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INTERNSHIPS
Student-Athletes Abroad is committed to actively
promoting respect for the culture and values of our host communities.
The work completed through our internships directly impacts at the local level. Students leave their experience with an understanding of the mutually beneficial relationships we have with our local partners. See examples below.
Costa Rica: We work with organizations such as Special Olympics Costa Rica, where we integrate fully with this unique community and the children they serve. Our full-time staff in Costa Rica are native Costa Ricans who competed in Division 1 athletics. Most also played on the Costa Rica national teams and have strong local ties to the communities with which we work.
Costa Rica Internship Page
Spain: We coordinate with local organizations who either host the interns directly or work to place the interns in businesses and nonprofit agencies.They provide continual support throughout the program, sharing their expertise to educate our students on what it means to be an intern. They also guide them through studying, living, and working in another country.
Spain Internship Page
South Africa: These are grassroots organizations that use sport as the carrot to draw youth and local community members away from drugs and violence. They also teach the values of teamwork, following the rules of the game, and highlight opportunities for their lives outside of what they may be able to imagine. Our Resident Director in Cape Town previously worked for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation (based out of the Sport Science Institute of South Africa) and leverages her experiences and expertise as a local to provide cultural support, community understanding, and program improvements on a regular basis.
Australia (NOT AVAILABLE*): We partner with Disability Sports Australia (DSA) and work with disabled athletes in a variety of capacities at the local, regional, national, and international level. We work together to promote the Australian culture and helping to further the opportunities for their disabled athletes. DSA also welcomes U.S. disabled college athletes to participate in this internship program.
*We are currently not offering our Australia internship program. We hope to return to Australia soon!
Internships for Academic Credit
Across all of our internships, the professional expectation is that students are working in an environment that will help them become critical thinkers and globally minded citizens, and that this international experience will prove as invaluable in whichever track they take upon graduation.
You can earn academic credit for your international internship with Student-Athletes Abroad. Check in with your university to see what requirements you need to meet and we will work with you on making sure your internship placement fulfills their requirements.
"Being a part of SAA gave me a unique opportunity to accomplish many of the goals that I had as a college student. As an international business major I knew It would be very important to travel to a different country and work for a period of time so that I could obtain a deeper understanding of the differences in business operations from country to country.
My internship allowed me to experience that, along with the culture and many other amazing experiences. I enjoyed visiting Barcelona and Madrid and being able to get a deeper understanding of the Spanish culture and history. This was a once in a lifetime experience and I am forever grateful for the memories, friends, and knowledge that It gave me! I can't wait to visit Spain again!"
- Spain Internship Program Participant