Social Sciences Internships Abroad

Social science is an extremely interesting field of study that can be applied to a large number of professions. If you already know what career path you want to pursue within the field, then interning abroad is a great way to gain international work experience (which will look very impressive on your resume) and be sure your idea of the career is accurate. If you are still figuring out what you want to do with your life, a social science internship abroad can still be valuable and equally rewarding, as it will give you the opportunity to travel, reflect, and expand your world perspective.

In the context of our increasingly interconnected global workplace, social science internships are available pretty much anywhere in the world. Now is your chance to choose somewhere you’ve always want to go and something you’ve always wanted to do, and to make your dream a reality.

While no place can be considered the best location to intern abroad in the social sciences, there are a few destinations that stand out among the rest, mostly because of their popularity and international influence. New York, London, Paris, Hong Kong, Shanghai, and many more major global cities serve as central hubs of culture, politics, and commerce, and are therefore ideal locations for social science internships abroad. Any global city will provide a highly unique context to intern abroad in.

On a broader scale, the most popular countries for social science internships abroad include Spain, Germany, Australia, Brazil, and India. However, these are just a select few locations. Each intern should look into internships in whatever region intrigues him or her most.

Though English speaking internship opportunities are offered in most places, the language barrier may still present difficulty for some when searching for internships in certain countries. Although, deciding to focus on learning the local language during your international internship will open up a whole realm of additional placement options.

Social science is an overarching category for a large diversity of sub-disciplines. As such, there are many different types of possible social science internships abroad. For brevity’s sake, we’ll focus on just a few of the most popular disciplines within the social sciences.

Anthropology internships tend to be research-oriented and often involve a good amount of fieldwork. You can also find relevant anthropology internship placements at museums, historical societies, and with nonprofit organizations.

Economics internships are widely available in areas like marketing, sales, and communications, in cities around the world. In smaller cities and rural areas you can find economics internship placements in community or business development and urban planning.

Political Science internships are most often found with government organizations, NGO’s, and activist groups everywhere in the world. Some of the most popular cities for politics internships abroad include Geneva, Brussels, and Washington D.C., because of their importance globally, regionally, and locally.

Sociology internship options include placements in areas such as education, healthcare, and social work. Sociologists are well prepared to work in a variety of fields, so you can get creative here!

Social science internships can last between two and six months (or more), and may be paid or unpaid. It is important to check with your placement provider about these details before committing to the program. Generally interns are granted a good deal of flexibility in determining the length and timing of their placement.

Get Out of the Classroom. Social science focuses on humans and how we interact with one another. Studying social science in the classroom is of course very educational, but applying theories and lessons to real-life scenarios as you explore a different culture will deepen your insight well beyond the classroom.

Get Experience. The social sciences are all about developing general knowledge more than a specific skillset. Getting practical work experience through an internship abroad will prepare you for the professional world and improve your job prospects thereafter.

Get Independent. Taking off alone to go live in another part of the world may seem like a daunting prospect, but the amount of personal growth you will undergo during an internship abroad will prove worth it ten times over. If you can do it, you can do anything!