Location
  • Chile
    • Viña del Mar
    • Valparaíso
Length
4 to 24 weeks
Payment plans
Health & Safety

Program Details

Compensation
Unpaid
Timeframe
Fall J-Term Maymester Spring Summer Winter Year Round
Housing
Apartment Host Family
Language
Spanish
Weekly Hours
20
Age Min.
18

Pricing

Starting Price
2920
Price Details
This Adelante program includes a volunteer or internship placement in your sector of interest, airport pick up, housing, 2 weeks of intensive Spanish classes, and 24/7 access to your local Program Director.
What's Included
Accommodation Some Activities Airport Transfers Wifi
What's Not Included
Airfare SIM cards Transportation Travel Insurance Visa
Oct 17, 2024
Jan 04, 2023
25 travelers are looking at this program

About Program

Adelante offers affordable international internship programs in Viña del Mar and Valparaíso, Chile, tailored for qualified candidates. Adelnate Abroad programs provide an excellent opportunity to gain hands-on experience in your field, with the option to earn academic credit. Intern in a winery or work with an extreme sports team to get the best work experience possible.

Our Chile programs are ideal for gap year students, undergraduates, and post-graduates looking to strengthen their resumes with real-world international experience. Additionally, you will get the opportunity to enhance your Spanish language skills and immerse yourself in Chilean culture for an unforgettable adventure.

Programs are available year-round, with flexible durations ranging from 1 to 6 months. Enjoy free days to travel, explore, and embark on local excursions. The program covers airport pick-up, housing, 3 weeks of intensive Spanish classes, and an internship tailored to your professional interests.

Video and Photos

Diversity & Inclusion

At Adelante Abroad, we take pride in fostering a diverse and inclusive community for aspiring students seeking international internships and study abroad experiences. We are committed to providing equality and opportunity, as we firmly believe that every individual, regardless of their background, deserves the chance to embark on a transformative journey. Through our specialized biopic program, we actively encourage and support students from all walks of life to participate without discrimination. We understand the importance of nurturing emerging talents, and our program stands as a testament to our dedication to providing an enriching, empowering, and unbiased platform for students to thrive and make their mark on the global stage.
At Adelante Abroad, we are dedicated to creating a welcoming and inclusive space for all students, including those who identify as LGBTQIA+. We wholeheartedly encourage and support LGBTQIA+ students to participate without fear of discrimination. We recognize the unique challenges that LGBTQIA+ individuals may face, and we are determined to provide a safe and empowering environment for them to embark on their international internship and study abroad journeys. With a focus on celebrating individuality and fostering growth, our program stands as a beacon of acceptance, ensuring that all students can thrive, learn, and contribute meaningfully to the global community.
Adelante Abroad is committed to offering comprehensive accessibility support for participants with physical disabilities and/or chroni conditions. While our foremost goal is to provide optimal conditions for all participants, there may be instances where certain program country locations pose challenges to full accessibility. Despite these limitations, we continually strive to ensure that all individuals can benefit from our programs to the best of our abilities.

Impact

At Adelante Abroad, we are driven by a vision of sustainability that goes beyond mere neutrality. Our commitment is to create programs and business practices that generate a net positive impact on the world. By striving to tip the scales towards positive outcomes, we seek to ensure that any potential negative effects are outweighed by the overall benefit we bring to the individuals, communities, and environments we engage with, aligning our efforts to leave a lasting, positive legacy.
At Adelante Abroad, our ethical impact programming is thoughtfully designed to harmonize student experiences with the well-being of our host communities and the environment. We meticulously assess the social and environmental implications of our programs, ensuring a balanced approach that maximizes positive outcomes for both our students and the communities they engage with. By fostering meaningful connections, minimizing environmental footprints, and prioritizing sustainable practices, we aim to create lasting benefits for host communities, safeguard our planet's resources, and preserve the integrity of the experiences we offer for generations to come.

Program Highlights

  • Affordable programs: With some research you will find that nearly all other programs are at least DOUBLE the price. You'll have your own room and live in a shared apartment or house with WiFi near the beach and your internship place.
  • Work in the field of your choice. Gain solid international career experience by working in a field that interests you. Placements are in large and state-run organizations or companies and corporations that are both privately or publicly owned.
  • Intensive Spanish language classes. We prepare you for your internship with three weeks of intensive Spanish language classes based on your Spanish speaking level. No extra charge, it's included in your program.
  • A welcome arrival. We'll pick you up at the airport, take you directly to your housing, and provide an orientation session with our program director to get you acclimated to Chile.
  • Curated Experience. Our programs are meant for the independent traveler and are not group focused. Our on-site staff in Chile and the US are available throughout your program, and you can truly immerse yourself in the culture however you wish.

Program Reviews

4.75 Rating
based on 16 reviews
  • 5 rating 75%
  • 4 rating 25%
  • 3 rating 0%
  • 2 rating 0%
  • 1 rating 0%
  • Growth 4.75
  • Support 4.65
  • Fun 4.4
  • Housing 4.5
  • Safety 5
Showing 1 - 8 of 16 reviews
Default avatar
Lydia
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing Opportunity

I did a 4-month program with Adelante at a small software development company in Viña del Mar. Learning new coding languages while still getting used to Chilean Spanish was really hard at first, but everyone in the office was super patient with me. Of course there were some awkward moments where I couldn’t understand what they were asking me or telling me to type, but we all laughed through them together. I now feel confident that I can work in software in any Spanish-speaking country.

The Adelante program coordinator in Viña del Mar, Pamela, is incredibly nice and supportive. About halfway through my internship I felt really stressed with my progress at work, and when I told Pamela she was immediately ready to talk it through with me and adjust my role. That ended up not being necessary since I talked my fears through with a coworker, but nonetheless I felt like Pamela was really in my corner.

Viña del Mar itself felt almost like a perfect city to me. Super walkable, filled with shops and restaurants, right on the ocean, and an overall relaxed way of life. Viña and Valparaiso were great locations for learning about Chilean culture, especially compared to fast-paced Santiago. Everyone I met in Viña was kind and welcoming, from the enthusiastic teachers in my dance classes to the ice cream shop employee who memorized my order. If you’re looking to have an awesome experience abroad, I can’t recommend this program enough.

93 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Khong
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Chile Internship

The internship abroad working for a non-profit organization in Valparaiso, Chile was an incredible experience. The Director, Pamela, was responsive and helpful if you have any questions regarding any concerns while you are abroad, changes to your homestay, and travel suggestions. However, I did not like taking the Spanish courses in Chile, coming in as a graduate Spanish major, because I thought it was not worth my time, for example, learning the greetings and grammar. The professors were great, but I would have changed this if I had the chance to start over and started early with the internship. On the other hand, I liked the part about learning Chilean Spanish, the names of their food, and their culture. I thought it was helpful compared to grammar in Spanish. Overall, I enjoyed my time in Chile. I loved my time there!

109 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Victoria
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The trip of my life

This trip was easily one of the most beautiful and impactful experiences I have ever had in my life. The supervisor of my social work internship was extremely gentle, and she was very excited to teach me everything about the area on the rights pertaining to old people.
My internship was hard at times precisely because I had to deal with cases of mistreatment, but even that was educative because I learned about the joys, struggles, and history of the people of a different country. Few things in life can compete with that experience, so if you have the opportunity to travel abroad, take it because you will not regret it.

Pros
  • I learn about a different country including its struggles, challenges, and strengths
  • opportunity to travel around and meet new places
  • I had the chance to refine my social skills
Cons
  • I wish adelante would have included health insurance or the flights because getting those was troublesome
114 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kirsten
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

The most amazing internship experience I could have hope for!

Interning abroad with Adelante was the experience of a lifetime. I interned as a mechanical engineering student at a creative coworking lab called Makerspace where I got to collaborate on innovative projects using 3D printers, laser cutters, and other cool tools with my coworkers in the lab. I also had the wonderful experience of leading a workshop in Spanish on 3D design in SolidWorks. My coworkers were extremely welcoming and made a strong effort to help me navigate Chilean culture and traveling as well as spending time with me outside of work! I learned a lot with their help and improved my Spanish exponentially, even though Chilean Spanish is quite strange. COVID definitely had a negative impact on the experience, as it made travel difficult and made half of my time at the internship virtual. Also, there were very few participants in the program, so it was a struggle to find friends to do things with. Nonetheless, the experience was overall very rewarding, and I highly recommend this program.

Pros
  • Freedom to live on your own and travel as much as you want
  • Great internship placement and possibilities
  • Cultural immersion
Cons
  • Not many excursions organized by the program
  • Not many participants, had to make friends other ways
  • COVID restricted a lot of activities
113 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Zoe
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Amazing experience - medical internship in Chile

I did the medical internship in Viña del Mar, Chile. First of all, it is a beautiful city to live in, with lots to do and with Valparaiso just a 20 minute metro/bus ride away. The location of the house is perfect and in a safe place, just a few blocks from the beach and about a 30 second walk from a supermarket. I lived with other Adelante candidates and got along with all of them exceptionally well. The staff at the language school are welcoming, and my classes really helped me get accustomed to living in my new city. I learned about the unique spanish spoken in Chile, and my professor also took me out of the classroom to explore Viña as well as Valparaíso and learn about their history and culture. In order to meet new people, I recommend going to language exchanges in Viña or Valparaíso - these can be found through MeetUp online, and it's a great way to meet natives and practice spanish! Living in a new city with no familiar faces and a language barrier can be daunting, so these really helped me at first! When I started my internship at a local physical therapy (kinesiology) office, it was challenging of course due to the new environment and the language. Within a few weeks, however, I was effectively communicating with patients, leading several patient sessions, and carrying out physiotherapy. My spanish improved dramatically and I also learned technical vocabulary that will help me in my future career. The employees were great teachers and always made sure I understood what was happening, the patient's affliction, and what techniques they were using and why.
The last month of my stay, there was political unrest in Chile but Adelante staff made sure we stayed safe, and maintained communication with us. I would not change anything about my experience in Chile, as it helped me grow as a person and greatly increased my skills and confidence in Spanish. The people in Chile are very welcoming and kind, even though Chilean spanish can be hard to understand at first! I've come to love Chile so much and I will definitely be coming back! I could't recommend this Adelante program more.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?
Give yourself time to adjust, and try not to have too many expectations before your program starts. Go to language exchanges, and take opportunities to travel! I would recommend anywhere in the south of Chile, and San Pedro de Atacama in the north (it's cheap to fly there). Look up youtube videos of Chilean spanish before you go, as it will help to learn some of the words and expressions specific to Chile (there are many!). Also, there are many beach towns within an hour or two of Viña which I highly recommend taking a day trip to! Spend time alone exploring the city and don't stress about meeting people because it will happen! Just put yourself out there and fully embrace the experience.
121 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Kelsey
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

A Learning Experience

I was an English-teaching intern in Viña Del Mar, Chile for a month. The city was an amazing and beautiful place to be and I felt quite safe. It was relatively expensive to live during the month I was there as my roommate and I had to provide our own food and transportation. However, the work that we were during was great. I had never taught English before until this internship, and I learned a lot about myself; how well I work in a position of authority, and my planning skills. The program had a lack of guidelines on what we were supposed to be teaching, and although that was a challenge, it provided us with the opportunity to create an entirely new lesson plan that catered to the needs of the students. We taught four amazing adults who were eager to learn from us and it felt great! I’d encourage future interns to take as many weekend outings as they can in Chile. The city has so many amazing activities and sights that will keep you busy in between your working hours. The only downside of the program was that I had to find my own transportation back to the airport at the end of the program which was expensive and difficult to navigate. But my experience in teaching in Chile outweighed any cons that arose!

What would you improve about this program?
Airport transportation needs to be provided at the end of the program, not just at the beginning. Also, there should be some sort of guidelines or subject matter for the English-teaching interns so that they have a better idea of where to start and what the students are expected to know by the end of the program.
130 people found this review helpful.
Gabriela
5/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Increíble

Fue una experiencia linda! La gente es muy acogedora y conocí muchos lugares. Me hubiera gustado poder contactar a la persona con la que iba a vivir antes para poder planificar mejor los viajes. Todo fue 10/10, el equipo del international center está atento de ayudarnos siempre. Hay muchos viajes cortos que se pueden hacer por el fin de semana. Uno de los lugares que más nos gustó fue el embalse Puclaro donde pueden hacer kitesurf. Dentro de Viña, no dejen de conocer Reñaca, Concon (playa la boca y las dunas), el jardín botánico es PRECIOSO, conocer los palacios, tomar un helado en Mo o Coletti y salir a correr por la avenida Perú. Además, en cuanto al trabajo, aprendí mil cosas nuevas, formas de trabajar en Chile distintas a mi país.
Me voy de Chile con los mejores recuerdos!

What would you improve about this program?
La casa deja mucho que desear. El estado de los muebles y artefactos es muy malo. Encontramos todo muy sucio y la cocina no funcionaba bien. Pero la ubicación es MUY buena
130 people found this review helpful.
Default avatar
Delilah
4/5
Yes, I recommend this program

Bacán!

One of the unique aspects of this program is its location in Vina/Valpo, most programs tend to be in Santiago and I liked being outside of a big city because it allowed me really try and immerse myself into the culture and gave me the opportunity to speak and practice my Spanish. There are a lot of college students in this area and it’s close enough and inexpensive to get to Santiago.

It’s a flexible program and you really have to be very independent because there’s not a lot of administrative support. We basically had to figure everything out on our own. However as a girl traveling alone I really liked that Vina feels safe.

I really enjoyed my internship a lot although they never really gave me real work to do. In terms of getting actual experience I really didn’t feel like I did as much as I wanted to. My internship was in Valparaiso, which was nice because I was able to get to know both cities and everyone I worked with was great. They were also really flexible which is convenient if you’re coming to Chile to travel.

I personally didn’t like being forced to take Spanish lessons for three weeks; it was annoying to have to spend three hours doing grammar everyday especially because I’m a fluent native speaker. Learning a bit about the culture and slang was really useful especially once I got to my internship (but I probably could have learned on my own).

The housing placement was good, I had my own room, it was super central, and a five-minute walk to the beach but it’s poorly run. It’s not very well taken care of (filthy and falling apart) and the last month of my stay was considerably better but it took two months of insisting that things on my part to get to that point. The staff at the international center is nice but honestly I felt like I had to constantly bug them to get info that I wanted or needed, they don’t particularly go out of their way to help you. They’ll do it but only because you insist, which was really frustrating at times.

However despite any of these problems, the program does live up to what it promises.

136 people found this review helpful.
Response from Adelante Abroad

Thank you Delilah for the review and for recommending this program. We do need to address some things you wrote. First, having to "figure out everything on our own": there is a formal Orientation upon arrival and then you have access to our onsite Director every day for the first three weeks in-country. There should be no reason you have "to figure everything out on your own." You simply have to ask, if in Orientation or if over 21 days of face to face contact, something you have a question about is not covered. Your internship: good to hear that you enjoyed your work assignment. They are a prestigious, busy company that willingly wants to teach you and made a space for you. If you felt you didn't have enough to do, or finished tasks early, it's always best to ask for more. Candidates that get the most out of this program are those who are proactive.
Spanish lessons: you and another girl in the program at the same time were fluent Spanish speakers upon arrival, so therefore always have the option to take fewer weeks of Spanish classes. According to our records, both of you were advised of this - she took that option, and took less weeks of classes, you did not. So we're not sure why you have included this as an issue, since the choice was yours.
Lastly your housing: this house was clean when you arrived, and if over the length of your program, it became "filthy", well that is hard for us to fix in the bi-weekly cleaning service included. The day to day is on you and your roommates. We have many, many photos from our cleaning service of the house while you lived there. Not pretty. Our Director, in Chile, also advised you and your roommates, multiple times, based on those photos, to please not leave days and days of trash out, to not leave wet towels on the floor, to do the dishes before both sinks were full of them, etc.
We do check in with you daily at first then weekly, so if the above cleaning issues were not your fault, it would have been good to hear that then, not now, after the program is over.
It seems like all the issues you mention could have been easily avoided with better communication from you in the form of answers to our Director and answers to our daily, then weekly, checking in contacts. Nevertheless, it sounds like you had an amazing life and professional experience in Chile. Team Adelante

Questions & Answers