Forestry Internships in Costa Rica

Had the most wonderful internship at Projekt Ubuntu Connekt! Worked with an amazing team, consisting of 2 amazing community women leaders, at the community hall. The time I spend with the children was special and I learned so much from them! I felt so at home in the community and was surrounded with great joy everyday!

Overall I had a great experience on this internship! I was able to fully immerse myself in the culture, work entirely in Spanish, and see remote parts of the Amazon. At times the difference in work culture was hard to adapt to, and it was hard to work in a second language, but this only made the experience more valuable in the end. Definitely an experience you can’t get anywhere else.

I thoroughly enjoyed my time here at sos animal. This organization is run by people who truly care about each animal on property. I met the most amazing people from all over the world while being in a breathtaking place.

My time in Greece was great; I loved my supervisors and colleagues who were all so kind and welcoming. There is so much to do and see in the country, I did some kind of trip pretty much every weekend. The cost of living is pretty inexpensive compared to other European countries, and every one speaks English if Greek is a struggle.

Kenya was never on top of my list for tourism. Initially overlooked, but later missed, my time in Kenya was rewarding and necessary. The beautiful people, welcoming environments, unbelievable nature, and support that came with the internship made this program important. Now I’m just waiting to go back.

This is my first internship in this organization. My overall evaluation is that this internship experience has taught me a lot, and I believe it will be helpful to me in the future. The main task and responsibility is to complete the tasks assigned by the supervisor. Key learnings in areas of interest: I learned skills that can be transferred to future positions, and I also learned skills about databases and Android systems on a professional and personal level. The most enjoyable thing is that I can learn a lot of experience. Not really, because every mission is a new experience for me. My advice is to do your job well, discuss more with your team members, and if you don’t understand something, you can ask your supervisor, they are very friendly. Your career plan is to enter a company, and this internship is helping me to develop my career plan. I am satisfied with the support provided by Roots Interns, you are doing a great job as an internship placement agency.

What I mainly did in my internship were -- Developing a Plan of intervention, supporting staff in activities, presenting subjects of social to the staff, planning activities for kids and staff, administrative tasks. Some key takeaways were handle difficult relations with supervisors, how to intervene with the residents along a well elaborated plan. Adapt to different cultural working conditions with different styles of communication, organization etc. How to put the well-being of the children or residents above all. The significance of recreative or cultural activities to participate for the kids and the fullfillment of their rights.

We had an amazing and beautiful 3 months at Cirenas. The staff became like family! They were all so kind and supportive. The location is stunning and so much wildlife. We stayed in the bungalows for the last 2 months and it felt like we were in a 5* hotel! The turtle program was amazing. We loved the responsibilities and learning more about how to look after the turtles. I already want to go back!

It was a great experience, however I do think it is geared towards people with little to no work experience and did not meet all my expectations of learning something new in a new work environment. The best part was being able to practice my Spanish with my host family.

CIEE provided me with a great internship site, a clean and nice apartment in a good neighborhood, and gave me roommates who shared similar interests. The staff was extremely kind and helped me whenever I needed, and were good about checking in with me about my experiences

I had an excellent experience with the Summer 2024 Internship Program in San Jose, Costa Rica! I initially applied for the program because I always had a knack for international travel and I needed a Summer Internship to help me gain proper work experience for my Accounting Major, and AIFS Work Abroad helped me get the best in both worlds. My housing situation was just what I needed and allowed me an opportunity to forge bonds with fellow AIFS Interns as well as local Costa Rican students. It was located right by some supermarkets and even a shopping mall, helping us Interns fulfil our daily needs. The AIFS center also provided excellent cultural immersion excursions, allowing me and my fellow AIFS interns/students to enjoy the rich biodiversity, cuisine (like Casados and fresh fruit), and hospitality of Costa Rica. AIFS Staff even offered guidance for students that might have had trouble commuting to the workplace that had hired them as an intern, including me, who needed specific bus directions. AIFS upon receiving my resume and cover letter wasted no time trying to get me paired with a workplace looking for an Intern of my background: an Auditing Department at a local Municipality. Once they connected them with me, I conducted an interview with them and got the job. My supervisor and colleagues were very friendly, always looked out for me, and made sure my work quality was up to standard even when they had long, busy days. My supervisor gave me a project where I analyzed the greatest risks facing the Auditing Department, but I finished my deliverables so fast that I needed mini projects to apply my learning and keep me busy, which my supervisor was happy to provide. My workplace allowed a flexible work schedule to make room for AIFS Excursions (which occasionally happened on weekdays) and was conveniently located enough so that I could commute easily through bus/uber. The only slight hiccup with the entire work process is the fact that it wasn't initially clear that my workplace worked all in Spanish and had limited English (Note: this might vary for workplaces in Costa Rica) before I conducted the interview, but since I already had an Intermediate Spanish Background which contributed to my desire to apply for the Costa Rica Intern Abroad program specifically, I adjusted accordingly and became the best of friends with my colleagues. AIFS did a great job in identifying a workplace that was right for me, and my workplace did a fantastic job in ensuring I had the proper learning, working, and bonding experience. Overall, I believe that the AIFS Internship in Costa Rica is top notch and even exceeded my initial expectations. I would recommend this program to any student that needs some work experience in their field as well as a good cultural immersion experience. I would even recommend this program to students who aren't the most adventurous, because getting work experience in a different country will greatly help them gain relevant hands-on knowledge and an International Network, and the cultural activities AIFS offers may help them warm up to life Abroad. I hope my story inspires students to go down the same path, and as they say in Costa Rica, "Pura Vida!"

This summer I participated in a 2-month internship with the organization Gender Rights in Tech (former Kwanele). The experience I had done for one month online and one month in person and overall I had a positive impression. The organization itself is wonderful, everyone is very nice and helpful, all the tasks were explained to me well and I always had someone I could ask the questions to. I definitely recommend this experience as an in-person internship, during my time online I needed more possibility to engage well in the work environment. I was accommodated in Lenox Guest House, which was decent and clean. Everyone from the staff was very nice and welcoming, which made the place feel like home. The only minus was that there was not a person from Roots at the accommodation to welcome you and explain things at the beginning, as well as connect you with other interns. This made the beginning of my stay there a bit confusing.

Over my 3 months in Cambodia with REACH, I have had the honour of living within the Siem Reap community, and more importantly, the privilege to work with an organisation dedicated to uplifting it. The work that REACH does extends to all aspects of the students’ lives, and the passion the children put toward learning embodies that. I came to REACH with a specific job to do, to help build a program for students to learn about computers and computer safety, but when I arrived on the first day, it was clear that my job was much more than that. I was granted the opportunity to connect with the local community, within and outside of REACH, and learn from their experiences and culture. During my time here, I have been able to foster relationships with the community, the team at REACH, and the students; I even had the opportunity to join some classes, go on bike rides, and participate in organisation-wide excursions. Although my time with REACH has come to an end, my love for this organisation and the work that I was able to do here will fuel my future endeavours for years to come.

I can highly recommend doing an internship abroad as you will not only develop yourself professionally but also personally. Working with Sunshine Cinema for three months was a great experience - especially the work environment and my team colleagues were outstanding!

I recently had the incredible opportunity to participate in the internship abroad program in Costa Rica, organized by an outstanding company that provided an experience that was both enriching and stress-free. First and foremost, the program was impeccably organized. The detailed itinerary ensured that our 11 weeks there was filled with valuable experiences, visiting various places in Costa Rica. The company left no room for uncertainty, which was greatly appreciated in an unfamiliar country. One of the highlights of this program was the strong sense of community fostered among participants. From day one, we were encouraged to bond and support each other, creating friendships that enhanced the entire experience. This sense of camaraderie made navigating a foreign environment much easier and more enjoyable. The program's value was also evident in its inclusivity. The price was certainly worth it given the comprehensive services provided. The company not only arranged relevant internships and interviews, ensuring professional development, but also curated exciting weekend excursions that allowed us to explore Costa Rica's natural beauty. While I felt a bit overqualified in my internship placement and would have appreciated a greater challenge, the experience still benefited my resume and allowed me to gain valuable insights into the local work environment. Overall, my study abroad experience in Costa Rica exceeded expectations. I would highly recommend this program to anyone seeking a transformative and well-organized international education experience. The memories and skills gained from this adventure are truly priceless.

Roots connected me with the WLC which is an amazing legal internship that gave me the right balance of workload and freedom to do fun things whilst in Cape Town.

My experience with AIFS played a huge role in me finding my path as a student, in my career, and as a person. I was placed in an internship where we worked closely with the Municipality of Curridabat in the CITBIO project. We met with everyone from the mayor, city planners, university professors and students, and closely with landscape architects, arboreal, agricultural, soil, avian, and ecological experts. My comfort zone has expanded considerably, I went into this experience knowing no one and no Spanish, but AIFS provided us with opportunities to bond and to learn, and that is exactly what happened. This has catalyzed growth for me in ways I could not have imagined prior to this experience. If I could give any advice to someone looking into this program it would be to TRUST THE PROCESS. There will be ups and downs, of course, that is life, but take every opportunity available and embrace the discomfort because that is the beauty of it all-- seeing the full spectrum of the experience and carrying that with you.

I decided to participate in this program for the summer of 2023, after graduating from college. Not only was this experience a great way to build some professional skills I would need on a resume, but it also served as a reward to myself for graduating with my bachelors. The program was very well organized, I felt extremely safe and supported by the staff during my visit, and I met so many amazing people who I am still friends with. During my 8 weeks in Costa Rica I traveled all around the country, swam in both oceans, and ate the tastiest food I have ever tasted in my life. Although the cost of living in Costa Rica could be a bit expensive at times, I really appreciated the trios that were included in the program, and that our housing accommodations included access to a kitchen, our own room and bathroom, as well as on site security. I never once felt endangered or anxious about being by myself in a foreign country. Karla, Jisenia, and Carlos were absolutely amazing at showing us around, making sure we were mentally and physically okay, as well as taking time to match us with the perfect internship. My internship boss was so kind and I learned so many things from her. I could go on and on about how worth it this experience was, and how if given the opportunity I would do it 100x over again. I learned so many important life skills, such as how to navigate the world on my own, deal with living with other people, manage my time and my career, as well as balance a social life. I felt that I came back from this program with a deeper appreciation for myself and all that I accomplished, as well as a sense of direction with what I wanted from my life. Please please please if you are able to do this program…DO IT!!! You will undoubtedly have the time of your life.

I loved every minute at the Kisumu children's remand home which was a partner organisation of Better Me. I couldn’t have asked for a more perfect volunteering placement. In my interview with Tom he said that Better me partnered with a children’s remand home and as I’ve worked with youth offenders in the UK this is the reason why I chose Better Me out of all the other organisations I was researching. It was a perfect fit. I’ve been extremely lucky with the experience I’ve had and the children I’ve worked with. I was given a free reign in what tasks I wanted to carry out at the remand home. I’ve worked in children’s services as a social worker for six and a half years, frontline working. So I brought a few tools/ worksheets with me. I also loved following the case I was given. It felt like real social work and I was making a difference. I became quite close with the child and now that there is a positive outcome I’m ecstatic. I loved doing the dreams boards with the kids. It gives them inspiration and the possibility of thinking about their future in a positive light. They loved choosing their photo’s but not only that, many loved to glue and cut out because crafts are always slightly therapeutic. In the second sessions it was a lot easier to strike up conversation or ask them more about their troubles as they were more comfortable with me and there was not the pressure of thinking they were in a counselling session. However, most of they lied in their first session- it takes a while for them to be open and trust you. I also loved watching the younger interns blossom over time. I don’t mean to sound patronising but to see them discovering their own abilities and finding out about their strengths and weaknesses has really been amazing to watch. I also really enjoyed ‘boy’s night’ on a Friday night. The nights out clubbing. Being an older intern had it's challenges but I was accepted by the younger interns. Communal living was also constant but I got my space when I went to the remand home.

I think there's problems here and there with cleanliness of dorms and location choices, but overall I had a very positive experience. The staff and program as a whole I felt was a very worthwhile opportunity.