AIFS Abroad: Study, Intern, or Study & Intern in Australia

I absolutely loved this program. The program adviser was amazing and it was a great experience. Sydney was an amazing place and always felt safe and had a Great support system there. Internship provided great experience and was great for resume building. Would definitely recommend to anyone wanting an internship abroad and interested in visiting/ traveling to sydney. There’s also plenty of time to travel around australia on the weekends. Also great way to meet people in sydney and other interns studying abroad.

Prior to this experience, I had never been out of the States and I had never flown before. I was more worried about the flight over here than I was about living here for 2 months. But the GE staff was accommodating and welcoming and walked me through the steps from how to apply for a visa to how to transfer currency and even just tips on making it through the airport. I ended up having to come a week later than everyone, but the GE staff, specifically Andrea, made me feel so welcome and excited.

I had an absolutely blast in Sydney, Australia! Through this program, I was surrounded by open minded people from different backgrounds who were eager to explore and try new things. I was absolutely impressed that our internship coordinator, Andrea, was able to help me get a great internship in the music industry (which is very difficult). I worked a variety of tasks in music management, marketing, and PR, with supervisors who have worked and are still working with artists on a regional and global scale. Some notable artists I have worked with are Pixies, Lauv, and Northeast Party House. I learned a great deal about myself from the people I worked with and the friends I made on this trip. This trip is a great way to get you out of your comfort zone and get a bit of a taste of adult life.

I absolutely loved my time interning in Sydney with global experiences! Also Andrea the on site staff was very helpful & went above and beyond what she was required to do. I would recommend this program to anyone. I did a internship with a corporate event planning company & it has shifted what I want to do in the future. Everyone on the group was nice and always open to try new things and go new places in Australia. We went to the great barrier, port Stephens, blue mountains, royal national park, Olympic stadium, northern beaches, the outback, south Australia, tassie, Perth (pink lakes) and many many more!! Such a great time, a lot of people on the program chose to stay in Aussie after there program ended as well! If you are hesitating just go

Sydney is such a beautiful city, amazing views, great culture, and very diverse. I worked in the central business district which was the best area I could have been placed for my internship field. My program coordinator was always so helpful and truly cared about me having a great experience through her support, recommendations, and advise. Weekend trips were a constant for my roommates and I which was amazing because you can go so many places through where I was living in Sydney that was placed by the program. I also could not have asked for better program mates who have turned into my family and my actual roommate who was placed perfectly through the roommate survey. 10/10 for the program overall, it was everything I expected and more for the effort everyone has put in.

This was truly a once in a lifetime experience. I went all over Australia including Sydney, Melbourne, the Great Barrier Reef, and the Gold Coast. Everywhere I went just continued to blow me away. I truly loved diving in to the Aussie culture and I’m sure all my friends and family back home will look at me funny when I start saying “mate”, “cheers”, and “brekkie” all the time. My internship was for a nonprofit yoga foundation that offers free yoga to people effected by mental illness, domestic abuse, homelessness, etc.. I had two of the nicest bosses in the world and learned so much. It even inspired me to want to teach yoga to people struggling with mental health during my gap year. From the city to the people here, there’s nothing not to love. I came here knowing no one and I’ve left with friends that will last a lifetime.

jennykate Pritzker <jennykate.pritz@gmail.com>
Nov 13, 2019, 2:03 PM (6 days ago)
to me

I had an amazing time living and working in Sydney. It's a vibrant city with so many options for how you want to spend your time. The people are kind and the weather is great. Working with global experiences was super easy and I loved all the people who I worked with. The location coordinator, Andrea, is my favorite person ever and she makes the adjustment easy and the rest of the trip fun. I got meet and live with some amazing people. This experience was incomparable to anything else because it gave me the ability to grow and become apart of my professional field, while also giving me the opportunity to grow as a person and learn more about myself as I experienced independence. This is truly a one-of-a-kind experience and i'm so grateful for it.

I didn't know what to expect when I packed my bags for a year in Sydney. I am so grateful for the incredible people I met as soon as I arrived. The entire program was fantastic, all thanks to the support from our program director, Andrea.

I spent my weekends exploring both within and outside of the city. Whether it was lying on the beach, hiking, trying new dishes, or learning about Australian history, I was able to have weekends full of great people and memories.

My internship placement was perfect and I got to gain a lot of experience in a field in which I had none. Though it was fast paced, I was able to balance travel and work.

Finally, I would just like to encourage anyone who is thinking of applying to the Global Experiences program to go for it. You won't regret it!