Internships in Ecuador - Adelante Abroad

My time in Ecuador with Adelante Abroad was an unforgettable experience that fulfilled all of my hopes and expectations. Despite being much more affordable than other programs, the services provided 2 meals a day, personalized internship placement in the field of my choice, accommodating housing in a safe and accessible neighborhood of the Ecuadorian capital, one on one Spanish classes at the beginning of my stay and multiple personal resources in Quito that I could reach out to with any concern or in case of emergency. In addition to exploring the city, the affordability and flexibility of the program allowed me to visit some of Ecuador’s most popular destinations including Cotopaxi, Mitad del Mundo, and Baños. I was also able to easily plan a trip to the Galapagos to add on to the end of my program which was truly an incredible experience. For my internship I was able to communicate professionally in Spanish while working directly with locals to address issues negatively impacting vulnerable communities. As someone who was unable to study abroad due to COVID, I am immensely grateful for this internship that allowed me to augment my Spanish communication, work experience, and confidence and to visit so many amazing places.

I know- it's cliché- but Adelante Abroad was truly a life-changing experience. Leading up to, and throughout the entirety of my trip, Adelante's staff was exceptionally supportive and well organized. Every step of the way, I knew exactly what I was getting into. I always felt completely prepared. As far as Ecuador and my actual internship goes, all I can say is WOW. Don't get me wrong- I had my challenges, but my internship, albeit short, provided me with newfound education and skills I could have never gained in the states. I had the opportunity to learn from highly-knowledgeable, highly-skilled individuals every single day. When I wasn't working, I was fully immersed in the Ecuadorian culture. Somedays that was simply cooking with my host family and other days it was hiking Rucu Pichincha. All in all, come time to leave, I just... didn't want to go home. At the moment, I'm getting back into my daily routine. While it's strange not to wake up in this beautiful country I called home for 2 months, I feel that I've grown into an individual who my younger self would be proud to know. I thank Adelante Abroad for that.

I have had a great experience interning abroad with a civil engineering and architecture company. My hours are flexible, allowing me to take time off to show my parents, who visited me, around the city, and enjoy a long weekend at one of the many beautiful places in Ecuador. My host family has been incredible! My host mom has helped me drastically improve my Spanish speaking skills, cooks delicious traditional food, and provides insight into life in Ecuador and where to visit. I have spent every weekend visiting somewhere different and exploring the rich culture of Ecuador. This experience has been life changing and I cannot wait to return to Latin America.

I worked the medical internship in Ecuador through Adelante Abroad. I think because the program is new, many of the relations are clearly not established. Most people in the hospital had no idea what I was doing there and I saw the director of the hospital (who was supposedly in charge) once where he told me that he anticipated me to be a medical student though I had sent in my resume/CV already. The living situation in Quito was tough because the lady who I lived with did not have much patience for Spanish learners. Though I arrived with advanced knowledge of Spanish, I still found trouble as she would often fill in my sentences for me and get mad at me for what she thinks I would say (which usually is not true). My living situation in Ambato was the highlight of my experience and I will forever be indebted to the family there. Apart from my homestay experience in Ambato, everything about the program could probably have been better.

My 2 months in Ecuador was an incredible experience! I lived in Quito with an Ecuadorian family and completed 2 weeks of Spanish Language classes before beginning a 6 week placement at a veterinary clinic. Not only did I gain incredible skills and knowledge from my work placement that I can apply towards veterinary school in Canada, I was also able to travel around Ecuador and get to know its culture and people. My main goal out of this experience was to learn to speak another language. I came to Ecuador with some basic Spanish, but being immersed in it every day ,both at home with my host family and at work, allowed me to accomplish this goal. I met so many amazing people during my time in Ecuador and I am so thankful for this amazing experience!

I chose this program due to its affordability and because I only had to be at an intermediate level of Spanish before starting my internship. I got so much more out of this program than I expected! The first two weeks, I took Spanish lessons in Quito, the capital of Ecuador. My teachers were friendly and inviting, and my host was always eager to show me around the city and provide me with recommendations for things to do. As a vegetarian, I was extremely happy with how accommodating my hosts and program directors were. I made two new friends one week into the program, and we had a wonderful time exploring the city. Our teachers took us on excursions once a week to see more of Quito and to practice our Spanish. My internship focus (medicine) took me to Ambato during the third week of the program. Working and living with people who speak Spanish and are eager to help their volunteers learn added exponentially to my ability to speak the language. The people who live here are extremely friendly. My work assignment was very flexible, and allowed me to travel on the weekends and take the occasional day off to extend my weekend excursions. I would highly recommend this program to others. For my first time traveling to another continent, I was very comfortable here. The staff of Adelante Abroad was always there to support me and answer my questions.

Spending part of my summer in Quito was an amazing opportunity. While there were rough moments/challenges, I gained so much experience. I knew minimal Spanish when I arrived, and was able to learn the language very quickly with my classes. I also gained a huge amount of academic/professional experience. If you're looking to travel, gain a lot of hands on career practice, and overall life experience, this is a great program. Happy I decided to travel with Adelante.

My time in Ecuador was a trip that I will never forget. Adelante does a great job in setting up a network in order to get you the best experience in terms of living and job placement. During my internship, I got the chance to have a hands on experience learning how to take blood, administer IV’s, attend wounds, and have an up close experience observing simple surgeries. I also got the chance to be fully submerged in a culture completely different then what I am used to. I was able to improve my soonish skills as well as learning about a beautiful and new culture. My time spent with my host family was one that I will never forget as well as the amount of friends I made while I was there. Adelante did a great job in making sure we had a program director we could count on for anything. I highly recommend this program to anyone seeking out an experience that can make you outstanding to employers as well as making you a better person all around.

This program has a lot to offer the independent traveler. I thoroughly enjoyed my experience living with a host-family, having one-on-one Spanish lessons, and working for a marketing and communications firm in the city of Quito. I was fortunate to be here at the same time as many other students, some from the U.S. and some from around the world, that shared the same local program director as me. Thus, I was able to travel (affordably) around the country with new friends every weekend. I think this program would be difficult for someone who wants all of their time organized by an outside party. However, if you like having freedom to explore and use your time as you want to, this program is an ideal option for you. The city of Quito is large and intimidating, but it is not impossible to figure out. In fact, figuring it out is part of the adventure.

I was placed in an NGO that specializes in carrying out human rights projects with a focus in gender issues. Everyone with whom I worked was wonderful. I was placed in 'Corporacion de Estudios DECIDE,' where I was part of a small, intimate, highly competent team. I felt like my opinion was highly valued and had a real impact on project decisions. The experience illuminated what a career in international human rights might look like, especially from an NGO's perspective in Latin America. The only drawback to this approach to trying to self-actualize through civil society is a lack of funds. Most of my work consisted of writing grants in the hope of obtaining money to later carry out projects. It was rewarding to write a grant that received $25,000 in funding from the US Dept of State. Also, having studied political science in college, this experience was like political science applied, which I liked. Finally, I was given sufficient autonomy to help shape what the project looked like instead of simply translating and following instructions. Luckily I was volunteering and not dependent on an income of any sort, otherwise I would not have been able to afford doing such work; in other words, NGO work is not a lucrative career path, but it was morally fulfilling. Quito is not a city I would live in. Surrounding areas are beautiful, but the city itself is dense, filled with smog, unorganized, and not all together safe. However, the people are fantastic. Albeit a little too religious, they are nevertheless excellent hosts, incredibly nice, and will be some of my best friends for life. Food is not great. Food is bland and there is not a lot of meat. Imported products are exorbitantly priced due to protectionist tax measures. Services, such as taxis and laundry, are dirt cheap. Despite any negative comments above, I would completely recommend this experience to anyone. It is up to the individual to take from an experience what he or she may. And any negative experience can be turned into a positive one with the right thought process. And I imagine those of you looking into this program are not the type looking to spend a week at a beach resort in Cancun, Mexico; this is not that. This allows you to get a feel for how another group of people live, where you can live and breath a different language, learn new history, observe distinct social processes, and grow significantly as a person.