Updated for 2023-2024
Intern abroad programs came to a halt at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic. We hope you all have stayed safe and healthy during these challenging times. Now that we emerged from the pandemic, overseas internships are back! Before signing up for a program, do take time to look over travel restrictions, quarantine policies, and other necessary preparations though these are increasingly uncommon as international travel returns to normal.
Internships are among the best ways you can gain work experience in your degree or preferred career before entering the job market full-time. Not only will you learn what day-to-day work might look like for professionals in your field, but you’ll also develop valuable connections with people who can teach you new skills, mentor you as a young professional, and build your network for the job hunt later.
While most students opt for a local internship, international internships can be an amazing way to build your skills, add to your resume, immerse yourself in a different culture, and directly contribute to work being done on a global level. And in the case of paid internships abroad, you will be able to earn money in the process.
Real-World Experience
You won’t just be making copies or taking coffee orders on an international internship. The programs outlined below are much more immersive, and in many cases, you may be taking on a higher level of work that can be expected of full-time staffers. A few of the best internships you can pursue abroad include:
- Shadowing medical professionals at a hospital or clinic, and even assisting with basic services with Maximo Nivel
- Participating in a dental elective abroad and working with a professional dentist with Intern Abroad HQ
- Assisting with incoming veterinary examinations as part of with wildlife veterinary internship with GoEco
- Providing administrative assistance for a law firm or an NGO dedicated to human rights
- Developing lesson plans and teaching English to disadvantaged children around the world
- Helping with increasing the awareness of endangered animals and promoting conservation efforts through a wildlife photography internship
Academic Credit
All of the organizations featured in this article offer assistance to work with your college or university to arrange academic credit upon successful completion of your internship. In particular, Maximo Nivel is one of the few organizations in the world to offer academic credit for International Internships. Their School of Record issues official transcripts and academic credit for your program. Intern Abroad HQ is another organization that offers academic credit for their internships through their partnership with the University of Montana and Warren Wilson College in the United States.
Intern Abroad HQ is actively recruiting for interns for 2023 and 2024. They offer 230 internship opportunities across 23 career fields in 21 countries. Learn more and apply here to jump start your career!
Most of the internships listed here last four weeks or longer, and can be a perfect opportunity to spend your summer or a semester abroad. Through these internships, you will have guidance from intern coordinators and project staff, scheduled check-ins to ensure you’re gaining the most you can from your program, and even a final project to show what you’ve learned and highlight what you’ve accomplished.
An Affordable Way to Travel
If you have wanderlust but you’re on a shoestring budget, an internship abroad can be an amazing way both to explore the world and to gain hands-on experience in your future career. In my case, studying abroad was far too expensive, so I opted instead to pursue a summer internship abroad studying marine research in Costa Rica. I had the wonderful opportunity to travel outside of the US for the first time in my life, live at a research station on the beach with conservationists and scientists, learn about environmental protection, and work alongside volunteers from all over the world, all for about $100 per week for training, food, and lodging.
Ready to jump into an internship abroad? Check out these programs to learn more and get started!