodivergent children before. However, being immersed in a new environment pushed me to grow out of my comfort zone and develop an understanding of different community contexts cross-culturally. As I got to know the kids more, I became adaptable to each kid’s needs and as I got to know the kids more, all of the kids are really cute, each in their own way. For example, there is one boy who speaks very softly, and even if other kids take away his toys, he doesn’t get mad, doesn’t complain. Unexpectedly, what’s funny is that he also likes to run. By this, I mean he needs his hand to be constantly held when going to classes, or else he will start running off to wherever he wants. Another girl throws tantrums very easily and is very bossy to teachers, as she tells them to stop talking and yells at them, but when you ask her about the show My Little Pony, her face lights up, and she’ll tell you everything about each pony in the show. I also taught one of the kids how to play UNO! When I first shuffled the cards, her eyes widened, and she was so impressed that she had me teach her how to shuffle cards. She told me that she would go back home and practice, then by the 3rd day, she was a pro! One moment that I am really proud of is when I got a girl outside her comfort zone by coming up with new games to play with the kids during recess time. Usually, the teachers let the kids do their own thing, however, I thought that it felt a bit boring, so I came up with a catching game with bean bags. Once she heard other kids laughing, she came out of her foam-board shelter to see what was going on. I invited her to play, and she immediately loved the game! After that day, she started to come out of her shelter and play with me and the other kids more often! When working with the kids at ELG, I especially love seeing the wide smile on their faces when I teach them something fascinating and new, and likewise, they make me smile when they master what I’ve taught them. One moment that I will cherish with me from this internship is my connection with one of the kids in the class I was assigned to. He reminded me a lot of myself, feeling uncomfortable in loud and unfamiliar places, introverted most times, and slow to warm up, but once he got comfortable, he was sticking with me 24/7! Although he’s around the age of a 1st grader, his speech is still developing, but he can completely understand what you’re saying. To get him to practice speaking, during snack time I would always have him say phrases like “please help open” or “cracker” in Chinese. Sometimes when he wants a toy, I have him say the specific toy, and then I give it to him. Other times, I have him say “hello” when I see him in the mornings, and he can say “bye-bye” very clearly. So cute! I will really miss him when I go home, and the friendships I’ve made with my teachers and the aunties that I’ve worked with as well. Although we all live in different places, we leave from the same metro station, so I really miss always taking the metro with them back home after work! From countless metro rides going home with them, I learned so much about how to work in the ELG classroom environment, like how sitting is better than standing in the classroom, even if you don’t feel like sitting, because the kids will feel a sense of pressure if they see you standing, and even how to take ELG’s strength based approach when working with kids rather than simply doing the task for them or telling them how to do it. Coming from an Asian American background, community was always valued a lot, and I felt like I was missing that when I was in America. When I started my internship in China, I immediately felt the sense of community that I was missing. After working at ELG for two months, the ELG community feels like a family to me, and it was really hard to say goodbye. Although I feel like two months is a short time, I really saw the progress of each kid that I’ve worked with, and I’m really proud and happy that I was able to be a part of their growth. I’m glad that I was able to work with diverse groups of people and met so many professionals from various backgrounds, as I learned a lot just by being with them. I also believe that the neurodivergent community also receives stigmatization, like mental health, and for that, I want to not only expand my outreach to these two communities but also advocate for them as well. I hope that I will be able to go back to ELG and intern for them again, however I’m not sure that’s possible because of financial expenses of being abroad My internship truly gave me the most valuable experience, not only of being abroad, but also the special connections that I’ve made in China and the sense of community that felt like home.

Originally, I had a placement that wasn’t a great fit and Isla was so quick to place me somewhere better for my needs! I was able to help out in a Michelin-star restaurant to make a sustainability plan for them to receive a Michelin green star!

Don't get me wrong, my first week in Shanghai was really tough. It happened to stand in a supermarket and try to understand something basic. It is precisely this kind of challenges that I have chosen, and GAC provided me with a good support system for that. My placement was in a business consultancy, and my team members were pretty tolerant to me. They did not ignore me; they were taking things slowly in the meetings, tried to explain everything to me, and invited me to lunch even though I hardly knew how to speak Chinese. The tasks I had to complete were real. By week three, I became an active participant of client presentations and conducted market research for European brands entering the Asian market. And here I must say that the GAC took care of all those issues which I would have been worrying about otherwise – my visa, accommodation, transportation from the airport, etc. Those three months changed my understanding of my capabilities entirely. Not only I have gained some experience, but also have changed the way I look at life now. So, if you have any doubts, just go for it!

This past summer I interned abroad in Cape Town, South Africa at the Legal Resource Centre as a Legal Intern. What made my experience so great was the people and my program advisor Carla. Upon arriving in Cape Town me and my fellow interns were able to meet up with Carla and get more information about Cape Town. We then got to know each other better and proceed to have the best 8 weeks!

I had the most amazing time ever in Europe in general. I was able to explore most of the Malaga region in Spain. Met new people got to travel and shop. I was able to scratch of 3 countries that I wanted to go to Spain, Portugal and France

My summer in London, working for Shout Out UK through Absolute Internship, was a truly historic time in my life. Traveling across the world with my best friend and living beside her made the experience even more memorable. As two excited and ambitious young women, hungry for what the world had to offer, we navigated the paramount city of London. By embracing new cultures, pushing ourselves out of our comfort zones, and sleeping for the shortest bits of time, we created memories I will carry forever. Beyond the professional growth and hands-on experience with UK public policy, this journey allowed me to exit my head, gain further independence, and discover beautiful parts of myself. The structure of this program taught me adaptability, self-confidence, and how to embrace the unfamiliar. My experience was made more vibrant by connecting to new people from all parts of the world and learning about their stories and goals. The simple moments of sharing a chat, going grocery shopping, or impromptu trips to Spoons fulfilled me. Absolute Internship gave me more than an additional section on my resume; they handed me the experience of a lifetime, a new perspective on life, and a chapter of time that I can forever reminisce on.

Studying abroad in Dublin, Ireland, and participating in the internship program was truly one of the best experiences of my life. I had the incredible opportunity to work at a medical negligence and personal injury law firm, where I gained valuable professional experience and developed a better understanding of the legal field. The placement exceeded my expectations, and I could not have asked for a better internship experience. Everyone was welcoming, supportive, and willing to help me learn, which made me feel comfortable and included from the very beginning. One of the aspects I appreciated most was how structured and organized the entire program was. From the initial preparation to the internship placement and support throughout the experience, everything was thoughtfully planned. The program provided clear expectations, consistent communication, and guidance whenever needed, which made the transition to living and working in another country so much easier. I always felt supported and knew there were resources available if I needed assistance. Beyond the professional opportunities, living in Dublin allowed me to immerse myself in a new culture, meet amazing people, explore Ireland, and step outside of my comfort zone. This experience helped me grow both personally and professionally, while giving me memories and connections that I will carry with me for years to come. I am incredibly grateful for the opportunity and would highly recommend this program to anyone considering studying abroad or completing an international internship. It was truly an unforgettable experience, and I would do it all over again in a heartbeat!

Over the summer, I had the amazing opportunity to study abroad in Ireland and intern at a tourism company through Bucknell University's College of Management program. I cannot say how much this experience has impacted my life, and as moments pass and the world keeps moving, I will always remember the people I met, the family I found across the sea, and how to live life to the fullest. Mark was an amazing boss, friend, and mentor. He taught me valuable lessons that not only helped me in my job as a marketer, but also gave me lessons I can use throughout life. Going into the internship, I honestly had no idea what the job would mean. After traveling an hour and a half to get there on my first day, I showed up in slacks, a button-up, and a purse, ready to be a business professional. I thought I'd sit behind a desk and curate videos and media. I quickly learned that was not the agenda. Instead, four amazing puppies greeted me at the door. Then I met Mark and Paddy—a 6'7" red-haired Irish man who admittedly scared me a little at first but quickly became one of the funniest people I will always remember. Their kind faces and welcoming community made me feel like I could create my own home here. That first day, we went on a five-mile hike. I was completely underdressed and hadn't worn the right clothes, but I was so excited to start working. Looking at the Irish land and atmosphere made me fully take in nature and the history behind it. After 8 weeks, I never got bored of the view and now fully understand all the Irish jokes along the way. Between balancing my classes and job, sometimes were stressful, but the people I met that I will never forget made it that much worth it. I hope to find myself back in Ireland, where my second home belongs. If you are ever nervous about going somewhere you have never been or starting a new job, take that step, because it might help you build the kind of feeling you've always been searching for. From the memories of fun class excursions through different parts of Ireland to the small fishing port I love so much, I will always carry this experience with me. If you are in Ireland, I would highly, highly recommend visiting Howth, where you will experience more than just an amazing tour; you might just leave with a memory you will never forget. I came to Ireland feeling like I was missing something from my life and came back finding myself and more, so if you want a professional or personal change, I would highly, highly recommend joining Connect-123 for memories that will change your life.

My experience so far has been absolutely eye-opening. I have built up the motivation to want to improve my Japanese skills and eventually move to Tokyo in the future. As of the experience, I am currently learning the process of supply chain as I am pursuing this internship. This is allowing me to identify my mistakes, then instantly correct them to improve the business model. The process has been very much a trial and error. It's pushing me to stay motivated and learn more and ultimately gain as much out of this working environment in Japan. Q: What is your advice to future travelers on this program? A: Have an open mind when coming to Tokyo. It's an extreme urban city; with that being said, there're endless things to do on a daily basis after work. Be open to learning some sort of language during your stay in Japan. Pros - Living in Japan for 1-2 months - Amazing work experience; infinite skills to learn - Experiencing new cultures and work environments What other participants should know - Metropolitan area may be very overwhelming - Extrememly crowded - Wishing for more Japanese speaking opportunities