Absolute Internship

Why choose Absolute Internship?

Absolute Internship is an award-winning global internship program. We offer students the opportunity to broaden their professional and social network whilst gaining invaluable skills in their industry of choice. Since our inception in 2009 we have matched over 5,000 students with 800+ corporate partners in world-class cities including Barcelona, Beijing, Hong Kong, Madrid, Paris, Lisbon, London, Shanghai, Singapore, Stockholm and Tokyo. We are regularly featured in The New York Times, BBC News, Forbes Magazine, Financial Times, and Bloomberg as a worldwide leader for internship programs.

Website

absoluteinternship.com

Founded

2009

Connect with us

Community Photos

My fellow interns and I on the Haeundae Sky Capsule!

Last dinner with a friend and program coordinator.

Weekend trip to Champagne, the home of champagne!

Driving past the Arc de Triumph on the way to dinner!

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Reviews

During my internship with Flavors of Paris, I took on various projects to enhance the company's outreach and operations. This included reaching out to partners to inform them about their inclusion in our product, collaborating on creating QR-coded cards to boost reviews and site reach, managing email marketing campaigns for subscriber engagement, assisting in invoicing with my boss Lisa, and providing hardware solutions. These experiences allowed me to develop a range of new skills that proved valuable in both the internship and my own business endeavors.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

Do not Miss anything on trip otherwise you'll regret it for your lifetime

Absolute Internship paved the way for my career. I interned abroad two summers in a row, once in Paris and once in London. My second internship really opened new doors for me in my field and I was even brought to Paris to on a business trip where I was able to make life-long references. I am now working at Saint Laurent, a job I wouldn't have been hired for it it weren't for my prior jobs found through Absolute! I am forever grateful for them! I made many friends, memories, and grew into a true adult from the experiences I had.

Visiting Seoul in June with Absolute Internship was my first experience on a university programme abroad. I was apprehensive at first as it was my first time going so far away by myself, but I must say it was well worth it. I made so many friends from all around the world, got to experience traditional work culture within a Korean company, and go on amazing trips outside of Seoul as well. As a Korean/French language student, it was good to see what prospects could await me once I have finished my degree. The workshops also helped me gain some valuable experience in improving my working portfolio on sites such as LinkedIn, so I feel ready to take on an international career should I choose to in the future. 10/10 would recommend!

What was the most nerve-racking moment and how did you overcome it?

I would say the first nerve-wracking moment would be actually going to work for the first time. I am very much a planning person, but not necessarily knowing what to expect threw me off a little. Those fears were completely overturned by an amazing host company; I was paired amazingly well and we were all able to bounce off each other and become very good friends!

Pros

Meeting amazing people from different walks of life
Experiencing both the traditional and modern side of South Korea
Beating the Mario Kart master once on our lunch break!

Cons

It was very far from home; those who get homesick easily need to brace themselves
Its not for shy people - you need to put yourself out there and help people make friends with you by being equally friendly

The whole experience changed my life and allowed me to grow and build myself and my identity. I learned how to be independent, how to explore, and how to embrace change in a positive way. I was enlightened by the amount of different historically and culturally significant places I got to see, the dozens of museums I got to visit, and the many foods I got to try. I want to move to France now, and I’m currently looking at ways to achieve that. As someone who also deals with depression regularly, I truly felt supported by those around me, especially our program coordinator Aurore. Aurore helped me feel cared for and included. She was extremely supportive and personable, she helped me with my internship and was one of my photography models, she was an amazing friend and even helped me plan a dinner for my birthday. She went above and beyond and made my internship experience ten times greater than what I imagined it could be. She was able to give everyone the chance to explore and learn about France (where our internship program was) and she immersed us into the culture in a way that allowed us to understand what it was like to live in Paris. She knew how to cheer us up when we were feeling down.

What is your advice to future travelers on this program?

My advice to future travelers is to list all the things you want to do in your chosen destination, and once you get there, invite anyone else in the program to accompany you on your adventures so that you get to experience something entirely new and you get to share the moment while doing so.

Pros

Creates confidence
Supports tons of growth
Enriches experience and knowledge

Cons

Can be confusing to navigate a destination
Getting your phone to work is hard
Can be slightly scary

From the application process to our time in Lisbon, the Absolute staff was extremely helpful and supportive. One unique aspect that stood out to me about this program was how focused and personalized the internship placement process is to your career interests. The housing, trips, and program activities are extremely well-planned. Some of the things I did in Lisbon included a pastel de nata baking class, a fado show, and a Portuguese play. Our trips included going to Sintra, Porto, Cascais, and Ericeira. Lastly, my program coordinator (shout out to Marta) was beyond dedicated to showing us Portugal. My 2 months wouldn't have been the same without her!

What was the most unfamiliar thing you ate?

Spain

4.92 •13 reviews

Our award-winning program gives students the opportunity to spend the...

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Alumni Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with verified alumni.

Why did you choose this program?

I decided to apply for an internship with Absolute Internship because I really wanted to undergo an internship abroad and, after doing a lot of research, Absolute Internship was highly recommended from various reliable sources.

I decided to undergo a Law internship, as I am currently staying Law at my 3-year Univeristy, and I really wanted to do an internship abroad.

What did your program provider (or university) assist you with, and what did you have to organize on your own?

I personally had to organise the entire trip by my self. However, thankfully, the amazing people working at Absolute Internship helped me with everything. Especially when it came to VISA applications and the hotel and transportation, they literally did everything for me. For this, I am very grateful, as they really made the entire experience stress free.

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What is one piece of advice you'd give to someone going on your program?

One piece of advice that I would give is to go alone and not go with friends that you already know. By going alone, you get to meet many people and make amazing friendships. As such, if you go with a friend that you already know, you are less likely to step out of your comfort zone and make new friends.

What does an average day/week look like as a participant of this program?

When you undergo an internship abroad, there are no average days. Every day you do new and different things, by making every day exciting and amazing. You do, however, have a routine.

What my friend and I would do is wake up early, have breakfast together and then go to our internships; in the evening, after we finished working, we would all meet up. Every time we would do different things, in the afternoon, like go to the city or the beach, go shopping or go to a museum and so on. I honestly can’t wait to do it again!

Going into your experience abroad, what was your biggest fear, and how did you overcome it? How did your views on the issue change?

My biggest fear before going to Hong Kong was traveling alone. I often fly from the UK to Italy or other European countries, but I never traveled alone to literally the other side of the world. I was very nervous and scared, but thanks to the people working at Absolute Internship, I was able to overcome my fears.

They helped me arrange transportation from the airport in Hong Kong to the hotel, and they also sent me a link to search for a cheaper flight. As such, I felt way more comfortable.

If you could do this trip again, what would you change?

If I could go back in time, one thing that I would do differently during my internship in Hong Kong is applied for a two months internship in Hong Kong instead of one month.

After spending one month in Hong Kong, I felt that I did all of the things on my wish list. However, I enjoyed the experience so much, that I would have loved to stay more, especially since all of the friends that I made a life in different parts of the world, and I don’t know when I’ll be able to see them again.

Thinh Vu

2015 Alum

Lucia Belchamber

2015 Alum

Katie McDonald

Iain van der Post

Justine Lenkiewicz

Nino

Rebecca McCarthy

AJ Tjaden

William Gant

Staff Interviews

These are in-depth Q&A sessions with program leaders.

Thuy Tran

Program

International Internships in Singapore in more than 25 Fields

Job Title

Operations Coordinator

Thuy works as Operations Coordinator at Absolute Internship.

Having the fortune to go aboard, to experience the academic and professional life in different cultures has broadened her mind in a way she could never have thought of. And so, she is now planing, organizing, and delivering international education and training opportunities to inspire and provide the same or even better experience for young minds who urge for exploration and growth.

Interview

What is your favorite travel memory?

During my 4 months working as Program Coordinator at Singapore, I had an amazing time exploring the city and go into deeper layers of the cultures and local's life here. It's a tiny country but full of surprises and a diverse mix of cultures. It has taught me a lot about how such a small nation could grow so fast and tremendously in the past 50 years

How have you changed/grown since working for your current company?

The opportunity to go out there, exploring different lands and interacting with different people simple opens my mind and eyes. I also realized a very important aspect and value of my job, what I am doing when seeing the significant changes the experience has brought to the student. It's very rewarding.

What is the best story you've heard from a return student?

I think it'd definitely be the transformation incurred within themselves after the programs. Some never traveled abroad, some never interact in a different language from their own and with the program, they were able to step out of their comfort zone, build a beautiful connections with fellow interns and local, and growth personally and professionally.

If you could go on any program that your company offers, which one would you choose and why?

Singapore since I lived the program and see so much growth within my elf but also in the students who came to this city. It's a well organized program that allows students to see and experience a different culture thoroughly.

In a short period of time, with a combination of professional experience (internship), excursion and local cultural activities, students are able to get a full immersion into the Singaporean life.

What makes your company unique? When were you especially proud of your team?

Absolute Intern ship is team of international people, with different backgrounds and cultures, and yet we come together with the sole purpose to create opportunities and bring changes.

I'm very proud of the team as every single action we are doing now, we're doing it with care and love and an urge to bring changes.

What do you believe to be the biggest factor in being a successful company?

I think it's the team who believe in what they do, the value and mission of the company. Everyone at Absolute Internship is very passionate about travelling and personal development and that helps us come together as the A team to build and run the programs and help students realize how much changes they could have for their life and others.