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Intern Abroad HQ

About

At Intern Abroad HQ, we help students and young professionals turn career aspirations into reality. We facilitate life-enriching internships with industry-leading organizations around the world that allow our interns to learn through experience, develop the skills employers favor, and gain international exposure.

With 240+ internship programs across 24 career fields, you can choose to intern from 2 weeks to 6 months either in-country or virtually, in 22 destinations across Europe, Asia, Africa, Central and South America. We facilitate career-enhancing experiences that are tailored to meet each individual’s academic, professional, or personal requirements.

Intern Abroad HQ is proudly brought to you by the team behind International Volunteer HQ. We have collectively supported more than 120,000 program participants since 2007 and are the only B Corp certified provider in our field - meaning that we have been externally audited and meet the highest social and environmental standards.

Reviews

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Mila
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Human Rights & Anti-Racism Remote Internship (Based Out of Israel)

My #1 favorite memory from the internship was my second meeting with my supervisor. During this meeting, they told me their experience as a Arab-Palestinian Israeli citizen. The story was raw, sometimes tragic, sometimes triumphant, always inspiring. Overall, it served to bond the two of us early-on, which boosted our success and compatibility down the road. My internship role was to perform extensive research on a recent election and write a report on the reactions to it. This included assessing media and press from across the world, across every demographic and to the most extreme points of the political spectrum and everywhere in between. The written report I formulated informs the organization for which I work on global thoughts on the election that recently rocked their country. This internship has aligned in every way with my long-term goals. Not only does participation in an internship boost my chances of entering university (one part of my goals), but it also makes me all the better suited to my dream field of study: international relations. As a human rights and anti-racism internship, the global perspective, research skills, compassion, and critical thinking skills that accompany this project is ideal preparation for not only an academic, but professional career in the field. Working with an issue as complicated as the one featured in my internship (the Israeli-Palestinian conflict) is excellent training in listening to multiple sides of a story, a critical skill in any diplomatic position, which I aspire to one day hold. Moreover, the type/form/style of written report required in this internship is one I will certainly have to perform frequently in my long-term goals, and is therefore a great source of practice.

Pros
  • Makes a meaningful impact
  • Lots of structure / schedule flexibility
  • Academic skill preparation
Cons
  • Largely unstructured - not reccommended for people with poor time management
Default avatar
Emilia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Archipelagos Institute of Marine Conservation Remote Internship

The remote internship was a wonderful experience because I was able to explore a particular area of my studies which I am very interested in, in an exciting context! I loved working with the team and was very well supported by the staff. I found communicating with the team very easy, despite the remote nature of the internship. I look forward to continuing my work with the AIMC this year and potentially in future years to come. I would recommend this internship to anyone with a passion for conservation or law.

Default avatar
Eleonora
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Environmental Conservation internship in Costa Rica

My Environmental Conservation internship in Costa Rica has been inspiring and exciting. I was surprised by everyone's kindness and all the attention that I received from my host family. My host mother was a great cook, so I enjoyed every meal in the house! During my internship, my main job was to collect butterfly eggs and store them in a laboratory, then release larvae on specific plant leaves. This meant educating myself about various types of plants and butterflies to collect and match them back to the correct plant. I had to ensure all the butterflies had enough fermented food and that their sanctuaries were clear of spiders and snails. I also helped with the plantation of medical plants and orchid identification. This internship allowed me to develop a deeper understanding of my field of interest. Most of the skills I gained relate to maintaining a conservation area and studying different flowers and medicinal plants. I believe that these activities can be used in the fields of environmental conservation or science for me in future! My favourite internship memory was my decision to do the internship. Every day was priceless and unique.

Pros
  • educational
  • helps you explore a lot of new places/ cultures
  • being in local family
Cons
  • travelling abroad might be stressful
  • language barrier
Default avatar
Lu
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Occupational health and safety remote internship-Greece

My internship experience has been great! I felt comfortable talking to my supervisor and my team and I communicated well despite the language barrier between us. I was very impressed with the level of commitment from my supervisor and internship placement. Upon receiving my very first task, I could see that they were well-prepared and organized, and were ready to answer any of my questions and concerns. The most important task I was involved in was report writing, and other skills that I learnt along the way included communicating with clients. My internship experience went a long way in developing my time management and communication skills. All these skills work in both the short term and the long term, as the long-term goal of the organization I was paired with was to build multicultural relationships and gain expertise from other countries, so I helped in expanding the knowledge and expertise of the company in this regard. I am currently training to be a consultant in the field of occupational safety and health, and now I am qualified in terms of my degree, and my practical experience from this placement.

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?
I had some commitments while doing this internship and trying to balance between different responsibilities was difficult but my internship supervisor and boss were so supportive and they helped me pull through with success!
Default avatar
Alina
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Community and Social Work Forum - Social Work Internship (out of Tanzania)

I had the opportunity to work with Community and Social Work Forum for a period of five weeks as result of my social work internship application with Intern Abroad HQ. My experience with Community and Social Work Forum has been unique. This is indeed the word the best describes the five weeks I have spent working with the organisation.

Although I have completed my internship remotely, thanks to the two professionals representing the organisation, I gained an original taste of the work that social workers do in Tanzania. Since our first interaction, I have been welcomed with kindness and I immediately felt part of the team. The whole internship program was person-centred, based on my personal and professional goals. The two professionals have been keen to ensuring that each and every activity that we conducted contributed to the achievement of my objectives. By way of illustration, I have always been encouraged to share subjects of interest to me to be discussed within our sessions. Furthermore, thanks to the support I received and by virtue of our discussions, I have managed to identify areas of improvement in my practice. This fact in itself has enabled me to become a better professional. In this context, I have also felt very comfortable with sharing some of my struggles in terms of the work I conduct with my clients. These have been received with a non-judgmental and extremely supportive attitude, leading the professionals to share some of the struggles they have themselves encountered during their fascinating careers along with techniques and methods to overcome them. The two professionals have always been ready to share their wide expertise and knowledge with me. They have provided me with extraordinary advices and guidance which I am now applying in my work.

It has been an immense pleasure to work with such valuable, caring and open-minded professionals. With honesty, I would be honoured to work with Community and Social Work Forum again. Thus, I strongly recommend Community and Social Work Forum to anyone who is interested in making the world a better place and who is looking for a unique internship or volunteering experience.

If you did this all over again, what's one thing you would change?
First of all, I would love to have the opportunity to work with Community and Social Work Forum, via Intern Abroad HQ, again. It would be fantastic! As I have completed the internship remotely, if I would do it again, I would indeed go to Tanzania. Thus, the only one thing I would change is the way I would complete it.
Response from Intern Abroad HQ

Hi Alina, thanks for sharing the time to make this recommendation and share your feedback and experience! It was a pleasure to host your internship and we wish you the very best for your career and future ambitions.

Programs

Displaying 1 - 9 of 18

Staff Interviews

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

Dallas Boyd

Job Title
Internships Manager
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How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

Although I’ve grown professionally since working for this company, I think that the personal growth I experienced abroad before entering this position was the most invaluable. International work and volunteer experience helped me to come out of my shell (I was quite shy and naïve!).

I was also able to get a better grasp on my passions and talents, which helped me to develop confidence and figure out the direction I ultimately wanted to take my career. Time abroad also presented unique educational opportunities, which made my resume stand out at home - for example, learning another language in an immersive environment.

Working alongside people from all over the world has been a lot of fun, while enhancing my understanding of different cultures. These experiences not only helped me to secure a job that I love, but they also shaped my professional maturity overall.

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

The stories that I often hear from returned students relates to how much broader their horizons have become. Even though every individual has a unique experience, with different highs and lows, their journeys have usually been impacted by some degree of self-actualization.

It sounds a bit cliché, but there’s really nothing like travel to open your mind and make you appreciate the opportunities and possibilities that are out there. It’s extremely rewarding to hear how returning students feel more empowered, inspired, focused and confident.

Not only do they feel renewed appreciation for their own homes, families, abilities and opportunities but they also feel more capable of independently challenging themselves in new ways, striving toward their goals, and supporting others to do the same.

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

I would personally choose a Microfinance / Women’s Empowerment or NGO Support internship because placement within these fields would complement my current skill-set, interests and career path. However, when choosing an internship program with Intern Abroad HQ, there is also scope to select an entry-level opportunity, if you’re interested in exploring a potential career role or focus area to determine if it’s right for you.

Due to work commitments, I don’t have the ability to commit to a long internship, which is a requirement of most providers; so, one of the shorter internships offered by Intern Abroad HQ would appeal to me. Participants can choose from as little as 2 or 4 weeks, which allows flexibility for short-term, affordable, introductory experiences.

The reflective learning component of shorter-term participation focuses on cross-cultural competency and global citizenship development.

Longer-term interns will become more immersed and independent within their placement and critical reflections, gaining greater experience and career insight. There really is something for everyone!

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

Our company has been made by young professionals, for young professionals. We’re deeply reflective about our processes and how we can constantly improve - whether addressing safety and sustainability responsibilities, or providing the most valuable outcomes for interns abroad.

We take pride in being “hands on”, as this helps us to experience programs from an intern’s point of view. We personally familiarize ourselves with the organizations that host interns – our staff have stayed in the accommodation, shared meals with program participants and host families; we’ve visited the tourist sites in the regions and we’ve seen first-hand the placements where interns participate.

This means we have a thorough understanding of the programs and can relate to the motivations, aspirations and experiences of participants.

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

I think it’s important to care about what you do, stick to your values, and to treat others the way you’d like to be treated. We express this at work by being dedicated to transparency and affordability. We know that students work hard and shouldn’t have to pay through the nose for quality programs and support, so we offer reputable and trusted opportunities that are as accessible as possible.

As travelers ourselves, we build the types of support systems and processes that we would expect to see, so comprehensive support, safety, risk management, and community sustainability are all top priorities. This approach reduces stress for participants and allows the greatest possible learning to take place.

At the end of the day, our aim is for interns, their families, and our team to all be proud to be a part of Intern Abroad HQ.