Internships in New Zealand

Unfortunate Experience

Submitted by Kaitlin - Bath | February 20, 2018

My intent in posting this review is to share my experience, and keep this from happening to others.

I’ve been apart of a few study abroad programs (including a different internship abroad), and have worked with international education programs in my home country, and I am saddened by the lack of care that Intern NZ shows in their business practices.

From the start, InternNZ wasn’t great to work with, it took them weeks to respond to me, they were never clear in answering my questions (I always had to send several follow ups), and I decided to chalk all this up to differences in work culture, but learned later that this isn’t common.

InternNZ hosts their Auckland interns in Unistay, a hostel. I did not find this out until 3 days before my flight to NZ. Beforehand, when I had agreed to pay for housing through InternNZ I was under the impression that I would be flatting with people, as InternNZ never stated that I’d be staying in a hostel – this is a misunderstanding that you can find in many of the reviews of InternNZ, and they still haven’t clarified this for interns, which speaks volumes.

The cleanliness of the hostel isn’t great. The bathrooms are mixed gender, with one bathroom (located far from most rooms) being for women only. Sharing such an intimate space is something that I could have warmed up to, if Intern NZ had been honest about this. I told an employee of Intern NZ that I didn’t feel safe, but they didn’t offer any real solution. On multiple occasions there was no soap or toilet paper in the bathrooms.

The kitchen is community based, which itself is a fun thing, but the kitchen equipment you’re provided is lacking in quality. A lot of the “amenities” at Unistay are broken (broken toilets, showers, stove burners, etc.) You have to pay for internet, and laundry (this is on top of the extremely high rent).

The room you stay in, if it’s like mine, is very small. This didn’t bother me, but the rent I was paying was almost 100 dollars more a week than the rest of the tenants, who didn’t go through InternNZ. This is in addition to a 400 dollar administration fee paid at the booking. When I tried to contact InternNZ about this, they dodged my questions, but eventually clarified saying that the fee was necessary because they lease the rooms from Unistay. I asked how the fees for housing broke down before arriving, and this was never mentioned.

After much thought, I decided to leave early, and attempted to get a housing refund. In total, they would continue to neglect my calls for almost 3 weeks, I was told on 5 separate occasions that they would call me back at a specific time, but didn’t. They finally called me back and told me that I couldn’t be refunded because I had decided to leave my internship. This goes against InternNZ’s terms and conditions, which I then read to the employee I spoke to. She told me that she’d have to speak to her boss. It took almost a month, but when she contacted me, she told me that Unistay wasn’t accepting cancelations, so I couldn’t be refunded.

I wish I had known InternNZ offers the opportunity to win money to write reviews, and that they have staff write as well, before I had interned with them.

After my final decision to leave, I informed InternNZ of my decision, and they didn’t ask why I wanted to leave, or if I was okay. They just wanted to make it clear that I wasn’t getting any money back.

I hope that InternNZ improves their communication, clarity, and procedure for helping interns.

Coolest little capital

Submitted by Taylah - Wellington New Zealand - | February 06, 2018

Wellington truly is the coolest little capital. The staff members I have interacted with have provided friendly customer service. There are many events taking place for the time my orientation is scheduled. New Zealand is an absolutely beautiful country. I have loved my whole overseas experience. The internship sourced for me has offered opportunities I would not have otherwise be able to undertake. I have learnt so much in the two weeks that I have been in Wellington so far. I love that there is so much to do in the coolest little capital; there are so many amazing adventures to be had right in central Wellington.

Great internship and country!

Submitted by Susan - Wellington New Zealand - | January 15, 2018

I had a great time at my internship. I learned a lot and felt like I was in the right place and country. I will definitely come back to New Zealand one day to explore even more and maybe live here since it is one of the most beautiful country I have ever been to.

InternNZ did a really good job with finding an internship and the socials were very helpful for getting to know more people!

Friendly and welcoming country

Submitted by Anonymous - Netherlands Eindhoven University of Technology | January 14, 2018

New Zealand is without doubt the most beautiful country I have ever been to. Especially the South Island is amazing. New Zealand also does not feel to touristy and a lot of areas are completely untouched. I am still amazed by the scenery you find on a lot of places. The NZ culture does not differ a lot from the Dutch culture, but the people are more friendly and a bit more relaxed over here.
I have learned a lot at Air New Zealand, and not only in the area that I am studying but they also learned me a lot of aviation. Also my soft skills have improved here. The company culture is very welcoming and especially the team that I am working in. They do a lot to make you feel like home.
Would be helpful to know that I needed a local bank account. Dutch credit card was not sufficient.

Beautiful country

Submitted by Marion - Auckland New Zealand - | December 12, 2017

The country is beautiful and the company that I worked for was amazing and really nice with me, especially with my accent and my poor knowledge in mechanic. New Zealand is an amazing country, beautiful and surprising landscapes. I loved everything over there and I'm waiting for coming back.

Intern NZ was awesome

Submitted by Sujata - Auckland New Zealand - | December 12, 2017

Intern NZ was awesome. My sincere gratitude to Claire for her amazing help and assistance. Thank you for keeping in touch via emails throughout my internship journey, it makes a newcomer feel at home.
You guys are doing a great job at Intern NZ with so much of dedication and pro activeness. It feels good to receive emails as it makes you feel at home and not lonely in a new country. However I personally feel that you do lose out on a lot number of candidates for Internship as it goes unpaid. Many of my batch mates could not pursue internship as sustenance is a huge factor in a new country.I do hope that in the near future this aspect will be looked into. Overall I had a great experience and it wouldn't have been made possible without the efforts of Inter NZ.

Awesome service

Submitted by Harpreet - Auckland New Zealand - | December 12, 2017

It’s really awesome service to get into the field for non experienced persons. Thank you. It was totally different from here. They use different techniques to do work. Would be helpful to know about their culture and working behaviour.

Great internship experience

Submitted by Yat Wah - Auckland New Zealand - | December 12, 2017

If I have to give a comment. I would say the service was great! I am getting more familiar with the working culture in oversea. I really love the work balance culture in New Zealand, which was totally different with my home country. In addition, I realized that my English have improved. As a matter of fact, internship is a good way to improve English apart from gaining work experience.

Intern NZ did everything to help me integrate me in New Zealand

Submitted by Sander - Netherlands Fontys University of Applied Science | December 10, 2017

Intern NZ did everything to help me integrate me in New-Zealand. I liked that I had a social event the second weekend I was in Auckland because then you immediately meet new people.
My favourite aspect of my overseas experience was that I found football again. That sounds weird, but I stopped playing football two years ago and I thought I would never play again. My internship company does a 7 a-side competition Thursday and I joined them. I found out that I still love football and I never expected that that would happen.
Also, my colleagues are great. I really feel part of the team. With two engineers, we talk a lot about football and sometimes we watch live games before work.

New Zealand is God's chosen country

Submitted by Sujata Mazoomdar - Auckland New Zealand Auckland Institute of Studies | October 01, 2017

Beautiful green clean country, friendly people, dignity of labor, simplicity, patience. Well connected Transport systems. I couldn't have managed without the Metro trains. Peaceful journeys to my institute and later workplace. Fresh crispy mornings and the aroma of coffee would give me a good head start to begin my day.New Zealand is God's chosen country. Beautiful country and beautiful minds thrive here.

Intern NZ was awesome. My sincere gratitude to Claire McCann for her amazing help and assistance. Thank you for keeping in touch via emails throughout my internship journey, it makes a newcomer feel at home. You guys are doing a great job at Intern NZ with so much of dedication and pro activeness. It feels good to receive emails as it makes you feel at home and not lonely in a new country. Overall I had a great experience and it wouldn't have been made possible without the efforts of Intern NZ.

Amazing overseas experience

Submitted by Marion - Auckland New Zealand - | September 12, 2017

The country is beautiful and the company that I worked for was amazing and really nice with me, especially with my accent and my poor knowledge in mechanics. New Zealand is an amazing country, beautiful and surprising landscapes. I loved everything over there and I'm waiting for coming back.

Civil engineer 's internship

Submitted by Axel - Rochelle United States Rochelle | July 16, 2017

An internship in New Zealand has been a great opportunity for me, really awesome.The Intern NZ team was very helpful about the internship program. Thank you to the team, I have gained the practical experience and working cultures of New Zealand in the professional company. I have really enjoyed my internship program. Doing an internship in a consulting engineers company has been a valuable chance to improve my skills. Since the internship has provided me large numbers of challenging tasks, they offer me knowledge and experiences to improve my analysis skills, researching skills in construction
So lovely, that was just awesome

Engineering in New Zealand

Submitted by Cameron Aldred - Hamilton Canada University of Exeter | July 13, 2017

I have nearly completed a 2 month internship at GDC Consultants in Hamilton, NZ. The work is a good combination of interesting and challenging, where there is lots of variation. I get to go out on-site testing for half of the week and spend the other half in the office which is a nice balance. I have traveled away from Hamilton every single weekend so far - although mostly to the same place..Raglan! As it is a great place to surf and chill out. Overall, I can say I've had a wonderful experience in NZ, experienced the culture first-hand, and InternNZ were brilliant at sorting out everything for me which made it nice and easy! Thanks guys!

I don't think there is anything I would really change!

Submitted by Viktoria - Toronto Canada University of Toronto | June 21, 2017

Everyone working at Intern NZ is very engaging and keeps up to date with how your internship experience is going. Also, the World Internship company I went through that coordinated my travels from the U.S. was very helpful in answering all my questions before my flight.

I loved it! I got much more exposure into my field than I imagined. I spent the first half of my internship helping set up and collect data for ongoing projects in a face perception lab at Victoria University. A month into my internship my supervisor allowed me to begin designing my own study, with which I collaborated with a infant and child developmental lab. Starting a study from scratch gave me a sense of the entire experimental processes. I got a good degree of freedom but also support from my professors. I also found I became much better at learning how to handle issues in the experimental process quickly and with flexibility when they arise. The studies I collaborated on with my other lab members provided me with exposure into the research into various subtopics in face perception literature. I also got the opportunity to evaluate research by outlining ~50 studies in a mini review, which taught me how to properly assess methodologies and think critically on how design variations may impact study outcomes.
I think my internship was an invaluable learning experience. All the projects I have been involved in helped me grow substantially as a researcher. The professor supervising me served as a wonderful mentor and set up an encouraging environment where I could voice my input and learn from my colleagues. It has definitely helped shape my career trajectory going into my graduate studies.

New experience in new fields!

Submitted by Payal - Auckland New Zealand Auckland institute of studies | June 18, 2017

I was supervised by regional coordinator. My daily tasks included booking locations and assisting with recruitment activities. They were very helpful but the trouble was major operations like recruitment, finance etc were based in Australia. Operations manager was also in Australia. My regional manager and coordinator assisted me as much as they could.
I was very new to fundraising industry. I never heard of it in India or in our classroom lectures. It is very different and doesn't relate much to other industries.

Wonderful opportunity!

Submitted by Appanna - Auckland New Zealand Auckland Institute of Studies | May 08, 2017

It was wonderful. The entire team have made me feel so welcome and have helped me completely understand how the branch runs.
Thank you for this wonderful opportunity. Your entire team have made my dream come true. I owe it to you all. Please keep up the wonderful work you have been doing and help students like us pursue our dreams further.

Learning new skills with a lot of autonomy!

Submitted by Laura - Auckland New Zealand Ecole Polytechnique de Louvain-la-Neuve | May 08, 2017

Thanks for finding this internship :)
It was not really on the field that I asked for but it allows me to learn new skills.
New Zealand is a wonderful country with so many different landscapes. People are really nice and always ready to help you. I really enjoy this country.
During the internship, I had a lot of autonomy and I could lead a project to the end.

Amazing how friendly and welcoming the Kiwis are!

Submitted by Dominik - Auckland New Zealand Frankfurt School of Finance and Managment | April 26, 2017

I really like your service, you always have been friendly and I got quick responds.
I work at a smaller company with 15-20 employees. They are all very nice and welcoming, invited me to private events and showed me typical Kiwi food. If I tell them I want to make a trip, a small group gathers and discusses which places I should visit and give me many tips.
The assignments are quite interesting, because it's a new field for me and I'm happy to bring in my German. I feel like I'm really helping the company to create an easier workflow for their Europe business.

The opportunity of a lifetime!

Submitted by Ashley - Wellington New Zealand Maryland Institute of Integrative Health | April 26, 2017

Intern NZ hooked me up with the absolute best company I could have hoped for. I learned so much and loved the people I worked with. Intern NZ definitely made it easy to connect with the company I wanted to work for, and got me ready for the work force.
New Zealand is full of lovely, accepting, and warm people and I couldn't think of a better place to spend my 3 months. I met some amazing people from all over the world, so I am grateful for the opportunity that was once in a lifetime.

An internship in New Zealand was a great opportunity for me!

Submitted by Cindy Duong - Christchurch New Zealand - | April 09, 2017

An internship in New Zealand has been a great opportunity for me. The Intern NZ team was very helpful and knowledgeable in helping me organise the internship program. Thank you to the team, I have gained the practical experience and working cultures of New Zealand in the professional company which I have expected to work for. I have really enjoyed my internship program. Doing an internship in a finance company has been a valuable chance to improve my skills. Since the internship has provided me large numbers of challenging tasks, they offer me knowledge and experiences to improve my analysis skills, researching skills in the practical fields.

It was a wonderful experience!

Submitted by Sachin Kaw - Wellington New Zealand Whitirea | March 14, 2017

It was a wonderful experience with the entire crew. You guys are awesome. :) And loved loved the Christmas Party! Fabbbb It was awesome meeting all the other Interns. I really feel lucky to get an opportunity to work with Datacom. It was an amazing experience with the wonderful project team. Still in touch with them and rocking. :) I really feel proud as an Intern with Datacom and it has opened the horizons for me. I am really thankful to the Intern NZ team for getting me this opportunity. It's not easy, and I really appreciate that.

I loved it

Submitted by Svea Geerdes - Netherlands Rottedam Business School | February 22, 2017

The internship was a great experience, learned a lot. Being in New Zealand and living there for 6 months has been incredible, and helped to become more mature. Had big responsibilities when doing the internship, and I loved it

I am very grateful for everything I have learnt

Submitted by Tess Langworthy - Canada QC Career School | February 22, 2017

My internship was in event management, and I worked three separate events during that time. I worked for the Mount Festival of Multisport (Port of Tauranga Half Ironman), Weet-Bix Kids TRYathlon and Big Boys Toys Lifestyle Expo. Through my internship, I have been able to travel to approximately 20 different towns/cities for events and seen much of each during my time there. I have been very lucky to have been trusted with quite big responsibilities during my time with SMC Events and I am very grateful for everything I have learnt. I have made a lot of friends and memories while in NZ, and I am especially excited to finally say I have travelled through Middle Earth!!

Hats off to Intern NZ

Submitted by Amarjot Singh - Auckland New Zealand - | February 06, 2017

It was really good working at Prestige IT. The people here with whom I worked are really nice, kind and friendly and good helpers. I have learned quite a lot from them. Even my words are too small to describe how I feel about them. It has been such a pleasure to meet and know them (Intern NZ company and Prestige IT). I want to say that guys come in and discuss with Intern NZ about your problem I am more than 100% sure that they will help you out in every aspect of life to get the best experience. Hats off for you Intern NZ. Thanks to my coordinator Mark and all of the Intern NZ team for their help.

In one word... WOW

Submitted by Boaz Kuijer - Auckland New Zealand University of Applied Sciences Amsterdam | January 15, 2017

The experience itself has been amazing. I have learned a lot and it is of course always nice to work with airplanes. Also the connections I have established will come to good in my later career. I didn't want to go to New Zealand only to do my internship over here but of course also to experience New Zealand itself. And in one word WOW. It is so beautiful over here and around every corner there is something stunning to see. I have got friends from all over the world now.