"Spain internship was a scam, don't waste your money"

I payed for 8 weeks in Madrid for finance. Got here and found out I was not working for the company that they had assigned me to which was ForestChain. Instead, we worked for a start-up that lied to investors and scammed people. Ended up only staying for 4 weeks and didn't do any work for the internship. Me and the other interns just explored Spain. Our intern abroad connection was Sarah Butler, and she was no help in fixing our situation even though all of the interns were very upset. SAVE YOUR MONEY!

"Great Experience!"

My internship through Intern Abroad was a truly rewarding experience. I gained valuable knowledge and skills while contributing to a meaningful organization. I really appreciated the supportive and collaborative work environment at the organization and I felt encouraged to ask questions and take on new challenges. The support from Intern Abroad was exceptionally and I would highly recommend them.

"3 month Hotel Management Internship, Zanzibar"

I've been placed at an amazing 4 star hotel, for my hotel management internship. I am 21, and it is the first time I am on my own, but I have been given an amazing room right on the beach, and only a 2 minute walk to the hotel. I am learning so much, and I have been moving around, getting to shadow the different managers, and learning how the entire hotel operates. Everyone is very friendly, and they are very accommodating, they are letting me decide where I am more comfortable working. I am alone in a different country, but don't feel scared at all, I have so many people checking in on me, and I have received a lot of support from the local intern hq team, this experience has prepared me to start my career.

"GIS in Gondwana."

I have just returned from the best 6 weeks in Gondwana Game Reserve (South Africa) completing the 'GIS and Reserve Management' internship, run by Intern Abroad HQ and Wildlife Ecological Investments (WEI). During my time in Gondwana, I gained valuable insight into how conservation practices work within a reserve, I have developed my GIS mapping skills to new levels via a lecture series and research report, and also improved my cultural awareness and communication skills in a mixed- nationality camp. On top of this, I have come away with some amazing memories and close up animal experiences. The highlight of my trip would have to be the sunset drives every Sunday, where we drive to a viewpoint and watch the African sun setting over Gondwana's beautifully hilly landscape. It was an unforgettable experience, and I would recommend this internship to anyone who wants to learn or improve their GIS mapping skills, and is passionate about applying this in a conservation setting.

"Highly recommend"

Intern Abroad HQ has consistently provided very encouraging and supportive services throughout the whole internship process. They help me to find a remote intern position in a great company in New York and I’ve really gained important experience and relevant skills for my career objectives. Overall, it's much better than I expected, I would Highly recommend working with them!

"Would Recommend!"

Would recommend!
My experience with Intern Abroad was nothing but helpful and encouraging. My program coordinator was always attentive and supportive throughout the application and assignment processes and she was honestly one of the reasons I was confident going into my internship.
My only recommendation, and this may just be my personal experience or what was available to me in my selected field, is to potentially open up the opportunity to be connected with paid or compensated positions - as many of us starting off in this field need and want this experience and to work with these organizations, but are often unable to justify time set aside as a volunteer intern. I understand that this is difficult and that many of these companies are non-profit organizations, but that is my only additional comment. Everything else was amazing and I'd definitely recommend Intern Abroad HQ to anyone looking to have these experiences. I learned so much and am thankful that I was able to have this opportunity.

"I loved my time in Quepos"

I loved my time in Quepos, Costa Rica! My favorite part of the experience was probably getting to know so many people from the area and from around the world. And also getting to explore the natural wonders of this country. This experience was also a great opportunity that allowed me to see the work non profits do from up close and consequently get a better understanding on how they work. Would recommend it if you want to learn more about this field and about other countries at the same time. Especially for people that have either graduated college or that are on their last years.

"Helpful staff and team"

The team I was working with is very helpful and they always reply fast with emails. My remote internship was in general a great experience.

"STAY AWAY FROM THEIR VIRTUAL INTERNSHIPS"

I did the Virtual Microfinance internship out of Tanzania in September and my experience was nothing like they promised.

First, it’s not even this company that does the internship. They just connect you with an agency called World Unite and World Unite connects you with a company to intern at. If you buy your virtual internship through World Unite directly instead of going through Intern Abroad, you can get the same internship for literally half the price.

Second, I didn’t do any of the tasks they said I would. It was more of an online class instead of an internship. All of my “tasks”were just answering questions over content I learned through Skype lectures on microfinance from my “internship supervisor,” like a homework assignment. And the questions were a joke, one of them was literally: What are the advantages and disadvantages of miscommunication? There don’t seem to be any advantages of miscommunication to me and the question seems irrelevant to microfinance. I was told by the internship coordinator at World Unite that it would be educational at first but would later be more practical intern experience. It never became practical. I CLEARLY communicated my desire for practical hands on experience through my application and resume but I was never told by anyone the internship would be all educational. And when I mentioned it was more of a class than internship to my “Program Manager” at Intern Abroad HQ, she just told me to tell my internship supervisor, even though my internship supervisor had no idea who Intern Abroad was or what they promised me (the supervisor only knew World Unite).

Third, I only got 15 hours of internship experience, not the 100 hours I paid for. I was supposed to get 20 hours a week for 5 weeks. I told my Program Manager at Intern Abroad that I could only commit to 10 or 15 hours a week instead of 20 because I had school, but I only received 3 hours a week. Nowhere near what I paid for and not what I agreed to.

This company seems to be better at in person internships/volunteer trips, but their virtual experiences are awful. It’s a complete scam and it’s so confusing because there’s too many parties involved. Save your money and time!

Edit:
1) In the weekly reflection that asked about my role in my company, I clearly communicated that I didn’t have a role and was simply a student.
2) Intern Abroad does not have sole exclusivity over the micro finance “internship.” My internship supervisor didn’t even know who Intern Abroad was. She thought I was a volunteer with World Unite because they do the same program with their volunteers. Just Google microfinance World Unite and see for yourself.
3) If you knew I could only do an academic “internship” because I was a high school student, why did my program coordinator tell me I would gain practical hands-on career experience in my Skype meeting? That was an overt lie.
4) I said I could commit to 10-15 hours a week instead of the 20 hours a week I paid for. I only got 3 hours a week. That wasn’t what I asked for, that was simply all the time I was given.

"An enlightening and fun experience"

I'm writing this 4 months into my 6 months on the Sustainable Business and Environmental Tourism Internship in Quepos, Costa Rica and I can safely say I've made the best choice I could have. The internship has been really interesting and I've been supported well throughout. Intern Abroad provide weekly reflection reviews for the first 12 weeks which really make the experience useful in developing my own professional skills. On arrival, travel was arranged for me and the accommodation has been fantastic throughout with lovely food. I feel like I've really immersed myself in the culture and helped make a difference to the company while learning a bit more about the business practices needed for a charity.