I’m interested in spending this summer interning abroad. I’m currently a Political Science major at a public university. I know next to nothing about the process of pursuing internship opportunities in other countries (though I have secured internships domestically through my University’s Office of Career Services.)
I would like an opportunity that wouldn’t cost an exorbitant amount of money (I don’t want to pay thousands of dollars just so I can work…) – It seems like a lot of intern abroad programs have really high fees. I’d also like if the internship was paid (either a salary/stipend/commission/etc.) though I don’t know how realistic that expectation is. For what it’s worth, I am an Irish citizen (so, in turn, an EU citizen.) At the moment, I am most interested in internships in Dublin.
What are some steps I should be taking in trying to find an internship abroad?
Internships are really more of a US thing. Officially, interns in the EU have to be paid, and the way around that is ‘work experience’- but those are typically 1-2 weeks long. There are a few summer schemes for undergrads- Deloitte, KPMG, etc- but applications for those were all closed in the autumn and the offers have been made. Savill’s scheme opens in March (and if they like you, you could get a job offer)- but I don’t think the industry fits what you are looking for (info [here](http://graduate.savills.co.uk/graduate-schemes/summer-placement/)). [url=<a href=“http://www.pwc.ie/careers/student-careers/summer-internship.html%5DPwC%5B/url”>http://www.pwc.ie/careers/student-careers/summer-internship.html]PwC[/url] is still open, but again- I’m not sure that this is an area that is interesting to you (also, you have to be a Junior, and consulting is only open to Seniors).
If you have actual connections in Ireland (as opposed to just having the passport) you could see if your local T.D. could use a volunteer. There is about to be an election (sometime between now and April), so presumably some seats will change and there might be a use for an extra pair of hands- but the Dail is in recess from mid-July to mid-September, so there won’t be much happening government-wise.
I did my internship at an internship company called http://startmeup.careers they are not expensive, but also not cheap. I got my fund from a grant which was provided by the Dutch government and study financing. You can check if there are any options for grants in Ireland too?