Internships Abroad

How to get an internship abroad

If you want to know how to get an international internship, it’s actually quite similar to finding a study abroad program. Start by asking yourself two key questions:

• What are your career goals? Finding internships abroad largely depends on narrowing down your career goals. Once you know what it is that you want to do or which skills you want to improve, you’ll be that much closer to finding the right internship abroad for you.
• Do you need college credit? - Are you a college student seeking credit towards your degree, or are you a post grad or even mid-career professional? If you don’t require college credit for your international internship, it will actually greatly widen your options, since some university degree programs can be strict about what they accept for credit. If you don’t need college credit, your program options are basically limitless—meaning your dream internship is practically guaranteed. Intern abroad organizations have connections all over the world, so if you’re willing to pay the program fee, you’ll get unrivaled experience to add to your resume or CV. 

Where to find an international internship

If you’re looking for internships overseas rather than in your home city or country, then we can guess you have an affinity for travel. If you have a specific type of internship abroad in mind, it might make the destination obvious. However, if you simply want professional experience in a certain destination in order to perfect your language skills or learn the cultural norms, then you should let that guide your program search.

If you're trying to improve your Spanish skills, then choosing Spain, Mexico, or Peru could be good places to start with. But if you want to immerse yourself in Japanese culture then you're going to have to go to Japan.

International internships exist everywhere in the world! But if you want to know where to start looking, start with where you want to go. It can also be helpful to either look for international internships at your companies of interest, or to ask your program advisor where the best internships in your career field are located. When looking for the best places to intern abroad, it helps to think about your career goals first.

If you want to explore the business world, then places like France, China, and Italy could be a great start. But if you're more interested in wildlife or conservation, then you'll want to consider destinations like Costa Rica, South Africa, or Thailand. 

How to afford an internship

How will you pay for an internship abroad? Interning abroad through a program can be pricey, but worth it. Your internship provider will find you a killer placement in your chosen field, while taking care of details like accommodation and meals. Some even offer post-internship job finding assistance! All of these benefits come at a price, but it pays off (sometimes literally). Plus, it’s not impossible to find a paid internship abroad (although you’ll have to do a bit more digging).

Many students and young professionals opt to fundraise for their international internships, but scholarships and grants for interning abroad also exist!