Program Reviews

I heard about The Intern Group (TIG) from a friend at university who did an internship in Shanghai the previous year. He got me interested in the opportunity to take a summer internship abroad, so I looked further into TIG to find that I had to option to take up an internship in Tokyo.

As an English-Japanese bilingual living in the UK, I had the thought of working abroad in Japan lurking in the back of my mind. Hence, I took up the opportunity to undertake an internship in Tokyo, so that I could get a taster for what work and life are like there. TIG was very helpful in helping me secure an internship, organising interviews and such with various companies, and I eventually settled on a small start-up company called TRINUS. As TIG knew I was fluent in Japanese, they matched me up with TRINUS and it was just as well because my interview was in Japanese. Luckily enough for me, I was just the right person for the job and I was accepted as an intern.

The job at TRINUS
TRINUS is a small start-up company founded in 2014, and it operates as a fabrication-less manufacturer. The company works to bring together under-utilised manufacturing technologies, designers and end-users to produce a variety of unique products which make the most of Japanese technology.
TRINUS is a small company with only 10 employees, none of whom speak English. As a result, it was my job to help expand the global reach of the company as an English-Japanese bilingual. My role was quite varied with me doing things such as:
• Welcoming visitors for meetings
• Answering the phone in Japanese and English
• Writing and replying to customer emails in English and Japanese
• Visiting clients to present sales pitches
• Visiting expos at Tokyo big site
• Taking care of the company's Instagram and writing bilingual posts every day.

The job is a bit of a departure from my usual line of work as a mechanical engineering student however, it's just what I was looking for to get a taste of Japanese work. The job has helped me out with my translation skills and mannerisms when dealing with Japanese clients immensely, preparing me for my future in Japan. The people at the office are great too and we've spent time outside of work doing things like seaside BBQs, playing football, visiting onsens etc. All in all, the job was great, just like the people there.

Housing
I stayed in a share residence on the outskirts of Kanagawa prefecture, about an hour away from central Tokyo. It was a very fun place to be as there was a healthy mix of people, foreign and Japanese. I was a bit of a bridge between the two demographics as a bilingual, and it was great fun because it meant I got to know everyone pretty well. The house itself is very clean and spacious and is generally a fun place to be.

Events
TIG organised a variety of events from going up the Tokyo Tower to Fuji, izakaya trips and sushi-making and more. My favourite events were the more outdoorsy ones such as going river swimming as it makes a nice change from the city.
I also made quite a few Japanese friends outside of TIG and the things I got up to with them were great too. I got up to things such as going to beaches, going snorkelling and going to Comiket.

The internship has been great as it has opened up a door to a future in Japan for me. It has helped me make connections with a variety of companies in Japan, along with connections with people who I'm likely to stay friends with for a long time to come.

When I was looking for sunmer internships abroad to get some working experience, I happened to stumble upon TGI by accident. After gathering more information, I grew a lot of interest about their Barcelona program and decided it didnt hurt to give it a shot. It was the best decision I had ever made! Those who run the program are extremely helpful and just a call or text away if you need anything, whether during the enrollment process or once you're settled there. The company I was pired with was exactly what I was looking for and I learned so much. I would highly recomend giving it a shot to anyone who is looking for an adventure and some valuable work experience. Not to mention, the city is absolutely stunning and filled with diversity and life.

My summer internship experience with Workshift Solutions was such a fruitful and memorable one. I had great bosses, lovely colleagues who really had faith in my abilities to contribute to the team, which was what I appreciated the most about this experience. It was a small team, and yet everyone was so friendly and genuine, never did I feel lonely or ostracized for being the only foreigner in the team! In fact, being non-Japanese made me feel like I could contribute more to the team whenever they entrusted me with translation tasks, let me directly communicate with clients and so on.

Had I not known of The Intern Group, there was no way I could have possibly found out about this company through my own means. That is why I am so grateful for The Intern Group, as they have granted me this amazing learning opportunity, in a country which I've always wanted to experience working in- Japan.

Thanks to this program, I could now say that I’ve opened a new and better chapter of my profesional life. Before this experience, I already had some goals in mind, but thanks to the wonderful people I worked with now I know clearly the kind of person I want to become in life.
Tokyo is a great city to inspire you to want to innovate, and use the full potential of the technology you have around you.
The accommodation was amazing, I can say that I’ve made life-long friends, and the events have created some great memories and good stories to tell. I would definitely recommend anyone not to miss the chance of applying and going on this program.
In my case, my intership was engineering related, but most of my friends on the program had different internship fields and they all sounded pretty interesting! Definitely a choice for any kind of study field.

During my 6 weeks in Hong Kong, I had a fantastic time! Everyone there was super nice and I learned a lot about Hong Kong and my internship. I liked where we were placed for our housing. It might be considered small, but the view I had from my room was amazing. My internship placement went well too! I was able to do a lot of cool digital marketing and content creation. Last but not least, the event excursions we went to were really enjoyable. Overall, I had an amazing time in Hong Kong from the food, social events, to my internship. I learned a lot and gained so much experience in a short amount of 6 weeks. A huge shoutout to The Intern Group Hong Kong team for doing such a fantastic job. I honestly had a great time and would recommend everyone to do an internship abroad :)

The LA program was truly amazing, I loved the other interns and my experience coordinator Lauren! Everything was a 10 for me; my workplace, my friends, my housing (i stayed in a USC dorm) and the events we did together. I highly recommend to open-minded people who want to network in one of the best cities in the world!

Going into the program I had just turned 19 and had no experience living on my own, let alone working in a foreign country. The Intern Group's program gave both support and a social network while also letting you be independent and giving you the tools to succeed. I can't stress enough how great the program was; the staff was amazing and they were always willing to help you out. The experience itself was truly enriching, I made life-long friends and developed both work and home skills while also growing as a person. I have come back more confident and mature while also knowing more about the career I want to pursue after I get my degree. I highly recommend this program especially if you are on the fence or nervous as I was, you will not regret it.

The Intern Group put me in a field that I wanted to pursue, which was marketing.
The process between application to post internship was transparent, simple and easy. The Intern Group kept in touch on a regular basis and offered regular help and guidance. In addition, I have gained more confidence in being independent! Plus, a new drive to succeed.

I would recommend it to anybody looking to explore a new area in the world as well as go after what they want to do!

Melbourne city itself is incredible! A very diverse culture. People here are both laidback and hard working at the same time.
It has now become a city that I’d want to visit on a regular basis!

A thank you to Phillipa, Alana and Jessie who assisted with my entire time here! Legends.

I was one of the first interns to choose The Intern Group's (TIG) Santiago program so I arrived a bit skeptical, but the city exceeded any expectations I could have possibly had.

It is hard to describe Chile itself, there is something for everyone. Santiago is very metropolitan and doesn't reflect many other major cities in Latin America. It is surrounded by mountain ranges and just a short hour-or-so bus ride from the coastal cities! Everyone is extremely kind and I cannot name 1 instance I felt unsafe, even when making my way home from a later evening out.

TIG was really well organized! There were optional activities or excursions every Saturday which ended up being some of the best things we did! Some examples are vineyard tours and a day trip to Valparaiso!

We lived in a student accommodation building which worried me at first because I arrived with little-to-no Spanish but it ended up being one of my favorite aspects of the program; I met people from all over the world and my limited Spanish abilities really didn't matter. People are so kind and patient and either knew English or wanted to learn just as much as I wanted to pick up more Spanish!

One thing I will say is that the Spanish in Chile is very different from what I learned in school, it is faster, they use a lot of their own words and rarely pronounce s's. But Chileans are very understanding and aware that they need to slow it down a bit around any non-natives!

Pricing isn't much different from that of the United States. Chile's economy is doing really well so the Chilean Peso is stronger than other pesos, like the Mexican peso, for example.

Overall, this program was amazing and I would do it all over again if I could! My internship placement process was smooth and the company I ended up working for was fantastic- the goodbyes were very sad!!

Traveling to live and work in a country where you do not speak the same language and where the culture is so different from what you've previously experienced can be daunting. I soon learned I had nothing to be afraid of. Being immersed in Japanese culture and living in Tokyo for two months is something I will NEVER forget. Not only did I receive amazing work experience with my company, but The Intern Group staff created an environment that was safe and a community that was supportive and friendly. Along with the complimentary events like visiting Mt. Fuji, learning how to make sushi, and touring izakayas in Shinjuku, The Intern Group staff encouraged and facilitated other events that allowed us to fully experience Japanese culture. We frequently went out to dinner, enjoyed traditional Japanese festivals, and went on excursions to see what the city had to offer. I returned home with fun memories, experience to add to my resume, relationships that I will cherish for a long time, and a new appreciation for Japanese culture. As I write this review, I have only been home for a few days and I already cannot wait to go back. I had the experience of a lifetime and cannot recommend this program enough!