8 Week Summer 2016 Internship Dublin, Ireland

I began working with Global Experiences in October of 2015 to become a part of their 2016 summer internship program in Dublin, Ireland. The resources that Global Experiences has to make sure that you get the most out of an internship are excellent. Their staff was extremely helpful about answering any questions I had, and I really appreciated their advice on crafting my resume and cover letter. The webinars that are also available to watch and participate in before you travel abroad are great. For my internship I was placed in the National Museum of Ireland Decorative Arts and History branch in the registration department. I helped to make sure that every object in the museum's collection had a location number and was entered in our online database. I worked at the museum Monday thru Friday from 10:00-4:00 and had the weekends off. With this schedule I experienced the real working environment of the museum and yet had time to explore Dublin and Ireland.
In addition to securing my internship, Global Experiences also planned excursions for us so we would be able to experience the sights and culture of Ireland. These excursions included day trips to Belfast and the Cliffs of Moher, a cooking night, and a musical pub crawl. With providing housing, excursions, and great staff support while I was in Dublin, Global Experiences provided the whole package. One of the best parts about doing this internship was that there was also flexibility. The excursions are not mandatory, so if you want to plan a weekend in London you can do that. I know several of the interns in my program traveled on their own or in groups. They went to places like Scotland, London, Venice, Budapest, Amsterdam, and Barcelona. Your internship is your first priority, but if you have the free time you can fill up that time anyway you want to.
Overall I thoroughly enjoyed my internship experience and would do it all again in a heartbeat. I worked with some amazing people who I hope to stay in contact with for a long time to come. If you are planning on doing an internship abroad I would say go for it. However, make sure you give yourself plenty of time to prepare. You will still need to take care of yourself while you are abroad in terms of making sure you have food to eat and transportation funds. Along with being prepared also be ready to adapt. Plan A is not going to work out every time so having a willingness to go to plan B or plan C is essential. Look at it as an adventure. It will be unforgettable and you won't regret it.