AIFS Abroad Internships in Rome, Italy

After being ghosted multiple times by the employer I was originally matched with, I was placed with C.R.E.T.A Rome, a ceramics studio and artist residency studio. I am a graphic design major and was tasked with designing two catalogues for the upcoming shows of one of the studio's owners, a magnificent ceramicist. I worked in person 20 hours a week and 10-15 hours remote per week and this has been a very rewarding experience. The placement was perfect and I'm very grateful.

I loved the culture immersion, activities, staff and safety. My only concern was the internship I had did not place me with someone in my field so they did not fully know how to assist me through out the experience.

My experience was good. I met some life long friends and made memories to last me forever, however, I wish there was more transparency when it came to our internship placements and wish we had more to choose from than just the one position given. That being said, our coordinator, Lucy, was so kind and helpful throughout the 8 weeks and planned some great events for us. She also took some amazing photos of all the interns at the end of our program, and I will definitely be using mine professionally. I absolutely love that she offered us that! Cheers :)

I personally had a great experience with GE. I was very satisfied with my internship placement except for the fact that my commute was over an hour, which I was told would not happen. However, my employer was very nice about me having a hybrid schedule. Access to health care was pretty good, but I did have to pay out of pocket and have yet to receive my money back. The program advisors were helpful but also could communicate better. Lucy Boscan was my location coordinator and was amazing. She always tried her best to help, and also did weekly check-ins with all of her interns.

Being in Rome this summer with AIFS was a great opportunity. The living placement was wonderful and same with the girls that I lived with. I felt that the 2 week mandatory Italian course was not as helpful as I had hoped it would be just because we learned more grammar and conjugations as opposed to basic phrases and material that would be useful during our time in Italy. The organization of the internships was very helpful but the internships themselves seemed to be less organized. The freedom of being in a foreign country and having the ability to immerse myself into a new culture has been one of the biggest steps into my independence as an adult.

I enjoyed my internship abroad. I worked at a refugee centre from 9-1 every day and It was really interesting to hear the stories of the people coming into the center. Furthermore with the center closing at 1 everyday I had time to go and explore the city and truly envy Rome.

I loved interning abroad at my host company, speaking the Italian language, getting to be a long-term tourist, getting to know my beighbours in Prati, involving myself in extracurricular activities, and just living in Rome overall.