Internships in Cape Town with VACorps

My experience in Cape Town was unforgettable. The staff at VACorps was so supportive and responsive to anything I needed. What made it even more special was hearing stories of the staff members' daily lives and their personal experiences. I felt that the cultural series and weekly excursions elevated my time here in Cape Town and made for a more authentic experience. Even on the days when I felt alone or homesick, I knew I was never alone because I had a community at VAC to support me. My internship helped me to grow as a future dance/movement therapist and enabled me to work with teenagers, which is a group I had not previously worked with. I will miss those beautiful young women dearly.

My time in Cape Town was incredible. It is a beautiful city with endless activities and a vibrant culture. I thoroughly enjoyed my internship and felt like it gave me great experience in the field I plan to work in. The VACorps staff really took my wishes and education into consideration when they matched me with my internship.

Aside from the internship, the VAC staff and participants made me feel welcome immediately. They were so friendly and made my time in Cape Town fun and easy. The staff coordinated weekly group activities and provided wonderful recommendations for other things to do and see in the area. I would recommend this program to anyone looking to make friends, gain valuable experience, and explore a new culture.

I have had an amazing time in Cape Town and feel incredibly lucky to have had this experience. I would recommend VACorps to anyone looking to travel, meet new people and gain a pre-professional experience abroad. I learned so much through my internship, had a very immersive experience, gained skills that will help me in my future career, and would not have been connected to my site had it not been for VACorps. They were very responsive to the type of internship placement I was looking for and communicative throughout the process of getting placed. Through the Friday activities, culture night, and living among primarily other interns, I was able to easily connect with other friendly, adventurous, and like-minded people from all over the world and have made connections with people who I will stay in touch with long after I leave Cape Town. All VACorps staff members were incredibly welcoming, friendly, and always willing to give recommendations and connect us with companies to do various sightseeing and weekend activities which allowed me to get the most out of my time here. I was able to see and do so many things, connect with amazing people, learn about a new culture, and truly have the adventure that I was hoping for.

As a global health major, I wanted to come to Cape Town because of the diversity, and the developing field of medicine in South Africa as a whole.  I was able to learn a ton from my internship, as I was able to participate in lab work, which is something completely new to me. This involved conducting various diagnostic tests on participants as well as learning about research in general. My goal of being immersed in a foreign health setting was achieved!

While here in Cape Town I especially enjoyed the amazing hospitality of the South African people. The individuals that I met both at work, or out on the town were really what made this place so special to me. Perhaps the best example of this was on my last day of work, while my coworkers and I enjoyed a celebratory cake, they all gave me hugs and were singing my name as they told me how I will be missed. I was here for about two months and will miss the South African people more than anything. It is such a happy and joyful culture compared to what we have back home. People here rarely seem to stress and are always looking to have a good time. I think that two months was the perfect amount of time for me, and if others were coming I would advise them the same.

The VACorps staff are truly wonderful. So helpful in all situations, as well as knowledgeable and caring. Never mind the fact that they are all so much fun to hang out with on the Friday activities! They were some of my favorite people that I met here in SA and I could never speak highly enough of them. They are the best part of VACorps, and took us out on wonderful adventures and taught us all about the culture we came to be a part of.

VACorps was an experience that I wouldn't trade for anything. I was assigned to work at a government health clinic, and not only did Vacorps support me through the logistics of my time there, but they also helped me with the emotional and community side of it. I grew professionally, personally, and emotionally. This internship helped me to see the larger picture of the world and to understand medicine on a deeper level. Cape Town is full of amazing people, and this element of the experience made my time here so wonderful. Three months in this City is not enough and I am confident I will be back soon!

VACorps was the best program I have ever participated in. It is extremely organized and structured so you never feel like you are lost or without support. The staff is more than friendly and willing to respond to you as quickly as they can. They care about you and want to make sure you are having the best experience possible. I loved my internship working at a mental health clinic as it helped me narrow my career interests. Overall it was a very well done program and I would highly recommend it to a friend or family member.

VACorps has allowed me to find and build relationships with fellow interns and locals that I will keep with me forever. Coming to South Africa, I did not know what to expect, but every single expectation was exceeded thanks to the support of my new community here in Cape Town. This program has allowed me to step outside my comfort zone in every aspect. Learning and being a part of a new culture is something that is absolutely irreplaceable. I will forever be grateful for my time in South Africa and all of the lifelong friends I made along the way.

My two months in Cape Town were some of the best days of my life. I came wanting to experience a people and a place vastly different from my everyday life in the US and that is exactly what I got. I learned so much about myself, the world, and what I might want to do with my life. I learned to be more independent and confident in who I am and that traveling the world is one of the coolest things you could ever do.

I did my internship at the Neuro and Rehab department of a large Sports Science Center.  I believe I became more confident in myself in a professional workplace. I enjoyed learning about patients' injuries and what rehab was necessary for each patient. It was also very interesting to see the difference between the field of biokinetics (which doesn't exist in the US) and physical therapy. I haven't been sure what I want to do with my life but after this internship, I have a little more certainty that I'd like to go into a similar field to this.

The people in Cape Town are all so kind and the types of people that the VACorps program attracts are all so amazing. I have made some lifelong friends here and had some truly life-changing experiences. The hiking (and all other outdoor activities) was by far my favorite part as well as simply getting to know a culture so different than mine through being in a truly South African workplace every day and exploring the beautiful city. I would not recommend coming for any less than 5 weeks if you choose this program! It's truly an incredible place and you have to be here long enough to fully enjoy every aspect of it. The VACorps staff are very organized and kind and want what's best for their interns.