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With thriving industries spanning tourism, environmental conservation, healthcare, and tech—and an emphasis on work-life steadiness—Costa Rica is a superb place to realize skilled expertise in a variety of fields. AIFS Overseas gives many intern overseas and Research + Internship packages in San José, Costa Rica’s capital. With an internship in San José, you’ll be able to construct career-focused expertise, all whilst you benefit from the nation’s Pura Vida life-style and uncover the beautiful pure landscapes it’s well-known for. Need to study extra about what it’s actually wish to intern overseas in Costa Rica?
Hear from 4 school college students and up to date graduates who interned overseas in Costa Rica with AIFS Overseas!
Anna: Engineering Internship in San José
With rigorous course hundreds and extremely particular diploma necessities, STEM majors usually surprise if they’ll research or intern overseas like different school college students. The reply is YES—and Anna resides proof! {An electrical} engineering main on the College of Kentucky, Anna interned overseas in Costa Rica in the course of the summer time earlier than her senior 12 months.
As she explains, her engineering internship taught her each career-specific laborious expertise and broader mushy expertise, that are sure to profit her sooner or later as she pursues skilled alternatives:
“I’m [interning] at a worldwide engineering agency, and I’ve simply had such a good time. I’ve realized a lot, not solely about issues that may assist me in my future profession, like programming schematics, all these laborious engineering expertise, but in addition in regards to the mushy expertise, so easy methods to collaborate and talk and alter to [new] office [environments].”
Anna found that connecting together with her welcoming colleagues was her favourite a part of her internship:
“My coworkers have positively been one of the best half; they’ve been so encouraging and candy about serving to me to study their tradition, and they’re really throwing me a Fourth of July social gatheringas a result of they’re simply so wanting to study the place I come from.”

Whereas Anna loved her homestay throughout a earlier research overseas expertise, she appreciated the independence that her shared house in San José afforded her:
“I made a decision I needed to be slightly bit extra unbiased and expertise what it will be wish to be in an house. I’ve beloved it lots. I feel having the ability to expertise what it’s like dwelling in San José , and if I have been probably to maneuver right here or overseas sooner or later, what it’s wish to cook dinner my very own meals, determine my very own transport, have my very own house, and simply have slightly bit extra independence.”
It’s completely regular to not know the place you need to research or intern overseas—particularly after you see all the superb choices supplied by AIFS Overseas! One factor that helped Anna’s choice to decide on Costa Rica was contacting the AIFS Overseas staff, who helped her pick a program based mostly on her private pursuits {and professional} targets:
“I used to be tremendous overwhelmed at first about the place I ought to go for my internship. As quickly as I spotted that I needed to intern overseas, I began wanting into what AIFS supplied and there are simply so many places that I received tremendous scared for a second that I used to be not going to finish up the place I wanted to be, however [the AIFS Abroad team] was tremendous useful with explaining precisely why they have been recommending sure locations to me.
They let me know that Costa Rica has 99% renewable power manufacturing and since that’s [the industry] I’m hoping to [work in] sooner or later, this could be an important match for me and my pursuits as effectively… They actually stated that this could be an important place for me to go, and clearly it’s labored out completely completely. I’d not need to be wherever else, and I can not wait to journey again to San José sooner or later.”
Caroline: Non-Revenue Internship in San José
Meet Caroline, who’s pursuing a level in environmental research and media research & manufacturing at Temple College. Caroline did a non-profit internship in San José that introduced each of her tutorial disciplines collectively:
“[My host organization] does quite a lot of local weather and environmental analysis. It manages protected areas within the nation, and it additionally runs quite a lot of environmental teaching programs. So, I’m working within the communications staff there, so it’s an important pair between the 2… I interview totally different topics, and I acquire all of the movies and edit them collectively to ultimately go on the web site.”
Costa Rica is stuffed with distinctive experiences—each when it comes to skilled alternatives and wildlife. Whereas Caroline loved collaborating together with her coworkers, she might by no means get a couple of of them to come back out of their shells:
“Within the backyard/patio at work, we now have a cat and 4 turtles! They’re nice coworkers.”
Reflecting on her expertise, Caroline described her internship in Costa Rica as each impactful and one-of-a-kind.
“I feel that for me, San José, and interning right here in Costa Rica has been very transformative. I’ve skilled so many issues which can be once-in-a-lifetime alternatives. I positively suppose that San José is a location for individuals who need to simply have hands-on experiences and to have a extremely genuine, distinctive expertise.”
With a lot to supply, Caroline emphasised how Costa Rica has one thing for anybody, whether or not you’re drawn to its protected ecosystems or wanting to discover your adventurous facet:
“Costa Rica’s only a nice vacation spot for thrill-seekers to nature-lovers and something in between with its wealthy biodiversity and great pure landscapes. I feel if this pursuits you in any respect, then it is best to positively take the chance to come back right here.”
William: Media Manufacturing Internship in San José
Do you know you’ll be able to intern overseas after you graduate from school? William, who studied communications and Spanish at Xavier College, did a media manufacturing internship in San José as a latest graduate.
After listening to in regards to the stunning landscapes—suppose lush rainforests, majestic volcanoes, and tropical seashores—and welcoming tradition, Costa Rica appeared like the right place for William to realize skilled expertise and work on his Spanish language expertise:
“I needed a Spanish-speaking nation to apply my Spanish, and I’d by no means been to Central America earlier than… Additionally, I heard so many good issues about how good the individuals have been, which is true, and the way stunning the surroundings is right here, and the way good the climate is as effectively. I had by no means considered going to Central America earlier than, so once I noticed Costa Rica as a chance, I assumed this was my likelihood… I didn’t know when I’d be capable of have that likelihood sooner or later.”

As a media manufacturing intern, William’s position centered on all issues videography and cinematography, permitting him to construct a broad array of expertise associated to audio and visible manufacturing:
“The duties at my internship actually simply depend upon the day—it varies lots. More often than not, I do quite a lot of modifying… However additionally I have the chance to go off-site when I’m not within the workplace—I’ll be doing quite a lot of filming, I get to work behind the digital camera and get to study extra in regards to the processes and all of the devices. After which I additionally assist with the setup and takedown of all of the gear. Typically I’ll assist with revising scripts… Something that has to do with audiovisual manufacturing, I’m just about doing all of it. So, it’s positively a full-time gig, however I take pleasure in it, and it’s superior, I like it.”
Outdoors of his internship, William took full benefit of the AIFS Overseas journeys and excursions that have been included in his program, permitting him to go to a few of Costa Rica’s world-renowned nationwide parks:
“Fortunately, with AIFS, you’re in a position to go to quite a lot of locations in Costa Rica. The primary month that we have been right here, each weekend of January, we have been going to a different location, and we hit each province in Costa Rica. We [visited] Manuel Antonio [National Park], Monte Verde [Cloud Forest], Poás [Volcano National Park], [and] La Fortuna… [And] you’re in a position to plan your personal excursions, quite a lot of the scholars do this right here they usually have a blast. Fortunately, by means of my internship, I’m additionally allowed to journey all through Costa Rica as a result of I’m out filming, so there are quite a lot of alternatives to journey inside Costa Rica.”
Considering again on his time in Costa Rica with AIFS Overseas, William was so grateful for this chance and all of the individuals he met due to it:
“I’ve loved just about each minute, and it’s only a magical metropolis and a magical nation. The individuals listed below are superb, the individuals in my program are superb—positively made some lifelong pals for positive. I really like my roommates. Every part simply fell into place, and I’m simply so blessed to be right here, and I feel that you probably have the chance to go, you’ll discover the identical factor. So positively give AIFS a strive, give Costa Rica a strive, you received’t remorse it. It’s a wonderful nation, and it’s a tremendous time.”
Marie: Research + Internship in San José
For college students who can’t determine between an internship and a research overseas program, a Research + Internship program is the right selection. By together with a part-time internship overseas alongside a conventional research overseas expertise, these packages provide one of the best of each worlds.
Marie, a third-year advertising and marketing main and Spanish minor on the College of Wisconsin-Whitewater, enrolled within the prolonged Research + Internship program in San José, permitting her to take 4 programs and acquire skilled expertise throughout her 16-week program:

“I’m an intern overseas, additionally whereas taking courses that switch again to my college… I’ve taken 4 courses in complete right here whereas interning. I took [a] Spanish [course] my first month right here—I’m doing the prolonged semester, so I completed that again up in September…There’s such a wide selection of courses and I’ve completely beloved them. We’ve gone on area journeys for many of them as effectively.”
Marie was a advertising and marketing intern at a neighborhood college in San José, the place she took on a flexible position supporting communications, promotions, and campus occasions. From social media administration to aiding with occasions, Marie’s internship gave her hands-on expertise throughout a spread of promoting disciplines:
“After which I’m additionally interning [for] 30 hours every week… I’m often engaged on the social media accounts in addition to fixing up any of the promotions… [I also create] quite a lot of the bulletins… [and help out with] quite a lot of the larger occasions [for my host organization].”
Whereas attending courses and doing an internship could sound like lots, as Marie explains, her schedule was very manageable:
“My internship schedule is absolutely based mostly on my faculty schedule, so Monday and Wednesday I intern from about 8 AM to 1 PM, with my lunch break being from 3 to 4, as I’ve courses in the course of the day. After which on Tuesday and Thursday, I intern from 8 AM to five PM. It’s very versatile; I’ve Fridays off fully. They completely need to work with you for those who’re excited by that… I actually, actually take pleasure in it, so my 30 hours every week doesn’t hassle me.”
Uncover all Costa Rica has to supply—intern overseas in San José with AIFS Overseas like these school college students and up to date graduates did!
AIFS Overseas gives quite a few intern overseas packages in Costa Rica, every tailor-made to fulfill particular skilled, tutorial, and private targets. For school college students and up to date graduates who need to construct career-focused expertise throughout a spread of industries—all whereas they uncover stunning landscapes and vigorous Latin tradition—Costa Rica is a superb selection for an internship overseas. Go along with AIFS Overseas and take advantage of your time overseas with our invaluable program inclusions, corresponding to housing, journeys and excursions, profession readiness programming, 24/7 emergency help, complete insurance coverage, and the help of our devoted on-site employees.

