Ok you little overachiever—you don’t want to just lock down a high school internship, you want to take your dreams of a career abroad. Impressive! Although more and more high school students are pushing themselves to beef up their resumes and make their skill set more impressive for college resumes, not many are doing in-depth international internships.
International internships for high school students mean your most badass summer yet!
After all, leaving everything familiar behind for a new country, culture, language, cuisine, and everyday norms is intimidating, especially when you’re not even old enough to vote! But trust us—going abroad as a young student doesn’t just look good on the resume, it will change you and your worldview forever. Combining that with an internship that prepares you for college or the workforce? You’re going to be an all-star, and we’re here to give you the breakdown on summer internships for high school students abroad.
Why you shouldn’t wait for college to intern abroad
As we mentioned, a lot of students wait until college to study abroad and to get an internship. After all, college is when you really start to get serious about life, right?
Wrong. Imagine how impressive it would be to read a college application of a high school student who not only decided learn and gain real-life skills and work experience, but also to immerse themselves in another culture abroad? The admissions teams at colleges (and the people who will hire for you for jobs farther down the road) will see that you took the initiative and will be impressed by what a traveling bad@$! you are.
Find different internships in a variety of sectors to get your career started on the right foot.
But this isn’t just about the resume bullets. Having this experience abroad will completely rock your world—literally. You’ll see how other people live, eat, celebrate, work. You’ll learn more about the world around you, and the people in it, making you a more globally-minded citizen of the world.
Are international internships for high school students safe?
Going abroad by yourself to a new country can be intimidating, especially if you’ve never traveled alone or outside of the country before. You might have a lot of fears of the unknown, or just uncertainty about what life will be like abroad. The good news is all high school summer travel programs and high school summer internships abroad have support staff on-site who will help you leading up to your departure, as well as be there for you the entire time you’re abroad.
Obviously, when traveling, you need to travel smart! Be aware of your surroundings, be wary of pickpockets, don’t be irresponsible if you decide to (legally) drink abroad. But overall, yes! International internships for high school students are safe, and an incredible international experience.
Whether on or off the clock, an adventure abroad will do your college readiness path good.
The best high school summer internships abroad
When it comes to summer internships for high school students abroad, these programs rise above the rest.
1. Maximo Nivel
Passionate about the Spanish language and Central and South American culture, with a verve for personal and professional development? Maximo Nivel is the program provider for you. You’ll be fully immersed in the local culture, as well as have the opportunity to take regular Spanish classes, so that you’ll be a fluent pro in no time.
Where can you work? The beautiful, stunningly vibrant countries of Costa Rica, Peru, and Guatemala.
Internships include hospitality & tourism, business, human rights, special education, or even your very own customized internship.
- More info: Read Maximo Nivel reviews here
2. Projects Abroad
Projects Abroad offers incredible programs focused mostly on volunteerism. Although yes, you will technically be a volunteer, it is still an experiential learning experience. Projects Abroad is the perfect fit for those students interested in pursuing studies and careers in nonprofit or humanitarian work. They’ll receive on-the-ground experience in fields that that are bettering the world, throughout the world.
Your options for high school summer travel programs and internship opportunities are endless. From Ethiopia to Nepal to Italy to Fiji to Morocco, Projects Abroad will take you all over the world. High school students can gain crucial work (and life) experience in law & human rights in Bolivia, or medical internships for high school students abroad in Tanzania, or social work through the care & community work program in Peru, among many, many other fields.
- More info: Read Projects Abroad reviews here
3. SPI Abroad
SPI Abroad is committed to educating and immersing students in local culture and academics while giving them wonderful internship opportunities. These programs are located in off-the-beaten-path cities and towns to give students the full experience of their country of choice. You’ll get to live in dormitories or homestays, and learn the language as well as the local culture.
So where are you interning abroad? Although SPI Abroad has several programs throughout the world, but the two countries that offer internship opportunities are Spain and Italy, in global leadership.
- More info: Read SPI Abroad reviews here
4. GVI Programs
GVI is an award-winning program provider known for its stellar internships and programs. These all-inclusive internship programs not only provide great learning opportunities, but also amazing chances for personal exploration in whatever country you choose to intern abroad in. Want to save marine life for a few weeks or months, but also earn your SCUBA certification and live on Fiji Island? GVI’s Marine Conservation Program might be the one for you.
So where can you work? The world is your oyster (literally, if you decide to work with marine conservation)! GVI offers internship programs in Greece, the Seychelles Islands, South Africa, Costa Rica, Ghana, or Peru (and more!).
Internships are available in several fields, including business, global health, accounting, women’s empowerment, construction, education, among others.
- More info: Read GVI Program reviews here
5. API Abroad
If you’re a career-driven graduating high school senior with a love for intercultural exchange, API Abroad may be the program provider for you. Yes, you do have to be 18 years old or older to participate on their summer internships for high school students abroad programs, but they’re definitely worth the wait.
API Abroad focuses on preparing its students for the future with tailored internship programs, career advising, 24/7 support and an extensive (and active) alumni network waiting for you when you return home. And, of course, you’ll have the chance to live abroad in another country and learn from other cultures and people.
So where in the world is API Abroad? From Argentina to Australia, to China and Scotland, API Abroad’s internship abroad program can get you to pretty much anywhere you want to go. Program fields include advertising, journalism. architecture, design, law, and psychology, as well as exciting programs in sports and veterinary science.
- More info: Read API Abroad reviews here
Do you dream of doing SEO for organizations with meaningful missions in Bali? How about providing healthcare and medicine to communities in need in Costa Rica? Find a slew of internships abroad for high school students with Intern Abroad HQ, a veteran provider of high-impact international professional experiences. Destinations span the globe—from Asia to Latin America and everything in between, and there are 11 different career paths / internship foci to choose from. All that's missing from this amazing international adventure? YOU!
- More info: Read Intern Abroad HQ Reviews
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Have a blast with your coworkers turned friends during internships for high schoolers abroad.
Interning abroad as a high school student is an incredible experience that will give you invaluable life and work experiences, prepare you for the real world, make you stand out on your college applications...and will change you profoundly as a person. If you still need help finding the right internship abroad, you can use tools such as MyGoAbroad to help compare and contrast programs, and narrow down your search! And be sure to talk to your high school counselor as well, they can maybe help you navigate the search and find new opportunities for you.
Regardless of where you decide to go or what you want to do, these summer internships for high school students abroad will put you on the map—literally. Get started on your adventure today!
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