Internships in Cape Town with VACorps

I have really enjoyed my Cape Town experience with VACorps, and it has truly been unforgettable. I have made so many memories and I have made friends for a lifetime. I especially enjoyed the Friday activities, this gave us the opportunity to explore different areas of Cape Town as well as spend time with everyone on the program. I will highly recommend VACorps to anyone looking to travel and work during their Gap Year as Cape Town is an incredible city, and the VACorps staff are wonderful, and really care about your experience.

The time spent during my 2-month long stay in South Africa will forever be an unforgettable one. Cape Town became my destination of choice after I saw what the beautiful city has to offer. I’m passionate about travel and new experiences and thought this would be a great opportunity for both travel and work. My internship was a requirement to complete my studies and I am glad to say that I have achieved all that I had set out to when I first arrived.

Professionally, I have grown and gained a lot of valuable experience at my internship site. I learned a lot from the animation department and got to engage in a lot of tasks which I enjoyed.

Throughout my stay, Cape Town had been a sight to see every day. There is always something new around the corner and got to experience a lot of things for the first time through many of the VACorps activities. I will never forget the endless beaches and wineries and penguins! And so much more. Also, during my time here, I made a lot of friends and met so many people from diverse cultures which were exciting and interesting to see and learn about. The whole experience has been a lovely one and I’m glad to have been part of the program

VACorps was an incredible experience that made me fall in love with the city of Cape Town and its people. I did an internship at a local Cape Town radio station, and I was given the chance to do so many things. From reporting to producing to hosting my own show. Everyone there was very supportive and kind. I took initiative and did things with my time at the station, and as a result, was given the opportunity to grow as a reporter. It is hard to imagine my time here without the people of VACorps and the memories of the Friday activities. My experience was defined by a beautiful city and even more beautiful people and that is largely thanks to the openness and welcoming spirit of the VACorps community.

I chose Cape Town because I wanted to go somewhere completely different and outside of my comfort zone, and it was highly recommended to me by a friend who had done the program last year. The VACorps Program was everything I expected and so much more. Not only did I learn a lot about Cape Town, South Africa, and its rich and beautiful culture, but I also learned so much about myself, and my future career. I am more confident as a result. The VACorps team is so supportive and empathetic and they truly care about their interns and the experience they have in South Africa. I’m going to miss everyone so much. The VACorps team, the other VACorps program participants, and all of my work colleagues who were so kind and from whom I learned so much.

When I first decided to go to Cape Town I did so mostly because I wanted to do an internship for my university and I was tired of the cold winter in Europe. But Cape Town has so much more to offer than just amazing weather and diverse and interesting internship sites. Interning here for three months was an incredible and life-altering experience. It stretched from swimming in the ocean and going on a variety of hikes to going to nice restaurants and exploring the multicultural and beautiful city. And there is a seemingly endless amount of things one could do. Even after all my time here, there are still some things on my bucket list that I did not get to do - even though I feel like I worked on finishing them very diligently. Doing an internship with VACorps was also giving me the opportunity to meet many like-minded people from all over the world and from a variety of different fields. Overall it was an experience I am very happy about and would not want to miss.

My experience in the VACorps program was a perfect balance of rigorous internship and freedom to explore a new city. I loved my internship dearly- teaching grade 5 Monday through Thursday- and the relationships I formed with both my learners and my teaching mentor will stick with me. Cape Town is an entirely unique city- coming from New England, it resembled nowhere I'd ever visited before, and I loved it almost instantly. It's hard to find a city that combines nature, adventure, history, and nightlife while maintaining such a sense of community. VACorps itself fosters a familial environment and getting altogether at the end of the week to explore the city was a highlight of every week. My time in Cape Town is leaving me with a unique cultural experience, a new perspective on the world outside of my hometown bubble, and many new friends that I look forward to keeping up with in the coming years.

I chose to come to Cape Town because the internship opportunities in South Africa with perfectly fit what I wanted to do. My university major requires international study experience and VACorps was a perfect fit. Through this internship, I have grown so much as an individual and it has awoken a passion to travel alone throughout the world. I will miss the views of Table Mountain and the wonderful sunsets from Camps Bay. I was here for 3 months and I would come back in a heartbeat, or extend my trip if I did not have to get back for school. For incoming interns, I would recommend going out with groups even if you're tired, and making the best of your time. Enjoy every sunset, try new foods, and try to talk to people outside of your VACorps program friends. I loved the group activities and I appreciated the fun things we were able to experience as a group that would have been more difficult alone (ex: cape point). I am most grateful for the ease and peace of mind that the VACorps program gave me when it came to placing an internship, safety around Obs, and a supportive hand whenever I had questions about living in South Africa.

I chose to come to Cape Town for my internship because there is so much to do here and heading to Cape Town's summer from England's winner was a no-brainer. Rowan was fantastic in helping me secure lots of internship options, but I chose to intern at the Women's Legal Centre as it was the most well-aligned with my career ambitions at home.

I came for two months but time went far too quickly - for prospective interns, I would advise at least three months! I had a Cape Town bucket list that was already long and when I got here, I discovered there is even more to do. Two months flew by and I wish I had longer.

I did a law internship at an NGO that advances women's rights and equality through strategic litigation, advocacy, and education. The thing I loved about interning here was the flexibility of my placement. My internship site was very understanding when I wanted to work remotely, and when I wanted to go into the office. They were always welcoming and everyone was super friendly. The office culture is vibrant and happy, completely different from London, and I will miss that dearly.

I will also miss all the VAC staff immensely. No question or query was ever too much - the support and availability from all staff is truly next level. Everyone communicated with me positively and enthusiastically and I truly wish VACorps all the success in the world in the future because you deserve it all. I appreciated the variety of weekly activities which were suitable for everyone's tastes.

There were so many amazing moments in Cape Town but my favorites were definitely my trip to Kruger (I saw the big 5!), and the penguin beach.

I feel I have grown as a person and re-discovered myself again which I had lost amidst the pandemic. The whole trip was everything I expected and so much more, and I will always cherish the amazing memories I made here in Cape Town.