Program Reviews

I was lucky enough to be able to meet an amazing community of people I now call my best friends! The events were so fun and I felt like I got to see so much of Barcelona! My internship was an amazing learning experience and I got to build a great connection with the company and ended up getting a job out of it!! For future interns, I say to go into this with an open mind and open heart! You never know who you’ll meet and what the future has in store! It is overall an amazing, exciting, once in a lifetime experience!

The time I spent in Japan was amazing, but not perfect.

The internship itself was really fun and helpful. Everything you do during the internship will depend entirely on the company you work for. I was lucky in that I worked for a foreign company but the downside was the commute. I would highly recommend looking for your own accommodation as it's so much cheaper and overall better.

The social side of things is mixed. There are events which might interest you and might not. I was able to make some amazing friends and we ended up doing our own thing. Do what makes you happy, for your internship time. I'll probably always look back at my time in Japan fondly, because I've made friends for life and I had so much fun.

The internship was great at providing me with a lot of experience and gave me a good insight into culture and how it is to live in the country I interned in. The program activities they provided were a lot of fun. I enjoyed getting the experience and working on my resume as well as on my career in general with the career workshops that were provided in the program. The company that I worked at was also amazing and I was so thankful to the program for taking the internship placement so seriously and helping me get the internship.

Beyond Academy have helped me secure a tech internship in Tokyo. Throughout the application process, they provided a ton of help and support to bolster my chances of attaining an internship in Tokyo. During my stay in Tokyo, they also provides a culturally immersive experience, through day trips and even wearing kimonos. This allowed me to meet and connect with like-minded people who were also in the program, giving me a chance to network. During my internship, I was also provided with a lot of support throughout the experience and whenever I was in need, the community officers would provide sufficient support throughout, ensuring I had a wonderful and welcoming stay in Tokyo. Overall I would highly recommend this program to those who are not well-informed about internships abroad and would like to have a chance to immerse in different cultures and experiences

Entering Beyond Academy, I felt a bit apprehensive. However, it turned out to be one of the best experiences of my life. The program helped me forge new friendships and connections while providing invaluable experiences. Although I believe my specific program could have benefited from a stronger scientific focus rather than a marketing one, my time here was immensely worthwhile. Brooklyn, the area coordinator, was amazing. For its first year in Amsterdam, Beyond Academy has been a resounding success.

My time in Japan was incredible! The Tokyo team with Beyond Academy were amazing, A friendly face and supporting hand wherever and Whenever I needed them. The program gives you the space to explore the city and the culture, network with other interns, develop your CV with one on one CV guidance and most importantly grow as an individual. It also can see the opportunity to travel during my time in Japan. I visited Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, Hakone, Yokohama and visited Seoul, Korea. I couldn’t recommend the program more to anyone who is starting their career and needing a boost in experience and adventure.

Overall, I had a great experience with Beyond Academy's Seoul internship program. First of all, Seoul is a beautiful and vibrant city with so much to do. Therefore, as an intern here, it is impossible to get bored. Especially through the great events organized by Beyond Academy themselves, you will get to see, hear, and taste a lot of what Seoul has to offer. I would say this program is a great way to experience Seoul.

Then there are also the other interns which I feel definitely made this experience for me. Beyond does a great job of creating a sense of community with this program through its events and workshops. This makes it very hard to feel lonely. I especially have great memories of experiencing Seoul's nightlife with the other interns. (Note, however, that you have to be 19 to enter most clubs/bars!) On a related side note to this, I would recommend getting the accommodation through Beyond as you will likely be placed in an accommodation with other interns which further emphasizes this community feeling.

Also, the Beyond Academy team themselves are excellent. They are always available for any questions or concerns and are overall great people to hang out with.

The only small negative I could think of was the work I had to do at the internship itself. I felt like the tasks I got at my host company were a bit too easy and sometimes they did not have any tasks for me at all. Speaking to other interns, I noticed they had similar complaints, ranging from the internship not aligning with their expectations to not enjoying the tasks they were given. This is not entirely Beyond Academy's fault as I chose this internship myself but they did give me a sense of urgency to choose quickly and to just accept the internship given. It made sense why they told me this though, as I was quite late with applying. So, as advice to people interested in pursuing this program, make sure to apply early so you have plenty of time to pick a company you truly feel happy with. Also, make sure to research your host company well and perhaps clearly ask your interviewer what the tasks are that you will be performing. I must say that I still really enjoyed the internship! The overall vibe at the company was very chilled and I had lovely colleagues.

Visiting Tokyo is one of the best decisions I have ever made; not only was I able to work on professional and career related skills but I was also able to grow as a person and explore myself and my goals. Living abroad gives you a new perspective that you wouldn’t be able to get anywhere else, whether it be navigating language barriers, learning a new culture, or simply navigating the city. If given he opportunity, I would definitely complete another experience abroad like this one- I think I will go back home with a fresh set of eyes and a new person.

The Beyond Academy Tokyo Internship program was an exciting way for me to explore Tokyo, learn about Japanese culture, and gain some professional experience.

The Beyond Academy program coordinators did an amazing job at being responsive, helping us navigate and acclimate to the new environment, and hosting community-building events. I really enjoyed the included Mt. Fuji trip, the tea ceremony in kimonos, and other dinners/events hosted by the coordinators. Overall, it was an awesome experience!

So I went to Seoul this summer for an internship in marketing. I want to preface to say that I had a lovely time; I was put in a good place to stay, in a safe area, and had a fulfilling internship. I very quickly was given the opportunity to make friends and to continue those friendships twice a week doing events that were actually quite fun (most all of the coordinators are college students in my age range and decide were we go, so it’s kind of a local experience as well). I literally felt lonely only once, and it was on my first night- but I was jet lagged so it didn’t matter. However, I will go into detail on the internship/process.

The way it worked was I made sort of a resume (and there was a lot of content given to me to make a proper resume, so all the interns were given pre-departure help; I didn’t use much of it, but I heard from others it was useful), and it was given out to companies who then reached out to me for an interview. I was frustrated in the beginning because when they find a company for you to intern at, everything goes really fast and it might feel a bit difficult to say no (for me it did). I found that you have to feel out your companies (from little information because most are startups) and stand firm if you feel you won’t gain anything from the company you’re interning at. Remember YOU are PAYING for an internship (a lot of money at that lol), get exactly what you want. There weren’t many problems in this internship experience (like at all), but this was the biggest: a lot of interns felt they were giving up 6-8 hours of their trip abroad to sit around and correct some English mistakes or do a job that didn’t necessarily fit what they wanted to do. Tbh, that is essentially what you will be doing in most entry level internships, but unless you do fashion or photography, you are there to do English corrections/ work that involves English. This is the type of internship that looks better on a resume- or for the personal experience- than it actually was to complete. Most interns went on company trips or to conventions, but don’t expect to be next leveling your work experience. Also, no one found a problem with using English in their company, but be aware that you are going to a literal different country that does not speak English, the language barrier is still there.
So the way I’ve decided to think about my internship abroad was that I had 2 weeks of vacation and 6 weeks of working (I did an 8 week program).

I’d also like to quickly touch on the housing and the bank transfer. Yes, you do have to do a bank transfer; no, you cannot use a credit card. I’ve never had to do a bank transfer in my life, and I was trusting any diety that would listen to not be scammed by a random internship company. I was not, but be aware that to pay for this internship you will have to do a bank transfer. The housing also is an added cost that- for Seoul specifically!!- I felt was not worth it, necessarily. Most interns do the paid accommodations (like me), but Seoul is super cheap to get housing for. Just get some place in Hongdae or Shinsa or Dangsan. That’s were you’ll be put anyways, and it’s like almost a thousand dollars cheaper. Also the housing you’re put in Shinsa (guerillaz) is literally surrounded by love motels (it is what it sounds like). Dangsan was great though- that’s where I lived- and the accommodation pros were the ease to a station and being surrounded by many of the other interns (which I knew very well from the weekly get togethers that are built into the program).

Anyway, the review is getting long, but I just remember having like 0 information available when I searched up the company. It’s a legit company, but it’s just not as popular in America (but it is popular in Europe). I hope this helps you!! Despite all I wrote, I would recommend doing this over a study abroad. Mainly because you ARE given professional help and you feel more “adult” and independent going to work and doing cool company culture things. I know way more about Korea because I was forced to interact with locals than in a study abroad where I would stick to other English students.
Have a great time!!