AIFS Abroad: Intern Abroad in Italy

I really enjoyed my internship and this program! I had an amazing internship experience and got to meet life long friends along the way. I would definitely recommend this program to someone who want to have a work experience and study abroad! Especially, to someone who wants to build their resume. I know that’s what attracted me to this program. The housing accommodation was great good size rooms, kitchen and living room. Amazing support by advisors Amanda and Antonella. You are able to reach them at any point during experience and they will get back to you as soon as they can. Overall, I had a great experience and will cherish this period of my life forever.

Hi! I was apart of the Spring 2024 intern abroad program in Florence. I had the best time ever! I will be honest though, the experience is not easy. As an intern abroad you have to balance time very well with social life and work life. I worked 40 hours weeks most weeks and traveled on the weekends. It is exhausting. Luckily I had a great group of girls I was living with and we really bonded over our experience in the program and helped each other vent and get through the hard parts. The placement I had was the perfect type of internship, which is great because I needed the experience. Although, working in a different countries does have some hardships. I am a pretty personable person and the language barrier made it very hard for me to make connections with the people in the office with me, a lot of the time they would speak in Italian and I knew very little. It felt a little lonely and I have never been in a work environment where I wasn’t friends with those who I was working with. It definitely became a really tiresome feeling and I dreaded going to the internship towards the end. I also did not need credit and was doing this for experience so working as much as I did burnt me out kind of fast. I had hoped there was a part time position or option but that was not possible. But in all I had a really great time, the experience was once in a lifetime and I would definitely recommend!

I had a great experience while interning abroad in Milan, Italy. I felt very supported while abroad by both AISF advisors, Amanda and Antonella. They went above and beyond to make my stay as comfortable as possible and catered to our needs. My internship placement was fantastic, I was often tasked with projects that can be used in my portfolio and I was fortunate enough to experience Milan Fashion Week and attend some of the events. Overall, I definitely enjoyed my experience and I will continue to remember this trip for years to come.

Overall, I had a great experience in Milan and am very grateful for the support and guidance offered by our program advisors. Although my internship was not the professional experience I had hoped for, living abroad and immersing myself in a new culture made the program worth it. If there had been clearer expectations about my role as an intern I think this could have helped me have a more valuable work experience. I would highly recommend this program to anyone looking for the opportunity to live abroad in a major city.

Overall, this experience abroad was eye opening and amazing! I couldn't have asked for better program advisors, Antonella and Amanda. They were super welcoming and responsive. During my time, I was able to travel outside of Italy and explore Milan which was one of my favorite parts about being here. However, my internship was not something I got to excel in professionally. I think the employer should be more honest on what the job entails to the intern and to AIFS because my responsibilities did not align with what I actually did during my internship.

I was working abroad with 5 other girls. Our advisors, Amanda and Antonella, were the glue of our program and had the solution to every problem. They are extremely supportive and could not have asked for better advisors. I loved the people in my program and was able to travel on the weekends to different countries. On the other hand, my internship was busy work consisted of getting clients coffee and sending emails 9-5 every day. I didn't grow professionally but the friends and travel opportunities made the program worth it.

My experience was unique because I was the only person on my program who had a remote internship. I feel as though I got off on the wrong foot because I was the only person who had Italian experience, so I was in a different class than the rest of the people in my program. This was no one’s fault, but I wasn’t able to get to know them as we were all on different schedules. The on-site staff, Antonella and Amanda, were so helpful in making all of us feel included and planning great events for us.

I greatly enjoyed my time living and working in Florence! This was my first time in Florence, and I am so appreciative to have gotten to experience all the beauty, art, and history that the city offers. Through AIFS Abroad, I got to learn Italian language from an Italian instructor among other foreigners, take cooking classes and learn authentic Italian recipes, and venture to cities nearby Florence for day trips. The AIFS staff appropriately matched me to an internship with a company that provides marketing services for local Florentine businesses. While working there, I learned new skills in marketing and design, got to practice my freshly learned Italian, and developed an understanding of the business world in Italy. I had to return home abruptly due to unforeseen circumstances in the middle of my time as a program participant, but I am greatly appreciative that the company for whom I was interning allowed me to continue my internship remotely. I learned valuable skills while working in person and remotely which contributed to my understanding of how I want to proceed in my future career. I am grateful to AIFS for the opportunity to embark upon such a meaningful experience and for accommodating me when my circumstances changed.