Top 7 Virtual Study/Intern Abroad Opportunities This Summer

 

You can study abroad from the comfort of your home. This sentence seems strange, but virtual study abroad offers many of the same benefits as a traditional study abroad experience - and some additional perks. Many program providers and universities are stepping up to the plate and providing much-needed virtual study abroad and internship programs in a huge range of fields and locations. These programs allow you to gain international experience, build global networks, engage with world-class university faculty and top industry leaders, virtually explore overseas locations, take fascinating courses, and build your résumé - all with the flexibility of doing it from home.

We've found seven such programs that you can take this summer. If you have a lot of free time indoors due to the current circumstances, want to gain credits and/or work experience, or simply feel like investing in yourself and expanding your mind, you should consider participating in one or more of the programs below. Please note that we cannot guarantee any credit transfer. For virtual study abroad opportunities, you will need to go through the usual course approval process to ensure that credits will transfer; in other words, you will have to fill out the Summer Course Approval Form and have it signed by all the appropriate people. For virtual internships, you will need to coordinate with the Internship Coordinator in your college/school/department in order to transfer credits.

Virtual Study Abroad Opportunities

• #CONVERGE at the Singapore University of Social Sciences

Duration: June 22 - July 18
Topic: How COVID-19 has changed our world in relation to public safety and crisis management, business, tech, and other fields
Locations: Various; include Singapore, Japan, the Philippines, and the United States
Fees: None (yes, really!)
Eligibility Requirements: Being an undergraduate student
Credits: None

The #CONVERGE program is relevant, flexible, and completely FREE! This program consists of a series of free webinars and other digital events that aim to unravel the impact of COVID-19 on our world. Students will be able to participate in discussions led by industry leaders and university faculty and build global connections and friendships. Three sessions of webinars and student discussions will be held every week, and recordings of the sessions will be made available. Apply to this program here.

• Summer International Business

Duration: July 6 - July 31 or August 17 - September 11
Topics: International business, international marketing, family business, entrepreneurship, and investment
Locations: Various (depend on course chosen)
Fees: $1,495
Eligibility Requirements: Minimum 2.5 GPA
Credits: 3 or 6 (one or two courses)
Application Deadline: June 8

Summer International Business is one of many virtual summer programs being offered by CEA Study Abroad. The program gives students the opportunity to explore comparative business studies among different countries' practices, virtually visit businesses overseas, and meet international entrepreneurs. For each four-week session, you can choose one or two courses. Signing up for a virtual Summer 2020 course will get you $1,500 or $500 off for a 2021 semester or summer program, respectively. Apply to the Summer International Business program here.

• ISEP Virtual Programs

Duration: Varies by program (4 - 6 weeks throughout June, July, and August)
Topics: Various; include technology and science, humanities and social sciences, health sciences, and and computing
Locations: Taiwan, Chile, Greece, Argentina, and Costa Rica
Fees: $2,000 - $5,800 (vary by program)
Eligibility Requirements: Vary by program
Credits: 3 - 6
Application Deadlines: Vary by program

ISEP Study Abroad are offering a number of unique, immersive summer study abroad opportunities. You can choose from a Chinese language, business and culture course in Taiwan, a Latin American health care and development studies program in Costa Rica, online courses in a variety of fields at the American College of Thessaloniki, Greece, and more. As different as the programs are, they each allow you to gain international experience and cultural growth wherever you are. Apply to each program through its web page.

• Virtual World DiscoverIES

Duration: June 15 - July 31
Topics: Various; include psychology, business, and art
Locations: Various; include Barcelona, Tokyo, London, Milan, and Paris
Fees: $1,125 (3 credits) or $2,250 (6 credits)
Eligibility Requirements: Minimum 2.5 GPA (exceptions may be made); minimum IELTS score of 6.5/TOEFL iBT score of 79
Credits: 3 or 6 (one or two courses)
Application Deadline: June 1

IES Abroad's Virtual World DiscoverIES program offers a truly unique online summer school. You can choose from courses as diverse and interesting as Endemic Diseases & Their Socioeconomic Context, Japanese Popular Culture, and Managing Fashion and Luxury Companies. The world-class professors teaching the courses will be located in equally diverse locations, ranging from Cape Town to Paris. Students who participate in this program will also receive a credit toward a future study abroad or internship program ($1,000 for a semester or $500 for a summer). Apply to this program here.

• Online Summer Study Abroad at University of Arts London

Duration: June 29 - July 17
Topics: Various; include design management, journalism, art history, fashion business, and luxury brand management
Location: London
Fees: £1,235 ($1527.89)
Eligibility Requirements: Completion of at least one year of undergraduate-level study; equivalent of IELTS 5.0 or above (6.0 or above for certain courses). Some courses may have minimum GPA and other requirements.

Credits: 3
Application Deadline: June 15 (to also apply for a scholarship)

University of Arts London - a top two university for art and design in the world - is offering five online courses this summer. Participants will be able to engage with their course leader and other students on a stimulating array of activities related to their selected course and London’s rich contemporary visual and material culture. You can apply to UAL's Art History, Criticism and Communication, Design Management, Journalism, Fashion Business and Luxury Brand Management, and Visuals for Fashion online courses at each course's web page. You can find instructions on how to apply for the Summer Study Abroad 2020 Scholarship (which covers the cost of the tuition fee) here.

Virtual Intern Abroad Opportunities

• Virtual Accelerated Internship

Duration: August 3 - August 28 (Session 2); August 17 - September 11 (Session 3); August 31 - September 25 (Session 4)

Topics: Various; include architecture, engineering, journalism and media, health, and finance

Locations: Argentina, Barcelona, Ecuador, New York City, New Zealand, or South Africa

Fees: $1,390

Eligibility Requirements: Minimum 2.5 GPA

Credits: 3 (the New York City Internship may be an exception)

Application Deadlines: June 15 (Session 2); July 1 (Session 3); July 15 (Session 4)

CIS Abroad's Virtual Accelerated Internship program enables you to do real, résumé-building work across 20 career fields from the comfort of your home. Participants will work 15-30 hours a week for four weeks in a company in one of the countries listed above. The program offers flexible schedules and one-to-one career coaching to find the best internship placement for you. Apply to this program here, and use the promo code VIRTUAL300 on your application by the application deadline for $300 off on any 2020 virtual internship with CIS Abroad.

• The Intern Group Virtual Internship Program

Duration: Varies by program (4 - 24 weeks; programs start every week year-round)
Topics: Various; include PR and marketing, finance and accounting, IT and computer science, journalism, and NGO and non-profit internships
Locations: Various; The Intern Group has a network of 3,000+ host organizations around the world
Fees: $2,990
Eligibility Requirements: Vary by program
Credits: Vary by program
Application Deadline: At least one month before desired start date

The Intern Group is offering virtual internships at 3,000+ leading organizations, including some of the most prestigious organizations in the world. The Virtual Internship Program is extremely flexible; participants can choose to work between 10-40 hours per week for 4-24 weeks and choose a start date that suits them. The program includes career advancement training to help you thrive during your remote internship as well as a keynote speaker series, where you can ask questions live to global business leaders. AUS students can apply to this program here through ISEP in order to receive a $200 discount on program fees. You can browse other discounts offered for this program here.

Take the initiative to challenge and develop yourself this summer - we think you won't regret it.

Suzana Saoud

IXO Publicity Specialist

Sawi's Superb Spanish Internship

Ahmed "Sawi" Eladl in Spain

We often share stories about study abroad on this blog, but there's another type of international experience that is equally valuable and exciting, if in a different way: international internships! Ahmed "Sawi" Eladl, an AUS chemical engineering alum and our former Peer Advisor, is one student who took advantage of this opportunity. He was a Global Intern at a startup at the Polytechnic University of Valencia, Spain, in 2018, and the experience honed his professional and personal skills and helped him learn a new language.

At the startup, Sawi assisted in trying to develop an innovative, sustainable concrete tile that can be heated with microwaves. "This is intended to replace the current heating system of using electric heaters in Spain's households and reduce CO2 emissions by 70%," he said.

Sawi's internship abroad allowed him to make connections and do work relevant to his major. "Being exposed to the startup scene in Valencia introduced me to pure multidisciplinary engineering for the first time, pushed me to think critically and outside the box, and helped me expand my professional network. I also developed my fabrication and product development skills as I was mainly involved in the development and testing phase of the tiles."

"Additionally, my interpersonal and communication skills were sharpened through working abroad in a multicultural team for almost two months," he said. "I also got to take Spanish classes and fell in love with the language."

The cherry on top was the place in which he got to do the internship. "Spain was an amazing country to live in, with beautiful beaches, great music, and bubbly people who appreciate life and live it to the fullest. I honestly think of it as the perfect retirement destination. I am definitely going back someday as the country has so much to offer."

Sawi had numerous international experiences prior to this. His study abroad at the University of Texas at Austin, Texas, USA, in 2017, was especially important in preparing him for this internship abroad: "That was the first step I took outside my comfort zone. Before studying abroad, I could never have imagined taking such a step of interning abroad without the safety net of a university community of students. My study abroad is also what developed the travel bug that pushed me to look for an internship abroad in the first place."

If you are an AUS student interested in doing an internship abroad, check out our website to see some options and for more information.

Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist

Volunteering, Interning, and Seeing the World: Suhair Remzi's Study Abroad

Suhair at an internship event

We have recently welcomed back Suhair Remzi, who is an Ethiopian international relations major who studied at George Washington University, WA, DC, USA, for the academic year 2018-19. She is joining our ranks at IXO this semester as a volunteer Peer Advisor. Suhair now says she divides her life into "before GWU" and "after GWU"; she had truly dynamic, diverse experiences during her time abroad that changed her as a person. Suhair's study abroad gave her the opportunity to do fulfilling work at Action for Hope, the Eurasia Center, and AIESEC, all of which gave her skills, confidence and experience closely related to her degree in international relations.

During Suhair's first semester at GWU, she participated in a leadership training program that, coupled with the study abroad experience itself, inspired her to take full advantage of all opportunities that opened to her during her time abroad. "The leadership program allowed me to come out of my comfort zone and put myself out there," she said. "It taught me the essential skills and techniques I need in order to handle challenges from different perspectives. Through the program, I got the opportunity to get to know myself more by exploring my qualities and testing my self-confidence and emotional intelligence."

With leadership program coordinators and classmates

That summer, Suhair did a two-month internship at Action for Hope, a USA-based non-profit organization that supports children and women in Africa. "My experience at the non-profit was beyond amazing. The organization aligned with my interest in international development, specifically youth and women's empowerment in Africa. The internship offered me a hands-on experience on non-profit management, proposal writing, and strategic planning and research."

She then went on to intern at the Eurasia Center for six months, during which she worked as a research assistant in their new Africa program, "Uplifting Africa," with a focus on their women’s program in Sub-Saharan Africa. She says that this was a truly enriching and interesting experience: "I not only gained skill sets that would allow me to pursue my interests and advance in my career, but I also learned so much about myself. I was able to see my potential in the work sector and reflect on my strengths and weaknesses. Working at the organization allowed me to know what I actually want to do and the cause I want to work for. Thus I believe my internship at the Eurasia Center was a valuable experience that has influenced the course of my life."

Throughout her time in Washington, DC, Suhair also gained the invaluable experiences of volunteering at the World Bank and IMF Headquarters. "I [met] officials from all over the world," she said. "I attended international events and conventions and networked with high-ranking professionals from my field. In addition, I was able to have an amazing experience with the wonderful people I  met and the exciting trips I made to places like New York, California and Georgia."

And just this last summer, Suhair was an AIESEC volunteer in Italy, where she taught English to Italian children and worked on a social farm, among other things. She got to travel around Italy quite a lot, spending time in several different cities and towns. She speaks very passionately about her time volunteering: "My AIESEC volunteer experience in Italy truly transformed me as a person," she said. "The journey has touched my heart and granted me wonderful experiences with the new knowledge I have gained, the captivating places I have traveled to, and the amazing people I have met. Moreover, it led me to test my physical and professional abilities and allowed me to learn a lot more about my career and my personal life. Traveling to Italy for the volunteering made me more confident, optimistic, and fearless and gave me a global mindset and a different vision and perspective towards my life."

Volunteering in Italy

All of these various experiences have informed Suhair's major in international relations. "As an international relations student, I definitely believe that studying abroad has allowed me to have a better understanding of my major. First of all, it was fascinating taking international relations courses in a different university and attending classes with people with a different understanding of the world. Having those discussions gives you the opportunity to see things from a new perspective and it allows you to have a more well-rounded and global mindset. Furthermore, one of the main skills necessary in international relations is the ability to adapt to new cultures, peoples and environments. Studying abroad definitely allows you to gain the adaptability skills needed to work in a dynamic and ever-changing environment."

Suhair says that studying abroad is what opened these opportunities to her and encouraged her to take them: "After realizing my capabilities in the program, I started putting myself out there and I began truly being open to trying the things I am interested in. Since I became confident in my skills and my ability to contribute in new environments, I had no fear of going for the things I wanted to pursue."

Reflecting on her time abroad overall, Suhair says that it fundamentally changed who she is as a person. "My study abroad program was one of the best experiences I've had and it has hugely impacted the course of my life. Before my study abroad, I was not the most sociable person and I did not always try the things I was interested in. However, I can now truly say that I have become a person that enjoys meeting new people and is willing to try all the things I am interested in. I became more independent, optimistic and open-minded. Moreover, the experience has given me the confidence and the strong belief that I am able to achieve anything that I set my mind to."


Suzana Saoud
IXO Publicity Specialist