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International Internships

Why choose International Internships?

International Internships LLC strives to be leading resource for students and recent graduates from around the globe who place high expectations on their internship experience, cultural awareness, career aspirations, and overall success in life.

We are dedicated to finding you an internship that will not only compliment the knowledge you have acquired thus far in your chosen field, but that will give you a global perspective as you seek a competitive edge in achieving your career goals.

Reviews

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Love
1/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Summer Internship Fail in Paris

I would not do an internship in Paris with this company. The coordinator was extremely rude and unprofessional. She did not set me up in the correct field and I spent several weeks in lingo despite my efforts to make things work. She was very disorganized, condescending and blamed me for any mishaps that occurred which was actually due to her negligence. I took it upon myself to find an internship by talking to people I encountered and doing my best to make connections. Again, this was without the help of International Internships LLC. My suggestion is to stay far far away from the Paris internship program. The internships I was given accused this company of fraud and told me to return home immediately and get my money back and I completely understand why after my experience.

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Teague
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Brazil Internship

I had a great internship experience in Sao Carlos, Brazil learning about international supply chains and distribution systems. I expanded my global perspective, understood what it means to be world citizen, and developed life long friendships. My internship challenged me everyday and required me to adapt very quickly to the workplace especially the language barriers with some of my co-workers. The management team not only took the time to train me on my internship responsibilities, but the team went beyond and taught me about every aspect of the business from importing raw materials to exporting completed products. However, the best experience was developing friendships with the eight Brazilian students I lived with throughout my internship. Everyone was very welcoming and introduced me to the area. I was even able to visit several cities with my friends, play golf, and participate in JEEP off-roading. Overall, it was a great experience!

What would you improve about this program?
I would change my involvement in the selection of the internship placement. I was fortunate with my placement, but it would have been nice to have a list of options if it was possible.
Read my full story
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ilovedance1358
4/5
No, I don't recommend this program

Summer Internship in Paris

Okay, so in a nutshell I had an absolutely awesome experience, probably the best of my life, HOWEVER, this was unfortuantely not due to International Internships support/coordinators. Yes it is true that I was placed in my field of interest, but to be completely honest, my experience in France was awesome because I made it awesome. Int'l Interships was very disorganized, the coordinator in Paris was very disorganized and very rude. She was extremely condescending and very unprofessional. So basically, I gave up working or even wanting to talk with International Internship people from early on and just took things by the reigns myself, because I'm a go-getter and take initiative by nature, so it wasn't too hard for me to do that. There were issues at first with my housing, but again Int'l Internships didn't do much about it besides the coordinator acting like it was my fault or something (like I said already, she was very unhepful and rude). My own university actually contacted me about it & cared, and would have fixed the issue if the problem hadn't resolved itself. As another example, I was told that I would possibly be able to switch departments, and again, no thanks to int'l internships, I just took initiative and had an interview with the "chef" himself and organized that. If I had wanted to, I could have even transferred to another location, but again, no thanks to the unhelpful coordinator, I made the connections and calls myself, and had the "o.k." from the other institution except I didn't have time in the end so just stayed where I was. Anyways, I think it's probably hit-and-miss with this company as far as placement, and as far as interracting with them, definitely not the most pleasant experience for me. If you are a go-getter and don't let anyone or anything get in your way of doing what you want to do & fulfilling your dreams like me, then you could make lemonade out of anything & have an awesome time. So in my honest opinion, Int'l Internships did place me right (hospital internship btw), and that's HUGE, kudos to them for that since I know others have not been placed well by them, so that was lucky that it worked out for me, but the disorganization and lack of professional and courteous support while there lead me to avoid talking to them and just doing my own thing, which worked out wonderfully!

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emlovescandy
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Life changing experience!

After an initial rough patch of finding a location to do my environmental internship, I was finally placed in Easkey, Co. Sligo, Irelandistory!. I wasn't sure what to expect when I got there... However, it was the best summer of my life.

I was placed at the Family Resource Centre and did research on radon in the area. The staff at the Centre was extremely helpful and always willing to take me to places to tour.

The family I lived with was just as helpful. They took me to family events with them and I felt as if I belonged.

The only thing I would have done differently is to have spent more time researching my family history!

The overall experience helped me understand my professional goals. My education helped me in preparation for the research I needed to do, but the life experience was worth the time and effort I put into making this happen.

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bdawson
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Sydney, Internship

I had a great time, internship, and Australia was amazing. However, my housing situation was not the best. I was basically the only English speaker out of 15 people and the RA was not the nicest person, and had even kicked me out a week early, and told me my lease was up. Even though, it had been paid for in advance for an extra week. The internship however, was great and I know the other kids in the same housing company were placed with nice RA's and people that spoke the same language. I would still highly recommend the experience and even, with no one that spoke my language I was still able to make friends with the locals and with other travelers. Go if you can it is tons of fun and a great experience overall.

Programs

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Alumni Interviews

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

Why did you decide to intern with International Internships in Brazil?

Ironically, I decided to pursue an internship in Brazil while I was studying abroad in London, UK during my junior year at Susquehanna University. You can say that I got the international travel bug and it did not end with a few months in Europe. My internship opportunity originated with the Eric Stein Fellowship program offered by the Sigmund Weis School of Business to support students for international internships. The fellowship assisted with the airfare, housing costs, and basic living costs.

I first learned about International Internships from my program advisor and conducted research on the potential internships that the company could connect me to. I chose Brazil due to its diverse culture and growing economy. My internship criteria included a focus on finance and international business experience. After I was notified of my placement, I decided to take the risk of interning in another country for several weeks, and I am still benefiting from the decision today.

International Internships helped me organize my internship contact information, plan my travel arrangements, ensure proper visa paperwork, and find suitable housing. I learned that due diligence for the proper visa paperwork is critical because Brazil has strict visa requirements. It was great to have an advocate assist in the process because I did not have to worry about finalizing all of the internship logistics. My internship supervisor was given my contact information a few months prior to my planned arrival, which gave me confidence in my placement and experience.

What made this experience unique and special?

First, my experience served as a learning opportunity to adapt to unfamiliar environments quickly. I neither knew the language well, nor the country, nor the business I was interning for. It was a humbling experience. Every day basic activities such as grocery shopping or communicating with someone were a challenge. It was an uncomfortable feeling for the first few weeks, but my coworkers and housemates made the transition easier than I expected.

Second, my coworkers made sure that I was exposed to many facets of the business and many cultural norms of Brazilian citizens. They taught me about the segments of the business, the manufacturing process, the administration function, and the science behind the designs of the products they produced. Outside of the workplace, I was invited to play golf, participate in a Jeep off-road adventure, and dining out at restaurants. My coworkers also helped me organize trips to various cities within Brazil on the weekends. I was fortunate to visit Sao Paulo and the beaches of Guaruja.

Lastly, my housing arrangements made my experience very unique. I lived in a "Republica" with eight Brazilian students that attended a nearby university. The arrangement allowed me to interact with Brazilians every day, form friendships, and develop communication skills. My housemates were very grateful to have me stay with them, and I was treated like family. They introduced me to the area, taught me about the Brazilian culture, and traveled with me on the weekends. I could not have asked for a better housing situation.

How has this experience impacted your future?

My internship experience has broadened my horizon and understanding of international business and what it means to be a global citizen. I have always read about international business concepts in college textbooks, but it does not become apparent until you experience it. During my senior year at Susquehanna University, I was able to draw on examples of personal experiences for classroom learning and provide perspective in lectures. In addition, I was able to broaden the scope of the Stein Fellowship internships.

Interning in Brazil helped me become a better communicator across languages, adapt to unfamiliar work environments quickly, and adjust to different cultural norms. Some cultural differences are as simple as how you greet someone, workplace priorities, and the balance between work and life. Each week, I became more accustomed to the cultural value system. I learned that Brazilians enjoy the company of others and everyone is of equal status in a social setting. No titles or experience gaps come between individuals outside of the workplace.

After graduation from college, my experience served as a primary talking point during job interviews. It made my background unique compared to United States-based internships. Job recruiters wanted to hear about my experience just as much as I wanted to share my experience with them. The internship added value to my business knowledge and perspective, which will follow me throughout my career opportunities.

What was the highlight of your experience?

The highlight of my experience was learning something new each day. The unfamiliar settings challenged me to take advantage of every opportunity. I realized that the chance to travel to Brazil and intern at an international company was a continuation of my global experience. Each morning as I walked out the door, I wondered what would be different or what new challenges I would face. My ten weeks in Brazil taught me to be more flexible and adaptable in my daily expectations. One day I would be learning a new manufacturing process, and the next day I would be learning how Brazilian companies interact with customers from around the world.

In addition, I tried to learn Portuguese through my manager and practice it on a daily basis. I do not consider myself a quick learner when it comes to learning a new language. It was definitely a challenge for me despite similarities to the Spanish language that I studied. However, by the end of my ten-week internship, I was able to learn enough to communicate with other people and navigate around my surroundings. I did not realize that the country of Brazil had so many dialects, which made learning the language even more challenging. I was fortunate to have coworkers that would take the time to educate me.

What is one piece of advice you would offer someone considering interning abroad in Brazil?

Interning in Brazil is a great experience and you should take advantage of every opportunity. It is a very diverse country and it has a lot of great places to visit. I would suggest balancing your internship commitment and personal experiences.

My manager encouraged me to travel and experience different parts of Brazil. Traveling around the country could have been easily forgotten if my manager did not make it an internship priority. It would also be beneficial to keep a journal of your internship accomplishments, contributions, and/or experiences. It helped me share about my internship and its value with others.