Location
  • Ecuador
Length
4 to 24 weeks

Program Details

Timeframe
Academic Year Fall J-Term Maymester Spring Spring Break Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
English
Weekly Hours
20
Age Min.
18

Pricing

Starting Price
640
Price Details
Your personalised internship is $160 a week, for a minimum of 4 weeks.

This includes:
• Support with Travel Logistics
• Dormitory Accommodation (with WiFi)
• Cooked Lunches Monday-Friday
• Weekly Sessions with a Professional Mentor
• In Person Ground Internship Coordination
• Internship-Related Site Visits
• Free-Time Activity Recommendations
• Cultural Immersion in Rural Community
• Certificate of Completion
• Written Personal Reference

We are a small independent organisation and receive no external funds for our programme and therefore there is a cost to the programme, which is used exclusively to deliver you the best internship programme possible!
What's Included
Accommodation Activities Some Meals Wifi
What's Not Included
Some Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Airport Transfers Some Meals SIM cards Transportation Travel Insurance Visa
What's Not Included (Extra)

Additional Services:
Private Room within a Local Family Homestay
Group or 1:1 Spanish Classes
Private Transfer from Quito / Airport
Additional Professional Mentoring Sessions

Sep 26, 2024
Oct 22, 2024
4 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Travel the world, gain valuable work experience & make a difference in low-income indigenous communities in the Ecuadorian Andes. We offer a range of hands-on, personalised internships for students and graduates who are looking to further their career while creating a positive impact.

• Architecture & Sustainable Construction
• Medicine & Public Health
• Anthropology & Development
• Ecology & Sustainable Agriculture
• Community Water Management
• Gender Equality
• Education & Teaching English
• Community & Eco Tourism
• Murals & Community Arts
• Journalism and Multimedia

We will help you to design & deliver a unique internship based on your career goals & local needs. You will work directly with the community & build friendships with other interns/volunteers. You will receive regular, experienced guidance to complete a successful internship. Living with a local family you will be immersed in another culture, learn new skills, make memories make a difference.

Video and Photos

Program Highlights

  • Engage in a hands-on internship within low-income communities in rural Ecuador
  • Design a personal programme based on your own skills and interests
  • Receive 1:1 support form our team and get connected with key local stakeholders in the community
  • Live with a host family in a rural community: practice your Spanish and learn about a different way of life
  • Go on adventures with other interns/volunteers within less than an hour - hike in the mountains, bird watch in the jungle, and explore colonial villages

Related Programs

Program Reviews

4.90 Rating
based on 20 reviews
  • 5 rating 90%
  • 4 rating 10%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 5
  • Support 4.9
  • Fun 4.9
  • Housing 4.65
  • Safety 4.9
Showing 1 - 8 of 20 reviews
Default avatar
Richard
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Internship in Sustainable Architecture

Over the summer I spent 10 weeks in Ecuador, immersing myself within the vibrant culture and appreciating the magnificently distinct way of life. The time I spent in the modest village of Atandahua was incredible, everything from the landscapes, food, fashion, architecture and traditions were all so wonderfully unfamiliar to me. I came to Ecuador exited to understand the different architectural practices, (and hopefully return with a tan), but the vast amount of knowledge and respect I gained about this fascinating indigenous culture was invaluable. Coming from a "resort family", I was quite unsure about the idea of travelling to South America but, the constant guidance and support from Joshua ensured my stay was one I'll never forget, and I can confidently say, I don’t think I could've had a richer experience. Whether you travel every weekend, or stay in Quilico the entire stay, you cannot escape the remarkable customs and depth of culture within the country. Now, after returning home and reflecting on my time in Ecuador I'm filled with a sense of dissatisfaction, this trip gave me a taste of a warm and caring community and opened my eyes to the beauty of a humble lifestyle.

In regard to the internship, I was wonderfully surprised with the variety of learning I was doing. From desk-based research to site visits, experimenting with materials, meeting and talking to professionals and even a week-long trip around Ecuador. This comprehensive learning strategy gave me such a valuable insight to how the vernacular architecture in Ecuador works and how these sustainable practises could be implemented in the UK and wider Europe to achieve a greener future. Adobe construction may not be directly applicable into the urban context but the experience I gathered working to deadlines, conversing with a client, adjusting my design in accordance with specific perimeters and exploring numerous bioclimatic strategies was invaluable.

Weekends spent exploring the diverse towns, cities and villages Ecuador has to offer were incredible. The wide range of landscapes made each weekend feel like a different holiday and guaranteed a consistently enjoyable experience. After all, "Ecuador has the most diverse landscape per km² in the world. In just one hour you could be at the peak of the Andes mountains at Chimborazo, or the depths of the subtropics in Chazojuan"- which I'm sure Joshua can attest to. I was pleasantly surprised to learn I wasn’t just getting guidance with my internship, any places that I was interested in exploring whilst staying in Quilico, Joshua promptly took note, researched it, reached out to the appropriate people and drafted an extensive itinerary with times, locations, phone numbers, and even his personal recommendations. He so determined to give us the best experience possible and was always happy to help with any concerns or questions I may have had.

The ethos of this organisation is something quite remarkable and sadly lost in western society. El Terreno is a cultural centre run by a selfless pair of humanitarians, centred around its mission of replenishing "vibrant and prosperous communities" under the pressures of increasing urbanisation and migration. The relationship established when joining Joshua and Karina was affectionate and welcoming. They went above and beyond to ensure everyone felt comfortable and valued in their home. This personal connection created encouraged a more collaborative atmosphere making the work feel even more meaningful. Finally, the dynamic of all interns, volunteers and associates coming together to share, learn and work in harmony to achieve a collective goal of bettering a community was really inspiring. I am so incredibly grateful to both Joshua, Karina and everyone involved for giving me the opportunity to experience this beautiful country.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Knowing your destination, local customs, and the best activities is important, but sometimes the best experiences come from unexpected moments.
Pros
  • Discovering new cultures
  • new gastronomy
  • new ways of building
Cons
  • allergic reactions
  • digestion
  • New challenges
6 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Greta
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sustainable architecture in rural buildings.

I really liked the mix of languages, cultural knowledge but also the constant help from Joshua from administration questions to more specific topics as cultures, architecture (in my case), history or local politics. I felt like I could ask whatever question I had and always got the help I needed :)
The impact of cultural knowledge in this setting cannot be overstated. Understanding different cultures enhances empathy and collaboration among students. When students engage with diverse perspectives, they are more equipped to tackle complex global issues. This exposure prepares them for careers in international relations, business, or any field that requires a nuanced understanding of cross-cultural dynamics.

Pros
  • Culinary adventure
  • New nutrients
  • Culture and tradition
Cons
  • Allergic reactions
  • Digestion
  • Displeasure
7 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Mei Ling
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Meaningful opportunity and amazing experience

Overall, I'm very grateful for my time in El Terreno. The program worked closely with the community, allowing you to really experience Ecuador and the local culture. It's clear that the program is aimed to give back to the community and help to improve the live's of those living there. Joshua was super supportive of the other interns and I. He closely listens to your goals, while also being able to offer you suggestions on what could make your involvement even more exciting. Joshua helped to organize multiple trips into the local community, outside of Atandahua, which enriched my entire trip even more. I got to work closely with various professionals, and after working on so many hypothetical projects in school, this brought a certain level of realistically to the project and made everything even more interesting. The man we worked to design a cabin for during my 6 weeks there, was super sweet and humble, which really made you want to do good work and create a good design. There's a wide variety of activities you can do on the weekends in your spare time, which gave a nice balance of work to pleasure, and the opportunity to explore the rest of Ecuador. I'm super happy with my experience and would honestly recommend it to anyone interested in traveling and doing work like this.

What was your funniest moment?
Sharing time with local people and learning new construction techniques using materials unique to the region.
Pros
  • Customs and traditions in remote places
  • Access to new construction knowledge
  • Diversification of cultures
Cons
  • The challenge of learning a new language and the climatic variation of the region.
  • Social problems in specific regions of the country.
  • New challenges
8 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Régis
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

An extraordinary opportunity.

The kind of opportunity you are infinitely grateful for! I loved everything about my fantastic trip to the Ecuadorian Andes in the center of the country, discovering ancient vernacular building techniques of local families, which were around 120 years old or more, and having the opportunity to meet local architects. The touching contact with the local population has been a great opportunity to practice my Spanish and get to know their incredible culture. Absolutely grateful to Joshua for his support and dedication to the project and for making my internship such a wonderful moment in my journey through South America.

What was the most surprising thing you saw or did?
I like the way the little houses are built using native materials from different regions of Ecuador, and the way they are organized is very pretty.
Pros
  • significant
  • gratifying
  • educational
Cons
  • language clash
  • physical demand
  • adaptability
17 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Anna
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The most immersive learning experience

Doing my internship at El Terreno in the rural Andes was an extremely valuable learning experience. Thanks to the human-centered character of my internship, I got to work with many locals, and discovered new methods of participatory research. I appreciate the most, the variety of skills that my internship have taught me. Besides conducting my qualitative research, I made myself to learn Spanish faster, networked with various stakeholders, hold a workshop with teenage girls and improved my graphic design skills.

Working with the community and learning about the challenges they encounter was a strong motivation during my internship. I loved engaging with the local stakeholders and realizing possible solutions with my teammates. Although, the topic of my research was at times challenging, I enjoyed every day that I worked on my project thanks to the friendly atmosphere at El Terreno. And waking up every day with the view of Chimborazo is pretty awesome too!

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Be ready to live with uncertainty, community work never goes in a straight line!
20 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Jasha
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Great experience to learn from and enjoy

After doing an internship of 6 weeks at El Terreno I can say without hesitation that I loved the experience. Joshua is open for the different goals and experiences people strive for, making it easy to create a well suited programme. It allowed me to develop myself in a new environment wherein I could learn new things as well as giving something back. Next to this more practical side, living with Joshua and the other interns was a really pleasant experience. The group activities we organised made the work / travelling experience nicely balanced, while on the other hand it was also possible to decide when to join these activities or not. Lastly the location, Atandahua itself is a rural quiet place which gives it a relaxing atmosphere. In the direct surroundings there is enough to do during the week and the central location allows for easy trips throughout Ecuador during the weekends.

26 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Elise
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Absolutely Loved My Stay in Atandahua

You can feel that this Project comes from the heart and that the main motivation is improving the quality of live for the local community. The love and energy that Joshua and Karina put into the work is omnipresent and create a wonderful atmosphere.

I was nervous to spend such a long time away from home, in a country where I couldn't really communicate with anyone... But from week number two I was hooked and the time went by way to fast. I loved the life in the casa communal with the other volunteers, the interaction with the local community, visiting the market on Sundays, the Spanish lessons, the excursions linked to the internship organized by Joshua, the planning and construction work on Ginas House and the Weekend trips with the other volunteers. I felt very comfortable in my homestay and by the end it was really hard to say goodbye.

After my Bachelor in Architecture, I worked 4 month on an adobe construction site. It was an abandoned building, which we transformed into a tourist accommodation, to serve as an extra income for a local Family (who was super cute and lovely btw). I enjoyed working closely together with the local community - there were 2 Builders that teached and supported me on the construction site (again very lovely people) and an Architekt that helped me with my design and planning work.

Joshua was always there to guide my internship and I had a lot of freedom. I wanted to use this opportunity to both do the planning work and implement my designs on the building site, which worked out amazingly. I learned a lot about my perfession, but also about myself and my place in the world. I would fully recommend an internship with El Terreno - no matter what profession or interests you have.

59 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Elise
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Meaningful, inspiring and motivated

I'm so thankful for my time at El Terreno! I spent my time there as an architecture intern and got to do a very large variety of things, like different scales of designing, planning as well as working hands on with construction. El Terreno is a place where there's always new things to do and new ideas coming around. The work atmosphere is very open, explorative and motivated, and your wishes, needs or thoughts and ideas will surely be taken into account, even encouraged!

El Terreno is a project that in every aspect has people in focus, it's very clear how important it is and I'm in no doubt that it's impact in Atandahua will have a very meaningful and longlasting effect! Speaking of, the people both in the project as well as the village are so incredibly nice, and it feels like a very safe place.

I'm really grateful and inspired by the work of Joshua and Karina, not to mention the amazing volunteers and interns that I met, and all of our good times together! I loved doing trips together during the weekends, and as the project is situated in the middle of Ecuador, you can go pretty much anywhere. (I would recommend leaving at least a week of travel after the project to have more time to explore though!)

All in all it's an experience I'll never forget, and I definitely recommend it to anyone who is ready and up for immersing themselves in Ecuadorian culture, learning a ton(!!), working hard, meeting amazing people and create unforgettable memories! If you're thinking about it, do it! All the best! //Elise

58 people found this review helpful.

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