CEA CAPA Internships in Dublin, Ireland

During my summer in Dublin completing an internship in marketing with an Irish company, as well as coursing through CEA CAPA, I was able to build upon skills for my future and created memories to last a lifetime. We had the ability to go on adventures both with the program and be independent and create our own adventures and travels. I truly got to experience feeling what it is like to live and work in a major city, preparing me for what I want my life to look like in the future. I was able to meet amazing people I got to live and travel with as well, creating lasting friendships.

One of the main things I learned is to have a good work-life balance. I am the type of person that likes to work a lot and overworking can lead to burnout, depression, and anxiety. My supervisor and co-workers would often recommend me to take small breaks throughout the day to avoid working too hard. Once I started having a good work-life balance, it allowed me to travel around Ireland which was my second goal. During my travel, I visited a museum, Cliffs of Moher, Cork, and many other places. I learned that Irish people are generally calm and take most things one day at a time which prevents a lot of stress. Many of the locals in Ireland have been here their whole life and travel on vacation occasionally. They love being here and are content with staying here. One of the locals informed me that her main reason for staying here is because the crime rate is extremely low. In addition, I noticed the police officers do not carry guns which was surprising to me. While at St Margaret’s Network, many of the employees like to tell friendly jokes to ease the tension and reduce stress while working. In the beginning, it was difficult to tell if someone was joking or not because of the accent, dialect, background, etc. For example, one of the co-workers was joking with me about working on a certain Friday and I thought she was serious. After about 2 weeks, I began to understand the humor and mood of the environment. They like to relax and enjoy working. Whereas in the United States, many people like to just work and go home without any interaction.
This internship has allowed me to gain cross-cultural communication skills by directly interacting and collaborating with Irish people. I was able to achieve all my goals and helped put the company in a better position for tracking training. The biggest benefit I got from this program is global networking. I was able to make many connections both professionally and personally which could help if I want to work overseas in the future. In addition, working overseas and having the cross-cultural communication skills on my CV might put me ahead when applying for a job because only a small amount of people study abroad and even a smaller amount work abroad.

Studying abroad with CEA/CAPA in Dublin, Ireland was the most amazing experience of my life. I learned so much through my experience and I still am from it! I grew closer to myself and learned how to be more independent and confident. I also took advantage of that time away and used it as a healing journey for myself as well. I made so many new friends, gained so much work experience, and I also got to see my family over there as well. It was such an amazing experience that I'll never forget! I also became more comfortable traveling especially alone. The staff at CEA/CAPA also made the process way easier. They helped me all the way from applications until I arrived back home. Without their support, it definitely would have been a lot harder.

I studied abroad in Dublin in the Fall of 2022. The support team at the Dublin office was wonderful and was truly there to make your experience great, which made the acclimation so much easier. The academics were rewarding but not overbearing and gave me time to travel and explore the city and other countries. Ireland is a welcoming country, and I felt at home when I ventured into Dublin for the first time. The food scene, nightlife, and people make Dublin an ideal place for a home away from home. It is very easy to manage as you can mostly walk or take public transportation anywhere. I would recommend this city to anyone interested in history, culture, and a beautiful city with welcoming vibes.

Overall, my time in Dublin was not only helpful in building my skills and connections professionally, but increased my confidence and independence by leaps and bounds. With CEA, I was able to pair in-class marketing courses with practical work experience through an internship with Jigsaw. While the academic experience was worthwhile, living in Dublin was in itself a learning experience. From my daily walk along the Liffey to work to finding the best flight deals to London for the weekend, traveling alone to a foreign country and being immersed in a different culture is something I would highly recommend. Dublin itself is a welcoming and safe city that felt like home after my three months there and the CEA staff was personal and intentional about giving students the best experience possible, both professionally and socially!

Getting here I did not know what to expect. But as an American student it was especially rewarding to be around so many students from other parts of Europe. They must all come for english programs.

RyanAir flights are really cheap out of Dublin so the rest of Europe is just a flight away to explore.

The program itself is very interactive and the trips we take are always very organized and fun. Anyone who is looking to study abroad, whether in Dublin or elsewhere should definitely consider CEA as their program choice.

CEA is great because you tell them what kind of internship you're looking for, and they go out and find it for you. Being more interested in NGO's than corporate, CEA found me an amazing internship that I will always cherish for the rest of my life. I found a new home in Dublin at my internship, and to top it off, my academics were amazing as well. I highly recommend the program here in Ireland. The Irish are the best kind of people, and I hold very many fond memories in the pubs.