Program Reviews

The experience I have gained through this internship is beyond amazing, monumentally amazing one could say. Connect-123 was able to find me the perfect internship in Barcelona, Spain, which was just the cherry on top of my life in Barcelona. I worked for a company that promoted the underground music, art, and culture scene of Barcelona and was able to first hand experience the inside life of Barcelona. Through Connect and my internship, I not only learned a great amount about the Barcelona scene, but also met friends that I will never forget. My biggest take from my three month life in Barcelona was all the connections I made and all the people I had met, and how each one of them helped me realize and learn something new about this world. In school we aren't necessarily taught how to live on our own. The biggest life lessons are learned through experience, and that is exactly what I felt I recieved through this life in Barcelona. Knowledge gained from experiences; experiences with friends, strangers, work, parties, travels, and so much more. Its sad to go and return to reality, but I don't leave with a frown, I leave with a smile on my face because I know that the reality waiting for me back at home will be much easier to face with the experience I have gained through the Connect-123 program.

From the moment I arrived in Barcelona, as I remember it well, I was enamored with the city, the language, and the culture. I knew this was a good place to further my Spanish language growth, work experience, cultural knowledge, and my person as a whole.
What made the transition from my fairly small town in the US to a the second largest city in Spain even more seamless was the friendly and tireless staff at Connect 123. From the airport pick up to the checking-in emails to the weekly group events Connect 123 truly became my second family for my three months in Barcelona. Thanks, Lea, Eli and Steven!
As far as Barcelona goes, the city is beautiful and you will never be bored! It literally has everything, the beach, the mountains, a water park, an amusement park, countless bars and restaurants, and easy travel access to any other major city in Spain. Not to forget the public transportation is definitely a high point for the city, as well. Barcelona is a place where everyone can find something to do.
My internship working in first the primary school and then in the kid's summer camp was a great learning experience! I was able to put to use my Spanish language skills everyday, all day, and put forth the skills I've learned in my Teacher's Education courses at MSU. From practicing my future profession I also gained knowledge of how to be an effective teacher and that is something invaluable to me.
Overall, I spent the best summer of my life thus far in Barcelona and I gained experiences, memories, and friends that I will never forget. Thanks Connect 123 for making this possible!

As I stepped out of the van sent to pick me up from the Pu Dong airport and onto the streets of Shanghai for the first time, I was overwhelmed. It was so different from America in nearly every aspect! The people, the size, the noise, the commotion. Frankly, I wondered how I would ever survive here, in this vastly foreign city.

But with the safety-net of a tight-knit group of connect-123 interns behind me, along with the support of my gregarious host organization I've come to love this city and feel a deep sense of nostalgia now that I'm leaving.

From the difficult, yet rewarding work I did teaching English language to migrant Chinese children during the week, to the interesting and fun atmosphere created by connect-123 during their weekend events, I couldn't have asked for a more balanced experience.

Although at first I was nervous, I really am thankful for connect-123 for giving me this opportunity. I not only feel that I've really grown as a person, but that I have accomplished something of substance here in this city, as well

I have spent the past 3 months with an internship/study abroad program in Barcelona, and I have loved every minute of it! My internship experience fit exactly into my expectations, and I enjoyed meeting and working with all of my coworkers at my organization throughout the summer. Connect-123 understood my internship goals and found a perfect match for me at my Social Media Organization, and I feel like I learned a lot and am taking many great experiences home with me now.

Not only was everything well organized, but the program was all very personal and friendly as well. Connect-123 offers helpful support if needed, as well as many recommendations for things to do to get to know your new city. I especially think they did a great job of ensuring well-roundedness during the program through trying new things, cultural experiences, and meeting new friends. I have learned so much from this summer abroad, and if I have the opportunity to use the program again then I definitely will!

My time in Shanghai has been nothing short of marvelous! Everything has been beyond expectations. I've learned so much from the internship at the hospital, and the people there have been very good to me - always so patient, welcoming, and educating. I had feared that the doctors and nurses would find me a burden and be cold and distant at best, but they completely and constantly proved me wrong; in fact, many times they would come to me for questions and suggestions for improving their English, and would invite me to eat with them and go out. In addition to the amazing internship, though, Connect-123 has gone above and beyond for making my time here not only comfortable, but also thoroughly productive and enjoyable. In addition they found me opportunities to volunteer and tutor, allowing me to accomplish things that I love to do and that I had not believed I could also do here. Day trips and nightly social outings were also a part of the whole Shanghai deal, allowing everyone to see not only the working and daily aspect of the city, but also many of its tourist areas, glorious views, and nightlife. The program has been stunningly flexible, incredibly thorough, and to every extent helped make my stay here more memorable. With everything Connect-123 has done, I have sincerely been able to connect with the city of Shanghai and its people in a way that I never realized I could. (Excuse the pun!)

As a career changer I was looking for an internship to update my marketing skills and develop new work skills to aid in my future job search. Connect 123 took the time to help me define what experience I was looking for a found the right company for my goals.

While in Barcelona, the Connect 123 team kept in constant contact to make sure everything was going well and to arrange events and get togethers for the all the interns in town. It was a great experience and I would recommend using Connect 123 to arrange your international internship.

If you’re reading this and considering doing an internship with Connect123 in Cape Town…definitely do it! I had an amazing and unforgettable experience in Cape Town, both from a personal and professional perspective.

I worked at a human rights law firm that specialized in refugee law, constitutional issues, gender violence and land law to name a few areas. Tasks I helped with included client intake and interviews, research, drafting legal documents, negotiations with Government departments and the police, as well as attending court hearings. The team I worked with was supportive, fun and absolutely inspiring. I was given real work and responsibility from literally Day 1! Overall, the work experience I obtained was more than I had hoped for and completely relevant to my future aspirations.

The team at Connect123 were amazing! Their help before and during my time in Cape Town allowed me to make the most of my internship opportunity. They offered a placement that suited my needs, organized logistics prior to my arrival, prepared great social events, provided support as well as an instant network of friends and activities to take part in.

Cape Town is a beautiful city and I encourage everyone to visit. There are so many incredible things to do – hiking, beaches, safari and shark-cage diving just to name a few! I met some amazing, fun and incredible people and together we fully immersed ourselves in the beautiful culture and lifestyle of South Africa by trying something new almost everyday. You will not be bored while in Cape Town!

I strongly recommend the Connect-123 program to anyone who would like to experience more than just an internship. I had an unforgettable international internship experience that opened doors for my professional future and also allowed me to personally grow as a person. As they say: “I came here to change Cape Town, but Cape Town changed me”.

My time here in Cape Town was so life changing and incredible. I met so many great new friends and was able to explore such a beautiful and diverse city. On the flip side, you are so overcharged for rent (about $525 for a double!), and the program administration fee. What exactly is the $1495 going to? They help you find your internship which is nice, but you could easily walk two blocks and find several organizations who would love to have you help out and work for free. So essentially you are paying someone to apply for you, to work for free. That fee doesn't include the activities they set up, transportation, the wi-fi or the electricity. Electricity is expensive and to have good wi-fi you pay at least $35 a month. There is no gym upstairs (it is one working bike) and the apartment location is in a sketchy area as well. If you have the means to do so, find a cheaper living alternative and look for an organization yourself. Again, why pay $1495 for them to do it. When you go talk to them about internship problems, they tell you to stick it out because their relationship with the organizations are more important than your happiness and money that you paid to come here. The only good part is you live with other interns through the program...

Discovering Connect 123 was the best thing that could have happened to me! I wanted to come to Barcelona for 3 months and gain some cool abroad work experiences in advertising and copywriting that I could add to my resume and portfolio. I did that and so much more. I was really picky with what type of internship I wanted to do but the staff and program director were always readily available and willing to go beyond their call of duty to make sure I was satisfied and happy. Finally, I landed the job of my dreams! I did SO much more than what I could have asked for and now my portfolio looks amazing with real life work that the company uses.

I came to Spain by myself (and 0 spanish speaking skills), and I can now get by on conversations and can't count the number of foreign friends I now have! The Connect team (and other interns who come to the same city around the same time) are wonderful! We went out for drinks and had a great bond. Wish I had more time to see them! I'm so sad that I have to be leaving. Barcelona is so amazing and so different than back home. I had a blast with all their little random festivals. The fire festival in Valencia, paint fight, carnival in sitges, and so much more) Life is so calm here but at the same time, the work load for my internship I had was heavy (which I asked for, and I thoroughly enjoyed it!

Enrolling the Connect-123 internship program was probably one of the best decisions I took lately in both professional and personal aspect of the experience. I am completely satisfied with all what Connect-123 team provided me though all stages of the program.

Connect-123 is doesn’t only look for an internship but also with all the organization around the stay which I think is as important as the internship itself. They indeed provided a lot of support with arrival, housing, cultural immersion documentations. At the very beginning I was concerned about going to Beijing rather than Shanghai, and have not contact person there but Jimmy did a great job by providing me all the help I needed: Special thanks to him helping me at any time dealing with my housing agent.

Lea totally understood what kind of internship I was looking for and found the perfect match. My internship was in an environmental consulting company in Beijing. I had the chance to follow project from the beginning I did learn a lot from this internship about environment in China and about China itself. It gave me the opportunity to have a valuable professional experience.

After spending 3 months I am even more convinced that China is the place to be if you want to contribute improving the environment. Because my Chinese experience is that positive, I am extending it for 3 more months and considering staying a few years.