IES Study Abroad Internships
The Institute for the International Education of Students is one of the oldest organizations specifically catering to international internships and study. Since 1950, they have been evaluating abroad programs and compiling their research to help students find the best possible experience. While they do offer study abroad placements, the majority of those placements are internship or field experience.
IES placements are predominantly in Europe and Southeast Asia, with a few in major South American cities (Santiago, Buenos Aires and Quito), Australia, and even South Africa. Internships are available in social justice, theater, business and education, among others.
With IES’ reputation comes lots of paperwork, and the application is extensive, including recommendations, transcripts.
It is also important to note that application deadlines vary by program, with most spring programs accepting applications through October/November, fall applications through May, and summer programs through March. For all of those waiting until the last minute, you can also do a quick search for programs still taking applications.
While IES does charge fees for participation, they also make available more than $2 million in scholarships to students, many of which are merit-based.
International paying internships are much more difficult to come by. InternAbroad offers a limited number of paid programs and many volunteer organizations offer the opportunity to informally intern as part of your volunteer placement. To find something more formal, a simple web search is a good launching point. If you have a company in mind already, your search engine can do all the work for you.