Sustainable Development Internships Abroad

I spent my Spring Break in Barcelona through the EPICS at ASU Global Intensive Experience, and it was easily one of the most valuable things I've done in college. The program brought 34 of us together to work on real community-based engineering projects alongside partners like Tarpuna SCCL, BIT Habitat, and CARNET, with additional connections to Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya and ESERP Business & Law School. This was not a sightseeing trip with a class attached. We were in intensive group work sessions applying what we'd learned in the classroom to actual problems facing a global city. The academic side was genuinely challenging in the best way. A Smart City tour with Guiding Architects showed us how urban architecture and engineering solutions come together at scale, and working directly with local organizations forced us to think about design in a cultural context we'd never encountered before. We also put sustainability into practice with a beach cleanup at Barceloneta, which grounded the whole experience in real action rather than just discussion. The cultural immersion was just as intentional as the coursework. We explored the Sagrada Família, took in the views from Montjuïc, visited Park Güell, learned Flamenco with a local dance studio, and ended one evening watching the sunset from a jazz catamaran. The tapas alone would have been worth the flight. The program leaders, including Dr. Tami Coronella, Jennifer Wong, Claire Lien Luong, and Bastien Kahn, were supportive and organized throughout. They struck a real balance between pushing us academically and making sure we experienced Catalonia beyond the classroom. If you're an engineering student considering a short-term global program, I can't recommend this one enough. You come home with more than photos. You come home understanding that engineering really is a universal language for change.

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.

1. Brief description of the host company/ organisation and supervisor(s) ERITAGE Studio Gallery is a vibrant contemporary art space in Lisbon that champions artistic plurality and uses art as a tool for human development and corporate engagement. It is a dynamic hub where international exhibitions foster intercultural dialogue. The gallery is led by its Founder and Creative Director, Joao Marcus Cavalcanti—a former finance professional from Rio de Janeiro who transitioned to gallerist in Portugal. He has built a remarkable cultural bridge between Brazil, Portugal, and Africa through artist residencies and shared productions. Committed to social dialogue and sustainability, Cavalcanti steers ERITAGE as a space where contemporary art intersects with social consciousness, making it an incredibly inspiring environment to learn from. 2. Your job duties, contributions and accomplishments My role as a Public Relations Intern was varied. My main responsibility was social media content creation and curation. I created and scheduled engaging visual content for Instagram including photography, reels and behind-the-scenes stories to promote current exhibitions and artists, greatly increasing the gallery's online engagement. I also carried out extensive research and reporting on galleries, visiting contemporary art spaces across Lisbon, looking at curatorial strategies and producing detailed reports that fed into our strategic programming. I provided direct support during the installation and de-installation of exhibitions, including handling artworks, setting lighting and display materials, and the safe packing and storage of works. These contributions have given me a holistic view of gallery operations from the public facing promotion to the physical logistics that take place behind the scenes. 3. Difficulties encountered during the internship (if any) The internship was not without its challenges. Professionally, I was initially daunted by the physicality of the role – in Hong Kong, gallery assistants rarely engage in manual construction, but here I was drilling into gallery walls to hang installations, meaning I had to learn proper techniques from scratch. Culturally, the language barrier was sometimes tough, as many locals do not speak fluent English outside of the tourism sector. I had to use hand gestures and basic Portuguese phrases. The city’s notorious topography, built on seven steep hills, was a real workout when commuting. This was personally my first experience living in an 8 bedroom flat with 7 other flat mates which really tested my patience and communication skills on a daily basis as well as bouts of homesickness over the holidays. 4. Knowledge/ skills/ benefits acquired from the internship I have learned a great deal professionally. I deepened my understanding of the artists' backgrounds, creative processes, and thematic concerns, which greatly enriched my appreciation for Portuguese art history and its cultural context. Translating these insights into words, I had the rewarding opportunity to write articles for the gallery's official Substack account—crafting engaging narratives that bridged the artists' visions with our audience, and sharpening my ability to communicate complex artistic ideas with clarity and warmth. On the practical side, I also gained hands-on technical skills in the safe installation and de-installation of artworks, from precise measuring and levelling to correct wrapping, safe transport, and meticulous inventory documentation—skills I never imagined I would learn but now value immensely. Most notably, I developed invaluable interpersonal and adaptability skills, learning to think quickly on my feet when my supervisor assigned last-minute work, and consistently delivering quality output under pressure without losing my composure. 5. Insights into the culture and people of the destination What impressed me most about Lisbon was not just its postcard beauty but its emotional depth, a kind of poetic melancholy that the Portuguese call saudade. This bittersweet longing is in the air all over the city, most distinctly in the plaintive guitar of Fado music drifting from dimly lit taverns, but it does not weigh down the culture. Instead it coexists with an extraordinary warmth and a deep sense of community. I loved the neighborhood life, like in Alfama, where old ladies gossip across clothes-lined balconies, and in the Santos Populares festivities, whole streets become open-air banquets, with neighbors grilling sardines together. The locals taught me desenrascanço — the uniquely Portuguese ability to improvise with charm and resourcefulness. They’re not on the clock, but on the clock of the golden descent of the sun over the Tagus River, valuing human connection over relentless efficiency. Whether it’s a long coffee in a quiet pastelaria or an informal greeting from shopkeepers, Lisboetas are quietly resilient and welcoming, making me feel less like a foreigner and more like a temporary piece of their lively, unhurried story.

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.

My internship abroad was an experience I will always remember. Living and working in Bangkok gave me the opportunity to step outside my comfort zone, experience a different environment, and learn how to adapt to a new workplace and culture. During my internship, I gained valuable hands-on experience in IT and had the chance to work on different tasks and projects, which helped me improve both my technical and problem-solving skills. I also learned a lot from the people I worked with and enjoyed getting to know a new team. Outside of work, living abroad helped me become more independent and confident. There were definitely some challenges along the way, but they made the experience even more meaningful. Overall, I am very grateful for this opportunity and the memories, skills, and friendships I gained throughout my time abroad.

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 experience in Stockholm is hard to define in just one word, although I think I did a pretty good job with the title earlier. I can start precisely with how sweet the whole community was, and not just referring to the program environment, off course they were amazing. When I went, I was aware that I was going to face a lot of challenges, even more when I was thinking that I couldn't even imagine many of those challenges at that moment. It was exciting in a limited sense. Something I'm really grateful to this whole adventure for, is giving me the opportunity to prove to myself how agile, quick, and relaxed I can be when facing new places, people, and moments.

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.