International Internships with NGOs Across Europe

Name: International Internships with NGOs Across Europe
Brand: Serve the City Madrid
SKU: 205434
Rating: 5 (5 reviews)

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Location

Multiple Locations +6

Spain
- Madrid
Portugal
- Lisbon
- Porto
Netherlands
- Amsterdam
Belgium
- Brussels
Ireland
- Dublin
Estonia
- Tallinn

Length

6 to 36 weeks

Industry

Accounting Communications Computer Science International Business International Relations Public Policy Startups Sustainable Development

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Program Details

Compensation

Unpaid

Timeframe

Year Round

Housing

Apartment

Language

English

Weekly Hours

Age Min.

Age Max

100

Qualifications

Positive attitude
Outgoing
Team player
Hardworking
People person
Detail oriented
Experience in project management
Event management
Any kind of artistic experience

Pricing

Starting Price

3766

Price Details

Prices
6 weeks €3240
8 weeks €4320
10 weeks €4800
12 weeks €5760
24 weeks €12,000
36 weeks €16,800

What's Included

Accommodation Airport Transfers SIM cards Some Meals Transportation Wifi

What's Not Included

Activities Airfare Domestic Airfare Travel Insurance Visa

Last Updated: Aug 21, 2018

Last Reviewed: Aug 12, 2018

Wish List

17 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

An internship with Serve the City will provide you with an experience that will change you forever! Whether you are interested in learning more about the non-profit sector in general, project management, fundraising or more traditional business practices, Serve the City can use your skills.

We are an extremely entrepreneurial organization that values the unique talents and participation of every person who works with us. We encourage you to know yourself and your passions so you can learn to enjoy work and not just go to work!

Serve the City treats interns as a vital part of our family and we ensure that your work is both meaningful and productive.

If you want to experience working in Europe with an international organization which will broaden your horizons, Serve the City is for you. You can choose to work in Madrid, Lisbon, Porto, Amsterdam, Brussels or Dublin!

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Video and Photos

Internship Europe Madrid Lisbon Porto Brussels Amsterdam Dublin

Internship Europe Spain Portugal Belgium Netherlands Ireland

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Program Highlights

Pricing starting from as little as €3.240 for 6 weeks
Choose from six European cities to intern!
Book directly with your placement destination, no middle man
Prices include accommodation in shared rooms
Prices include orientation, meals and supervision and training

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Program Reviews

5.00 Rating

based on 5 reviews

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1 rating 0%

Growth 5
Support 5
Fun 5
Housing 5
Safety 5

Showing 1 - 5 of 5 reviews

Working with Serve the City Madrid has hands down been my favorite internship. From the beginning, the staff worked with me to learn about my goals of the internship and what I wanted to learn and accomplish, and helped me become acclimated with the Madrid area. It was a great opportunity to learn about the operations of an NGO, especially with the international component and learning about Spanish culture, and I cannot stress how wonderful, approachable and fun the staff is.

I had an internship with serve the city for about 2 months and had an incredible experience. The team was very up beat and friendly and we quickly became a family. If I could go back and experience it all over again I would in a heart beat. I came into Madrid with a group of girls I hardly knew and my best friend from home and I can definitely say having at least one person you know helps a lot with homesickness however going by yourself could be a ton of fun too. Working with serve the city we got to go out into the city and volunteer our time fixing up a safe home for individuals who did not have one. I have always been the volunteer type but volunteering in a different country was a new experience for me and one I will never forget. Another project we got to do as a team was put on a fundraiser and I have to say this was a huge success after raising over 1000€!!!! It was a great accomplishment!

Internship with Serve the City Madrid was one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life.
Although it seems quite intimidating to live in a new country with no knowledge of language or culture, but with STC Madrid, I felt at home from the very first day.

STC Madrid office was managed very professionally. Warren really made an effort to understand what you wanted to achieve out of the internship. He made sure that time spent with STC resulted in something meaningful. He paid attention to all the interns individually and chalked out tasks that matched their working style. The entire team of STC Madrid is really dedicated and focussed. STC Madrid is connected to about 40 local NGOs and is part of Serve the City Organisation which is spread across the globe.

We were living in a shared accommodation and the house had all the basic necessities one could ask. The public transportation in madrid is very well organised and the bus stop is right next to the house. The House Coordinators brief you the moment you arrive and provide amazing support throughout the programme. All the meals were served on the weekdays and Melody, would prepare food separately if you had any dietary restrictions (No Gluten, No Lactose, Vegan etc). Since you live with peers from all around the globe, you learn a lot. Trust me, there was never a dull moment at the house and you will end up making a lot of friends.

Madrid has a vibrant nightlife and people throughout the city are really helpful. If you know Spanish, its an advantage and even if you don't, Spanish lessons can be arranged.
I would certainly recommend this program. Amazing memories for life!

If you are looking for an internship that provides hands on experience in NGO work then Serve the City Madrid is the perfect program for you. The Serve the City team is welcoming to all participants and ensures that all interns work on interesting and informative projects. You will improve your skill sets in the areas of business writing, editing, communication (In both Spanish and English), research, organization, creativity, working independently, and working as a team. I could not give higher praise to the Serve the City internship program, it has become a corner stone in shaping my aspirations for a future career in community development work.

As a first time traveler abroad, I was unsure what a summer internship in Spain would mean. Would I simply be responsible for making coffee and doing some paperwork? What did it mean to run a non profit abroad? In just six short weeks, I got a true taste of what it means to live and work in Madrid, making a difference in the lives of real people. As an intern group, we were tasked with developing, pitching, creating and executing a fundraiser in Madrid.

No small feat. Three American girls had to learn how to effectively fundraise in a country that does not share our American views on charity and it was the greatest learning adventure! If you want to have an internship experience that gives you real learning, challenges, self growth and development, look no further than Serve the City-Madrid! You will have real projects, grow genuine connections and meet the most amazing group of people!

I am now working in a non-profit setting here in America but I look forward to the day I might be able to take my love for non-profit work back to Europe. Having the chance to truly create our own project and see our work come to life at the end of the internship was amazing. It will be something you can connect to any future job interview and employers love to see that you had an experience in a different culture! I can't recommend the program enough!

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Questions & Answers

Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I chose to intern with Serve The City because I love working in the nonprofit sector, and I was so intrigued by the sheer amount of work that Serve the City Madrid does everyday to help others. Their dedicated group of volunteers and fearless leaders are some of the most amazing people you will ever work with, and they want you to be an equal partner in their work everyday. This program will give you the chance to actually make a difference in a summer internship.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

Our main advisor, Warren, provided us with any and all help we needed. While our program was one of the first initial internships they hosted, it went really well, and we felt supported and safe the entire time we were hosted in Madrid. Anytime we wanted to travel, everyone in the office was happy to give us travel advice, recommendations, and wanted to hear about our weekend trips. While my group did not experience living in the provided housing, I think the next phase of interns will get personalized help their entire stay in Madrid.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

Travel as much as you can! Spend every weekend doing something. Whether it be exploring Madrid, traveling south to beautiful Valencia or Sevilla, or taking a quick plane ride to Italy! I wish someone had told me how quick eight weeks would fly by, so try and enjoy every moment you spend in wonderful Spain!

If one of my friends was considering travel, I would say go go go! You will never regret the memories and experiences you make. Interning at Serve the City will also only add wonderful life experience to your time abroad, as you will come back to the States with great non-profit experience and the ability to talk about real changes you made.

If you're nervous about not being fluent in Spanish, don't be! Everyone I met was so understanding of me trying to communicate in Spanish, and they want to help as much as they can. Take the leap and make memories you will never forget. It was totally worth EVERY penny I spent!

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

In this program, an average week for us looked like this. We would arrive to work in the morning, enjoy chatting with our coworkers, hearing about everyone's night, drinking fresh brewed coffee, and then begin to discuss our task for the day.

Each intern had a small side project we were responsible for throughout our internship, but our main project was a fundraiser that we all constructed as a team. Each team member in our group had something they were working on to make the fundraiser happen.

Some days we would go out for lunch together, spend time grabbing coffee with the whole team, or take small little explorative field trips around the neighborhood. Warren wants everyone to know how important they are to the success of the organization, and your opinion always matters. Some days you might spend five hours working hard on a proposal for a new business idea, and some days you might write a script and film a fundraising video! It's great everyday!

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear was not being able to feel comfortable enough communicating in Spanish to go out to places on my own. I was so wrong! In my time in Madrid, so many Spanish speakers were more than happy to try and speak English, or use our hands to communicate. I was never made to feel stupid or embarrassed to try and communicate in their native language. Learning how compassionate most people were has made me passionate about becoming fluent in Spanish as I want to be able to travel and help others communicate in order to feel confident.

Should I tip while I'm abroad in Spain?

This was probably the most interesting thing we learned about Spanish culture: don't tip! The first night we went out for dinner, we left a standard 20% American tip. Wow. The waiter laughed and said thank you. But we learned quickly that in Spanish culture, you might leave the extra change from your bill but big tips are not customary, and honestly will make you stick out like a tourist in no time!

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Romina got lots of valuable experience in Education, managing groups, and helping NGOs. If you feel eager to help with very easy tasks or even challenging ones, her organization will be very pleased to hear from you!

What is your favorite travel memory?

My favorite travel memory is in Asia. I was backpacking in Vietnam and got immersed in a totally different culture, language, food, and landscape. It was super interesting interacting with not only Vietnamese but also tourists from all around the world. Getting to be understood and understanding them by using gestures rather than words was at the same time the hardest and most gratifying experience so far.

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How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Being part of Serve the City has been a once in a lifetime experience. I’m getting immersed in the amazing NGO world, discovering new ways to interact and help the community where I am currently living. It's a very rewarding and challenging job as every day is different. You need to be very flexible and be able to think quickly when an issue arises. I'm very glad to have been given the opportunity to be part of such a proactive organization!

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

Most of the students' feedback is positive as they feel that they not only grew spiritually but that they also turned into better people and more responsible human beings who are eager to help others no matter the nationality, skin color, accent, or mother tongue.

It is very rewarding hearing from them after their placement time is over. They come to us to tell funny stories and let us know how this experience has changed their way to see the world. They feel wiser and grateful.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Well, this is such a complex question. Every program destination has its own uniqueness as the projects are adapted to the cities’ needs and special requirements from the NGOs. However, if I had to choose, I'll definitely go for the cosmopolitan sunny Madrid – because where else can you find the sun shining 365 days a year?

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

We are a movement of people aiming to create a sense of community through serving the city by helping the underprivileged society. We are the nexus in between people willing to help and NGOs willing to be helped. Connecting human beings is our specialty, and I'm proud to be part of such an epic journey!

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

We are proud to say that our volunteer programs and internships were created to make things simple for our participants. We have everything prepared beforehand so we can offer the best ever lifetime experience abroad. It's the right combination in between feeling helpful and wandering around amazing cities full of history and cultural events ready for the volunteers to discover and enjoy.

About Serve the City Madrid

Serve the City aims to create a sense of community through serving the city, by organizing and facilitating volunteer projects to help the underprivileged in our society.We aim for Serve The City Madrid to be a movement that is truly accepting, open, and welcoming of all people, without exception and that those people will not be asked or expected...