Program Reviews

What made STINT stand out to me was how flexible they became to help me get what I wanted out of the experience. While I had some interest in the internships that they had already partnered with, nothing really stood out to me as "That's it! I want to do that while I am in Ireland!". Instead, I wanted to be selfish and do something that interested me way beyond gaining experience in an office. When I expressed my desire to work at a therapeutic riding center, STINT went out of their way to locate an available internship and traveled an hour outside of Dublin to check out the facilities for me to make sure it would be a good fit. In addition to that, since my internship ended up being at the hour away facility, I had to live outside of Dublin so that I could easily commute to and from my internship. Instead of having me find my own living accommodations, STINT provided me with lots of options and I was able to pick where I wanted to stay. I ended up choosing a host family to stay with for the three months that I would be abroad. Even though the site that I had found my host family on required them to be certified and background checked, STINT once again traveled to Bray to meet the couple that agreed to take me in and check out the house and rooms as well as leave my welcome kit/phone so that I could go straight to Bray from the airport and have everything I needed instead of having to pick it up at the Dublin office. I was lucky enough to visit the STINT housing and it was amazing. If Dublin is the location of your internship, I wouldn't even stress about the living facilities. They are clean, comfortable, cozy, and very open. In addition, they are also located within walking distance of bus stops and places to get food and drinks. Due to my work schedule I was only able to go on one excursion with STINT, however if you choose STINT, go on as many as you can! It was great to go on a trip to places with lots of people. STINT set up tons of activities for us to do in each location as well as pointed us to the best places to check out while we were there. Theses trips aren't your typical "school field trip". They are very laid back and we were given plenty of opportunities to go out on our own and explore the new city.

After spending 1 year on a working holiday visa in Ireland, I can't express my excitement enough!
Stint Ireland provided me with friends, housing, and resources to make my year abroad the experience of a lifetime. The price is not cheap, so save up for unforeseen circumstances and cost of living, but it is so worth it. That said, I highly recommend finding your own housing (more affordable) as soon as you find your footing. This will allow you more money for travel and to experience Dublin life as a local.
I have made friends that I will have forever, who I met through Stint, and traveled all over the world. I would not trade this experience for the world and I cannot recommend this experience enough!

I found out about Stint Ireland from a former classmate that had partaken in their intern program. I checked out their website and was immediately drawn to the gap year program. I was about done with school and had no idea what job I wanted. I didn't have the chance to study abroad while in school, so I knew that I was at a perfect time in my life to move and work for a year. And it was the best experience of my life. I had a million and one different questions throughout the visa process and the Stint team was incredibly helpful the entire time. It was comforting to know that I could stay in a Stint house upon my arrival and get to meet others that were going through the same adventure as me. The Stint team helped make my transition from America to Ireland seamless and the time flew by so quickly, I could barely believe it was time for me to leave after nearly a full year.

My experience with Stint Ireland was wonderful. They were excellent in helping me find an internship as well as several communities to join once I arrived in Dublin. I grew a great deal professionally through my internship and then personally through my friendships with my housemates in a Stint house. This is a experience that can change your life not just by giving you memories of traveling but also through providing opportunities in which you can grow in many different aspects. In the workplace I learned how I could succeed in the world of marketing without prior experience while in the Stint house I learned how I needed to reevaluate how I could be a better friend to those around me. The lessons I learned while I was a part of Stint were invaluable to me in my personal and professional development and I will always look back fondly on those two months.

Stint was a really great program to be a part of! I loved travelling on the weekends and making new friends in the house, at work, and on the tours. The program was also really great about offering support if you were feeling homesick or having any problems with anything. While I was there my house had a bit of a problem with some of the people who were living there. Upon hearing about it, Stint immediately took action and were nice enough to send us cupcakes! Even gluten free for a fellow celiac housemate. Very thoughtful program, and it was super fun to live and immerse oneself in the culture!

If you're thinking of doing a gap year I highly recommend Stint if you want the process to go stress free! Having never been to Europe before, it was so nice to have everything planned out for me and to know that I had a welcoming community waiting for me. Stint is always there if you have any questions and they're super helpful when it comes to finding a job, doing taxes and making friends. They always plan really fun weekend adventures and some weekday events to meet everyone and explore Ireland. Having Dublin as a base, I was also able to explore so many other countries because of cheap flights and Stint was always there with suggestions. This past year has helped me find some direction in life and I've met some lifelong friends. I was so sad to leave but I hope to come back to Ireland soon! I really recommend Stint if you want a life changing year!

I have always been in love with all things Irish and when this opportunity became available, I immediately jumped on it and I am so glad I did. I spent two months interning with Mendicity, which is a non-profit organization that helps the homeless in Dublin. I am truly grateful for the opportunity to spend time with those people, learning from them and hearing their stories. I love the work that the organization is doing and I would love to go back and visit someday.
I could not have asked for a better program than Stint for my internship. The team is full of great people who were extremely helpful and attentive to anything I needed during my stay. They planned fun activities for us to get to know the other Stinters and to explore Ireland in our free time. I made some great friends through those trips and activities that I still talk to today. I truly appreciate the Stint team's support and help, not only during my two months in Ireland, but also in the months leading up to and after my stay. Their team honestly made Dublin feel like a second home to me and I can't wait to go back and visit someday.

I had such a great experience interning abroad in Dublin over the summer! Everyone I met through the program was so welcoming and friendly. I really have nothing bad to say about my experience. I was put into a house with 10 other Stinters, which was nice to have a good amount of people to get to know and hang out with outside the house. The house was only a 10 minute walk from my internship location too, which was super convenient. One main thing I would recommend to anyone thinking about traveling abroad is save save save your money. Before I left I estimated the amount of money I would need for the two months that I would be living in Ireland, however, I definitely underestimated that amount. Especially if you are thinking about traveling around Ireland and around Europe while you're there, it's important to overestimate the amount of money you will need to have saved before your trip in order to allow yourself to have the best possible experience. While I was interning in Dublin, I was able to travel to other parts of Ireland, London, and Barcelona. It really was a trip of a lifetime, and I would highly recommend choosing to intern abroad through Stint.

I came across Stint Ireland while searching for summer internships abroad and I am so glad that I found it! I started the application process during the second semester of my junior year of college and at that point, I wasn't exactly sure what I wanted to do with my International Affairs major after graduation. Right from the beginning, Melanie and Aiofe were so great at contacting me and answering any questions that I had. After our initial phone interview, they sent me several options that they thought would be a good fit for me. I ended up choosing to work for Plan International and it was the best three months of my life! I learned so much during my internship and gained amazing skills and networking connections.
Living in Dublin was an amazing experience in itself, and I would move back in a heart beat. There is so much to do and so much to see and I was never bored. Moving to a different country by myself and not knowing anyone there, made my parents (and admittedly, myself) a bit uneasy at first, but I always felt safe in Dublin. Whether I was going out at night with my friends or walking home from work by myself, I never felt scared or that I was in a dangerous area. What they say is true - the people in Ireland are some of the nicest people you will ever meet!
My internship abroad in Dublin was such a positive and exciting experience. I lived with people from all over the U.S. and from around the world. I made great friends, great memories, and grew so much in only a few months. I highly recommend Stint Ireland if you are looking for a unique, positive, and inspiring experience.

My name is Sarah and in the summer of 2017, I spent about 8 weeks in Dublin working at the renal biobank, which is part of Trinity College.
When I applied to Stint, I really wasn't sure what I was getting into. I had never been to Ireland, not to mention alone, I am completely gluten free, and I wasn't sure what exactly I wanted to do for my internship. The staff was really helpful in helping me find different opportunities and choose the one that might be the best for me along with reassuring me that there will be plenty for me to eat (the gluten free food is the same price as regular food for restaurants and food from the grocery store is pretty cheap if you know where to look.
While I was there, the staff was there for anything I needed. There were check in meetings just to make sure everything was going well in the house and with the internship. They had suggestions for places to go and things to see during my free time.
I knew no one in the house when I arrived but the people who were there were super nice and helped me acclimate to life there- where the grocery store is, how to meal prep, going on trips together.
Also, since there are several houses that are part of Stint, they arrange trips and meet ups for everyone that is part of the program year round.
My internship itself was a great learning experience for me. I spent most of my time working in the biobank, but the staff there understood that I wanted to see and experience as much as I could and allowed me to assist with other projects, observe, and even gave me the opportunity to work on something that might get published. The working environment is much different than it is in America. Everyone is calm and understanding and it's a much slower working pace.
If you're even thinking about going with Stint to do an internship abroad, go for it. The Stint workers will help you get there and give you what you need and the current Stinters will make you feel at home.