Political Science Internships Abroad

I wanted to come to Cape Town because I was looking for a cultural experience that would challenge and broaden my perspective. As someone interested in international development, I wanted to learn within a different cultural context and better understand South Africa through its history and approach to development. One of the most impactful parts of my experience was learning about the concept of Ubuntu and seeing the importance of community, connection, and mutual support in everyday life. My eight weeks in Cape Town felt short, but they gave me the opportunity to grow both culturally and professionally. Through my internship with a community-focused development organization, I gained valuable experience working within a different social and cultural setting. Most of all, I will miss the people I met, who were incredibly warm, curious, supportive, and welcoming. My time in South Africa also gave me greater clarity about my future and strengthened my desire to pursue opportunities abroad, including a Fulbright program.

I chose Cape Town because I wanted the opportunity to experience somewhere completely new and see for myself what made the city so special. During my time here, I learned so much about the culture, the people, and the natural beauty of South Africa. What stood out most was how warm and open people were, and I especially loved spending time with friends and meeting people from different countries. Those connections are what I will miss most. During my internship with a community-based organization working with children, some of my favorite moments were simply playing with the kids, helping with activities, and leading lessons. Being around them brought back a sense of childhood joy while also helping me work toward a personal goal of becoming more confident communicating with others and speaking in front of groups. Building genuine connections with the children and experiencing the local community made the internship especially meaningful. The VAC weekly activities were another highlight because they brought everyone together so naturally. Sometimes a friendship could start simply by playing soccer with someone whose name I didn’t even know yet. The VAC staff were always supportive and willing to listen, and I am incredibly grateful for the friendships, memories, and experiences I gained during my time in Cape Town.

I interned in Bangkok at a law firm, I had a great relationship with my colleagues and they were very friendly and welcoming. The intern group was also great, they provided airport pickup and arranged weekly excursions for the inters, which were always exciting. I loved the city and the internship allowed me to see a side of Bangkok tourist usually don't get the opportunity to see. I loved the experience and would definitely do it again.

I had a 6 week, software engineering internship in Bangkok. The experience was great and well directed by the intern group, the accommodation was fantastic and the weekly excursions were very fun, the excursions allowed me to dive into the culture and explore Bangkok. My host organisation was an international real estate company, I worked in the business technology department and had a great experience, my colleagues and boss were very welcoming and communication wasn't an issue. Overall the experience was great and I would definitely recommend it to anyone looking to get experience. It has greatly improved my success when applying for jobs after graduation too.

Both Corrine and Lalita worked hard to make both the integration into the workspace AND the city very easy and immersive. Without them, things would have been much harder. They were very easy to reach if we had any questions or requests!!

The program was the reason I could come to Korea in the first place. The staff was very helpful when it came to finding a suitable internship! I could always contact them if I needed help or was unsure about something! They were also always nice and friendly! I was also happy to learn that they offered activities and even educational trips themselves! I can recommend this program to everyone who wants to travel to Korea without worries!! I had an incredible time and could travel and work at the same time!

I think KGY is great when it comes to guidance. It was my first time in Korea and I had a lot of questions and stumbled across some problems in there but I felt relieved when I knew that KGY was there if I had any concerns. I learned a lot about me and my ways of working at the internship and I feel like this will be very useful in my future! KGY helped me a lot finding out how to do stuff and they also gave me the documents I needed for my university and accreditation. I’m pretty satisfied with what I did because I like to do editing a lot and I also mentioned that to KGY that's what I mainly did during my internship, making a lot of videos, and creating and editing them. So thank you so much for everything Korea Gap Year.

It felt a bit overwhelming just because there was so much information and new things I had to discover for my internship but the team is great has been great, they are friendly, some of them speak French and I love the atmosphere already. For my first day on my internship I had a meeting with the CEO and he explained to me the whole story behind the company It was interesting and I could tell he is really passionate about it so it’s great. But it has been good so far and I had a lot of company dinners and I was really excited about that. I 100% enjoyed my time in Korea and happy I had a great internship experience.

I spent 2 months abroad in Taipei, Taiwan through AIP, and it was a really positive experience! I had some issues with my original internship placement, but my team was incredibly responsive! I really appreciate Jeff, Roro, and Nisha’s support and help throughout the process. With their help and flexibility, I was placed with another company very quickly. The transition process was fast and smooth, and I couldn't be more happy with my internship. Moreover, my living accommodations through AIP were excellent. I was close to transportation and the neighborhood was very peaceful. I'm extremely grateful to the AIP team for their help.

Working in Bangkok through The Intern Group was truly an amazing experience. I interned at an international law firm and worked on many projects, but the personal growth I experienced was what truly stayed with me. Being able to live and work in Thailand pushed me far outside of my comfort zone, with any international trip you have to adapt to a new country, new people, a new culture, and a completely different environment. The biggest impact came when I returned home. Having to go back to my normal routines made me realize just how much I had changed. I came back more confident, independent, open-minded and much more aware of what I wanted from life. I started questioning the things I had accepted simply because they were familiar and became more comfortable letting go of people, environments, and routines that were no longer making me happy. It genuinely felt like I had closed one chapter of my life and walked into a completely new one. I would recommend The Intern Group to anyone who is willing to challenge themselves and experience something completely outside of their normal life. you may go into it expecting an internship, but you just might come back realizing that you are capable of so much more than you thought. For me, Thailand didn't just give me work experience, it gave me a new perspective on my life and the courage to start building towards the future I actually want.

Beyond Academy were absolutely brilliant from start to finish, every step is well thought out with sufficient support throughout not only from the programme leaders in the city taking us to events, shows, dinners, and hotspots, but also from those behind the scenes making the internship happen in the first place!

I had the best time, the accommodation was really good and social activities made it easy to meet other interns and explore the city. Mari and Marián were always so friendly and helpful. Would definitely recommend this experience! :)

My trip to Medellin was so valuable to me. So glad I went with The Intern Group. Housing and events were perfect, and I really liked the way they ran it. You get to go on multiple trips and many social events and are able to make friends and form connections with a variety of people from different backgrounds.

Hey, I am Elijah, 22 years old from Hawaii. I was in Korea to be a Marketing and Content Creator at a Sports Company for 3 months. I came alone to Korea, and this was actually my first time going abroad in general, since I have only been within the United States, so it was definitely a huge step for me. I would highly recommend Korea GapYear to anyone who wants to come to South Korea or just wants to experience living in Korea, working in Korea. It does not matter what you do, I am sure that they can find the perfect job for you. My advice to future participants is just to get yourself out there. I mean, for me, I am a very introverted person and so getting myself out there was a little difficult at first. But if you do some research maybe beforehand, before coming, you can find yourself a little community that you can get yourself connect to and just really enjoy every moment you have here.

I had an lovely and efficient experience with the intern group, no matter who I interacted with they were kind and helpful, the whole experience was very rewarding and they are always available for any questions along the way! I was really unsure on how it would all go, but I was very impressed and I have nothing but positive things to say. From the start they made the process of finding an internship that would suit my needs so easy and every step of the way they are encouraging you. I absolutely loved my time with them and have zero regrets. I got matched with a company very quickly and I absolutely adored my experience and time with the company I got to work for. Even though it was remote I was still made to feel like I was part of the process and I throughly enjoyed experiencing being part of real work for real people. Even if you are a university student looking to gain experience one summer or a recent graduate there is no doubt in my mind you will gain something valuable from doing an internship with a company that aligns with your career goals.

My internship as a market and financial analyst was an excellent opportunity for me to gain professional experience dealing with real business needs and personnel. The submersion taught me many technical skills and built my confidence, which I am sure have helped prepare me for my future positions.

My experience in Thailand has been so fun! I got to see a lot of the major temples and sites that are a must visit. I made many friends with the other interns here. The staff were very welcoming and accommodating. They helped me with any questions I had or anything in general. Overall my experience was amazing, 10/10 would recommend to anyone on the fence about it! I would even come back if I could!

After finishing school in Ireland, I didn't want to just travel — I wanted to do something meaningful. GAC's gap year program in Shanghai was perfect. I interned at a marketing agency in the mornings and studied Mandarin at Fudan University in the afternoons. The team arranged everything — my internship, classes, shared apartment, and weekend trips. I came back with real work experience, improved Chinese, and a clear direction for my future. Highly recommend.

Personally, though, my experience with the TIG has been so much positive. Their team was always responsive and supportive throughout the whole process. They helped me a lot to prepare for mock interviews pre-interview with the host company, organised CV workshops and seminars and even ran cultural sessions that brought me closer to a better idea of what living and interning abroad would actually be like before i arrived. They also helped me with accommodation, my visa process and answered pretty much every question i had along the way. What I actually do appreciate the most is how supportive the Bangkok Intern Group has been. Whenever I need help whether it was with exchanging money, accommodation, or if any issues came up with work, they are always there to help and respond quickly. I would definitely say this experience has been worth all.

I absolutely loved my summer in Bangkok with Beyond Academy. It was really interesting to learn about Thai culture from just walking to the BTS station and talking to locals. It is very humid in Bangkok and be prepared to sweat a lot but it is worth it! The food in Thailand is delicious, my personal favorite was the Thai Basil Rice (you can clarify your spice levels). I also highly suggest to travel to other places in Thailand/South East Asia while you are there. I went to Phuket, Ko Samet (beaches) and Chang Mai (more mountains/rural).