Education Internships in Caribbean

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

Hola, me llamo Maëlle y vengo de Francia. Empece mis practicas con el equipo de gestion y administración de la Fundación Aldeas de Paz el 20 de mayo de 2024 y termino el 26 de junio. Mi primer dia aquí fue tranquilo pero muy bueno. Encontramos a otros voluntarios que nos hicieron visitar la ciudad y fuimos a la oficina para conocer al lugar y también a toda la gente que trabaja alla. También la coordinadora Yessica ya trabajaba todavía en la oficina, ya que ahora es Jorlanny. Jorlanny una buena coordinadora que escucha cuando lo necesitamos y con quien tengo una muy buena relación aunque trabajamos juntas desde poco tiempo. La fundación tiene un ambiente muy acogedor. Todos son tan acogedores, y me siento cómoda desde el primer dia. Cualquier cosa puedes preguntar al staff y van a encontrar una solución para ayudarte rápidamente. Me encanta también que el centro de los jóvenes sea abajo, así pude conocer a niños que son super monos! Me encanta pasar tiempo con ellos. Mi experiencia como voluntaria al principio estaba muy tranquila. No teníamos mucho que hacer en la oficina, entonces estábamos un poco aburridos. Pero después hablamos de nuestros proyectos con Nacho y Jorlanny que estaban muy enthousiaste. Creo que haber tenido más responsabilidades me ayudó a querer hacer mas cosas y eso me gustó mucho. También mezclamos nuestros trabajos con los del equipo multimedia lo que me hizo conocer a otras cosas. Los coordinadores están muy a favor de nuestras ideas, como por ejemplo el proyecto de grabar videos de cada programa para después subirlas en YouTube. Esto me permitirá conocer a nuevos ambientes y también a nuevas personas. Pero creo que esperaba más de esta experiencia. Porque como una voluntaria, me hubiera gustado hacer más cosas en el terreno y que las cosas hagan más rápido y también aprender más sobre el funcionamiento de una ONG. Me encanta la ciudad, es muy local y tranquila. No es muy grande pero me gusta más así. Ahora tengo mis hábitos, y me siento segura. La gente es muy acogedora y podemos confiar en ellos.

I’m glad I had the opportunity to do my internship in Aldeas de Paz. I have learned a lot, especially from visits to poor families and I will always carry this experience in my heart. It was enriching to know another reality and to meet many people of different nationalities and cultures. It has also been rewarding to contribute to the improvement of the environment and the education of children in the problem of plastic pollution. "Muchas gracias a toda la team por darme la oportunidad de tener esta hermosa experiencia, gente muy amable y abierta!"

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.

My CIEE internship in Barcelona, Spain is a great experience not just academically but also personally. I have learned so much about myself during these months and building connections is so important in life.

This program was amazing! The staff and faculty are always willing to help with anything. Whether it's about your internship placement or advice for fun adventures in the city, the staff is there for you. This program has great opportunities to grow as a student and a professional in your field. The field trips and activities in this program allowed us to take our learning outside and explore a new culture. I couldn't recommend this program enough!

CIEE is very well-staffed and they do everything they can to make sure you have the best experience possible. Everyone is friendly, the rules and guidelines are laid out for you, and the excursions CIEE plans are a blast!!

I have had a great experience, it is organized and comes at a good cost. The staff on-site is very supportive and helpful (as well as Brooke in Portland), but we had an emergency situation and the Portland higher-ups didn't handle it well, nor did anyone answer the emergency number provided to us.

It was a great program. I would really only recommend it for an internship because I think you get the most out of it that way. I was going to study abroad I'd rather do it at a local university where I'm studying. My only complaint is that the whole CIEE experience isn't tailored very well to internships, and a lot of things conflict with work. It feels like the intern students are an afterthought, which I understand because most people are studying here.

During the 6 weeks I spent with Aldeas de Paz in Las Terrenas I have learned a lot. At first, I was a little disappointed because it was really different to what I expected. But after a while I realised that my expectations simply weren’t realistic. The foundation has only been in the Dominican Republic for three years which really isn’t a long time. That means there is still lots of work to do and room for improvement. But that’s not a bad thing it simply means you have the possibility to help shaping the foundation. My work in the NGO management team taught me a lot about all the little but important things that need to be done to keep the Foundations growing. Like searching for foundations or universities willing to support our cause. Looking back, the experiences I made really had an impact on my life and assured me that working for an NGO really is important and something everyone should do at least once in their life.

I‘ve been in the Dominican Republic for 2 months and worked in NGO management. It has been the best experience of my life and I can only advise you to do such an internship or volunteer work abroad. It is an enrichment not only for your working experience but also for your personality. Additionally you come to know a lot of people from different countries and in order to this, gain some language skills, especially in Spanish. I lived in a really nice apartment in Las Terrenas and went on some awesome trips on the weekends as they most of the time are for free. The organization is always there for you if you have questions and helped me with the transportation from the airport and back. Sometimes there are some communication problems between Samaná and Las Terrenas but I guess it’s totally normal as the organization is still improving. However I also saw a lot of progress and new ideas, but that’s why the organization also depends on the volunteers as they can bring a lot of experience from other countries and different schools, universities or companies. Thanks especially to Vito who works really hard to further improve the organization and is always there if you need something. Everyone was just so nice and I am so thankful for this special time. I will remember it para siempre :)

The time with Aldeas De Paz is one of the experiences you will never forget. You get to know the country in a totally different way than just doing a holiday. And you are working on something, that makes a difference to other people's lives. The good thing about Aldeas De Paz is, that you really have a lot of different opportunities to volunteer and work on projects you like. Wether you want to work with kids, animals, the ocean, or experience the work place in a local hospital. Even if you choose one specific project, you have the chance to get to know other projects and places as well. I worked for one year in the NGO program in Las Terrenas and was one of the first volunteers in this location. ADP in Las Terrenas is still developing its work and things take time in the country. So to volunteer here, you have to realize that you won´t find a lot of standard processes and typical everyday’s work, for now. But that also means that you will have a lot of opportunities to bring in your ideas or develop your own projects. The Foundation is still small and you get to know each other very fast. And that´s where it comes to the other fun part: the weekends. Here you have really a lot of options to spend them. Beside of visiting some of the most beautiful beaches in the world, you have enough opportunities to have a very good time after work. You can do boat trips to islands, mangroves or whale watching, or you rent a quad and visit the peninsula or even the whole country with the local Guaguas. But even if you want to stay in town you can spend the time, like most of the dominicans, drinking beer, ron or having a dinner at a comedor or a restaurant if you want. When it comes to this, you have to decide in which location you want to volunteer, both are very different. The main things in Las Terrenas, where I was located, are the many beautiful beaches and the good restaurants you have here. You can take a walk on the beach in the morning or at lunch and go to an italian restaurant in the evening. But also if you volunteer in Samaná, you can visit on the weekends or meet the other volunteers. Anyway you will have enough opportunities in both locations to meet each other sometimes. The biggest benefit in Samaná is the interaction with the dominicans. Because Las Terrenas has a lot of europeans and americans, you are more treated like a tourist. In Samaná you will experience more the typical dominican life and be in touch with the locals. Both Locations have its benefits, but it is for sure, that you will enjoy your stay. The coordinators do their best that you can enjoy your trip, while working on multiple projects to keep the foundations work growing. Especially with the Mamá Elba School in Samaná and its different side projects, ADP and all the volunteers and employees, really do a difference to the local community. The country is very beautiful but there are a lot of things to work on, and the whole foundation is doing its best to help and to the most as they can. In total, volunteering at Aldeas De Paz will be an experience nobody will never forget.

I stayed in Las Terrenas for three months and I loved every moment of my time there. I worked on the NGO management team and I learned so much about the inner workings of a nonprofit organization. As an assistant director for the Aldeas de Paz Foundation, I developed strong managerial skills. For example, some of my main duties were to review financial statements, perform quantitative analyses, budget, correspond with third-party stakeholders, conduct fundraising campaigns. My duties required meticulous organization and writing skills, and the ability to convey complex ideas clearly. I prepared dozens of documents and I am humbled to say that I contributed to a great. I am so thankful for this wonderful opportunity. It was life changing and I will remember it for a very long time. I’m looking forward to returning. I like to give a very special thanks to Manfred for believing in my abilities and for always encouraging me to do my best. I would also like to thank Vito who because a very close mentor of mine. Vito is one of the hardest working people that I have ever met, and I cherish the opportunity to have worked beside him.

I arrived in Samana on the 16th October 2017. As soon as I got off the bus I was welcomed by my ‘buddy’ (A volunteer who introduces you to Samana for the first few days) and one of the coordinator’s. This friendly welcome helped me to settle into the Dominican Lifestyle which is drastically different from the United Kingdom. I was introduced to the NGO team who I would be working with for the 8 weeks and the other volunteers who were volunteering with the charity. I realised very quickly that the coordinators and volunteers were all extremely passionate about their work as they knew that this was having a direct impact on the children of the Special Needs school which the ADP run. I was assigned multiple tasks ranging from researching new agencies that promote the charity to translating text into English. This was a great chance to develop my team working skills, time management and skills working independently. I was given the opportunity to teach English to the Dominicans which I took straight away. This was a great chance to assist with their personal development and wellbeing as it would help them get jobs in the booming tourism sector. I thoroughly enjoyed planning and presenting these lessons and watching their English progress I was never worried about being bored, there was always work to do and at the weekends we would go to a beach or to a local excursion. These were perfect to conclude a week of volunteering and gave me a chance to see more of the Dominican Culture and the countryside. In my 8 weeks here I have had the chance to work with disabled children, learn about veterinary, teach english, gain experience and help with the management of a small NGO, learnt (somewhat) how to dance the Dominican way, found out how to exit a hammock after multiple failed attempts and met a fantastic group of volunteers who I will be sure to see again sometime in the future. I couldn’t have asked for a better 8 weeks and I will be sure to miss the children, the volunteers and of course, the sun.

I worked for 2 and a half Months in the NGO Management in Las Terrenas. I had a lot of different tasks during my stay. For example, Managing the publishing of Job offers on Listing Websites or ranslating texts for the Website and many many more smaller tasks. My highlight was a trip with all of the Volunteers to a rented Villa with a perfect view and a nice atmosphere. But it was just one of many beautiful trips we did together. Aldeas de Paz is a very familial organization. It´s not too big and you get to know every coordinator on site. The coordinators are really kind and take care about every need the volunteers have. The Dominican Republic is obviously a very hot place and you need to get used to the climate in the first days. Most of the Dominican people I met were really friendly and always open for a conversation. I always wondered about the loud music, which is played at every corner every day. Sometimes it can get annoying but most of the time it´s very enjoyable. I can really recommend you to travel to Aldeas de Paz in the Dominican Republic, because you will make a lot of experiences for your future. It is also a good way to get out of your „normal“ life and get to know a different culture.

During my stay at Aldeas de Paz I was involved in the NGO program and in the Youth, Care and Community Program which focuses on the Mama Elba Especial Escuela in Santa Barbara de Samaná. In the NGO Program, I completed a variety of tasks from creating projects that should be launching in the coming months, updated listings, and attended meetings. In the Mama Elba Especial Escuela, a school for children with a wide range of disabilities and you truly wouldn’t know it from their energy and excitement they show to be in school and interacting with their peers and volunteers. While living in Samaná, I lived in one of the Guesthouses and I immensely enjoyed the living situation as a whole and wouldn’t have traded it for the world. Throughout my time at Aldeas de Paz, my roommates had been from the UK, Germany, and Italy. Living in the Guesthouse and meeting people from around the world is such an interesting experience and easy to replicate but impossible to duplicate with the same results as I have experienced during my time at Aldeas de Paz. You should try though, it won't disappoint! On the weekends, you’re able to go wherever you want to go and normally the volunteers will plan the weekend day trips and anyone is invited to join! My favorite place to go while I have stayed here in Samaná is Cayo Levantado, which is only a short boat trip away from the harbor, it is paradise. If you’re interested in volunteering with Aldeas de Paz, or even anywhere where you have never been, try to go with no expectations because that will make your experience more enjoyable and it won’t hinder your stay and you’ll find your experience far more enjoyable. I am going to miss many things such as the kids at school, my walks into town, my housemates whom we shared many nights on the terrace just talking together. It was an incredible experience and it’s made possible not only by Aldeas de Paz but by the individuals that volunteer and create that environment. I am happy with my time and experiences that I have had here in the Dominican Republic and I know I will be back again!