I. Is it possible to get paid psychology internship abroad?
No. The countries where Adelante Abroad operates have labor laws in place which prohibit paying foreign psychology internship students. Work Visas are also very difficult to secure. And in any case, our internships are 4 hours per day, 5 days per week, doing an apprenticeship in your field of study. So therefore technically not “work” either. While some companies do offer small stipends to cover things like lunch or metro, that is less and less common.
II. Is it possible to get an expenses-paid psychology internship abroad?
Yes. About 25% of our participating companies will pay for expenses like transportation and food. For example, in the Winery internships, these tend to be large properties not within city limits, so we ask and often have expenses like bus and on-site lunches to be covered.
III. What are the primary benefits of a psychology internship?
Making your current university degree actually relevant and massively upgrading your resume. There are myriad other benefits also, Power Skills like cross-cultural competency in the workplace, bilingualism, adaptability, tolerance and so on.
IV. What do folks who have interned abroad in psychology say about the experience?
Runs the gamut – that is was “life-changing”, that it was more difficult than they thought, that they had direct access to patients which made them uncomfortable, that they learned biases even in seasoned professionals. We have been placing in Psychology since 1999 so A LOT of comments all across the board!
V. Are there good summer psychology internship abroad programs?
Decent ones. Summer is too short for a truly transformative experience but just perfect to learn about your field in another country to add to your resume, and to learn another language.
VI. How do I know if I qualify for a psychology internship abroad?
You should be in your third year at least and we love grad students too. You need a minimum low-intermediate level of Spanish (Level B1) and have a propensity to ask questions and engage.
VII. What are Adelante’s psychology internship abroad program offerings?
Shadow a practicing Psychologist; work for a large or grassroots ONG (nonprofit) helping different populations needing resources; Social Work with at-risk populations.
