Program Reviews

The Connect-123 program had a fantastic support system and built the my experience from the ground up. Because of this, there is almost no reason why you SHOULDN'T be happy with the experience. The staff is readily available to help you with any problems you have even when they aren't in the office. I had a fantastic time in Argentina this summer!

My host family made me feel a part of the family. I regularly ate dinner with them and we watched TV together and talked. It was a great way to improve my Spanish!

I also worked 5 days a week doing marketing research for a small company. Everyone in the office was incredibly friendly and willing to teach me anything I wanted to know!

I really can't say enough about my experience. If you are looking into abroad program for whatever reason, strongly consider Connect-123!

Connect-123 gave me a great placement in which I was able to expand my knowledge and skills in the development field in a very friendly environment.

I chose to find an internship with Connect-123 because of the variety of services they provide throughout the duration of the internship. Connect-123 helped in finding the appropriate internship, list of housing options and language courses that were tailored to fit my needs. I got a discount in almost all services provided through Connect. Most importantly for me, living alone in a foreign country was a difficult decision. Knowing I had someone to contact was very comforting!

Connect-123 provided helpful and friendly guidance throughout my entire two and a half month experience. After a survey of my interests and professional goals, I was placed at small event planning and marketing agency. Helping to ease any nerves, the staff at Connect-123 made sure to accompany me on my first day of work. Each of the Connect-123 staff members shares a genuine concern for the well being of all program participants.

In addition to advice, Connect-123 also organized social events and weekend trips for participants. These events and trips allow you to truly experience the city of Cape Town and its surrounding area. Cape Town and its residents will always hold a place in my heart. Not only did I gain professional experience, but I gained lifelong friends as well. I will always be thankful that Connect-123 allowed me to have the experience of a lifetime!

Connect 123 is a class act. From start to finish, the support from the connect staff was great. The internships they provide are beneficial to your professional life and the activities they arrange contribute to a healthy social life as well. I use Connect two summers in a row, both Cape Town and Buenos Aires and both were fantastic.

I knew going into my senior year I wanted to do an internship abroad to gain experience in the human rights sector. Choosing to go with Connect-123 to Cape Town, South Africa, as a human rights intern for two months made this decision easily the best I have ever made.

I can’t say enough good things about my experience working towards and in Cape Town. Connect-123 made the pre-trip process quite easy. They were extremely helpful in understanding the type of internship that I wanted to have and how to get me there in the most effective way.

The experience in Cape Town is beyond anything I can explain. Work was extremely interesting. I always felt a part of the team when working with my NGO whether I was doing research, doing interviews at service centres or going into the townships to run educational workshops. What I quickly realized was that while I had gone to Cape Town for work experience the whole living experience was incredible.

There is never a dull moment in Cape Town and the surrounding areas. Connect-123 was great at planning fun activities for us including but not limited to wine tours, township tours and kayaking with the whales. All of this while gaining valuable work experience. Other activities I did on my own and with friends that I met in Cape Town (some of which will most definitely be life long friends) were bungee jumping, safaris, many beach visits, restaurant tourism (amazing seafood!), climbing mountains, shark cage diving and so much more! Even the small things make you smile on a daily basis. Walking home from work, no matter how busy or hectic my day was, walking home with a beautiful mountain staring at you just puts you to peace. The scenery and lifestyle on a daily basis is just a pleasure! There is a lot of work to be done in Cape Town to improve the living conditions of many and with Connect-123 you can help make a difference in any way you find most interesting and really gain experience in every facet of life while doing it.

I will always look back fondly with at my time in Cape Town and Connect-123 was a huge part of making it happen. Saying thank you could never encompass it properly but, THANK YOU!

My internship with Connect-123 in Buenos Aires was fantastic. The team set me up with an internship in a financial group that was tailor fit for my interests. I really wanted to combine my two fields of study from college in the U.S., Business Admin. and Spanish, and Connect-123 helped me find just that. I couldn’t have landed such a great position without their help.

My job consisted of working with a fund manager for the mutual fund division of the financial group. My responsibilities varied from investment analysis to helping launch some investment products. I really enjoyed gaining access to a market and economy outside of my home country.

I loved living in Buenos Aires; the city is fantastic. There is always something fun going on. It’s a great city to get to know and is arguably the best in South America.

Everything about my experience in Cape Town, South Africa has been amazing and ideal except for the services provided by Connect 123. I felt I was decieved about my living accomodations, my internship placement, and various other activities held by the program. I would recommend interning in Cape Town to anyone, but I would not recommend doing so through Connect 123. They do not cater your internship to your interests but rather their needs and are unsupportive of your concerns/requests.

I found Connect-123 to be an amazing program and I could not be happier with my previous summer in South Africa. I spent two gorgeous months in beautiful Cape Town, South Africa. I found CT to be one of the friendly and most welcoming please I have ever traveled to. Connect-123 set me up with a wonderful apartment and an amazing opportunity with Christel House South Africa, a school working the break the cycle of poverty. I had a life changing summer and my experience has really taught to me look at the world in a different way.
My day to day life in Cape Town included waking up and being at Christel House at 7:30 a.m.working with the most amazing children in the world until 3:00 p.m. and then back to the apartment. In the afternoons and evenings I would hang out with friends and maybe go out for drinks at night.
On the weekends we went to wine festivals, hiked mountains, took road trips, and explored the city.
I must say that this was by far the best experience of my life and felt that it would not have been possible without Connect-123