GLOBAL VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP

4+ weeks of remote placement with a host organization in Rwanda or Vietnam

Dates: Custom dates, year-round
Duration: 4 weeks or longer
Destinations: Rwanda | Vietnam
Credit: 4 US credits (~ 8 ECTS credits) for eligible university students
Eligibility: Undergrad/grad - any field and level of study
Program fees: US $985 (4 weeks) + US $95 per extra week

Course overview

Do you seek a global virtual internship that offers a lot more than just a meaningful remote international work experience? Are you passionate about making an impact and developing competencies as a global change leader? Then this program series is for you! Why?

Because GEI not only provides you with highly engaging multi-disciplinary internship placements – both on-site and remote – with one of our many vetted local partner organizations. We have also developed a unique program environment that offers you a multitude of additional opportunities to hone your global change leadership competencies, interact with global and local peers, and receive extensive mentoring and support.

You are matched with a local host organization according to your level of study, existing skills, and desired fields. A specific internship plan is developed in advance of each placement. Academic credits are available, and you will be expected to complete some key course requirements. In addition to the placement, you will benefit from a pre-placement orientation, a weekly classroom or field session as well as various other resources with interdisciplinary training on change leadership competencies, and a weekly formal supervisory meeting. While we cannot guarantee that we will find a suitable host organization for you, placements are typically available in a range of fields. Custom placements have flexible starting dates with flexible duration (minimum 4 weeks).

Expect the following key elements:

Cultural orientation: Interact with an international team and develop your cultural intelligence skills, confidence, and adaptability.
Remote work modules: Foster your technology and personal skills to work remotely in new environment and across cultures.
Destination deep dive: Gain new insight through a unique African or Asian perspective on social impact topics in low- and middle-income countries.
Global café: Broaden your personal and professional network and connect with people from all over the world.
Mentoring: Guided by your local preceptor, your specific tasks and assignments will combine a highly relevant global experience with professional skills.
Interaction: A weekly synchronous Q&A session will be organized with your local preceptor and coordinators.
Research-based learning: Improve your research skills, explore the landscape of your topic locally and globally, and suggest appropriate solutions.
Engage with local peers: Work hand-in-hand with a local student peer, support each other, and learn from each other.
Practical development tools: Work with your local peer and preceptor to produce practical tools such as a research paper, a literature review, guidelines, videos, flyers, and the like.
Career: This virtual internship offers an opportunity to reflect on your personal drivers, values, and how you want to be perceived as a professional entering the workforce.

One of today’s greatest development success stories, Rwanda is Africa’s prime study abroad jewel. The country underwent a breathtaking transformation since the 1994 genocide. A model for poverty reduction and economic growth, it accounts for the highest percentage of women in parliament anywhere in the world. And the streets of its modern green capital Kigali are clean, safe, and free of corruption.

The Asian Dragon is undergoing some of the fastest socio-economic changes any country in the world has seen. It is a major development success story with remarkable rates of economic growth since the start of massive political and economic reforms in 1986. But the lure of modern living has a deep impact on the traditional networks of family and community that continue to play a pivotal role in society.

Academics

This course enables students to develop and apply their theoretical and practical knowledge in a supervised internship experience. Qualified students are placed with a local host organization according to their level of study, existing skills, and desired fields. A specific internship plan is developed in advance of each placement.

Students benefit from a pre-placement orientation, a weekly classroom or field session with interdisciplinary training, and a weekly formal supervisory meeting – all from the comfort of your home.

After successful completion of this course, students will be able to:

Identify professional and personal values, strengths and interests
Develop an increased level of self-efficacy and competency in a specific career field
Navigate technology essential for remote working
Display professional communication through oral and written means in professional settings

The interdisciplinary training focuses on cultural intelligence (CQ), transformations towards sustainable development, storytelling, and career development with special emphasis on international careers and networking.

Students should have already acquired a theoretical foundation and preferably a practical skill set in their discipline. To be eligible to apply for this course, students can be enrolled in any major and minor. Enrollment is generally reserved for juniors, seniors and graduate students, or by consent of the faculty sponsor. Professionals are welcome to apply for participation without credits.

To join our virtual internship program, students need a computer with reliable internet connection, speakers, a microphone, and a camera. Our courses are designed to follow U.S. academic culture and standards. The U.S. grading scale of A to F is used. Participants will receive a variety of assignments. You will be evaluated according to your course participation and engagement, a weekly reflective journal or blog, and an internship report. To be eligible to obtain the academic credits (for undergrad students), you also need to submit an essay.

1 U.S. credit (~ 2 ETCS credits) per 50 hours is available for eligible undergrad students via our academic school of record, The College of New Jersey, under a Community Field Experience.

The language of instruction is English.

Year-round (4+ weeks)

2 months prior

US $985 (4 weeks)
US $95 per additional week

We value full transparency and no hidden costs. As a result, you won’t have any disappointing surprises when you arrive.

Included in your program fees are the internship placement, pre-internship advising, development of a personal internship plan and goals, project- or research-based internship work, virtual interdisciplinary training and cultural activities/immersion, facilitated group reflections sessions, final presentation / report / essay to synthesize the learning experience.

If you are an undergraduate student and want to seek academic credit, your college or university may charge additional fees or may require you to receive a transcript via GEI’s academic school of record, The College of New Jersey, which carries an additional fee of US $125 per credit.

Scholarships:
GEI offers a variety of merit scholarships, trailblazer scholarships, and opportunity scholarships and grants. You can find further information as well as additional resources for external funding opportunities in the following blog post: Scholarships & Grants.

INSTRUCTORS & COORDINATORS

Meet our core team

All of our instructors and coordinators are highly experienced and resourceful professionals.

We are officially incorporated in New York and headquartered in Berlin. Our GEI Regional Study Centers are located in Kigali (Rwanda), Nairobi (Kenya), Cape Town (South Africa), and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).We are officially incorporated in New York and headquartered in Berlin. Our GEI Regional Study Centers are located in Kigali (Rwanda), Nairobi (Kenya), Cape Town (South Africa), and Ho Chi Minh City (Vietnam).

Our study abroad programs generally focus exclusively on our GEI Regional Study Centers in Kenya, Rwanda, South Africa, and Vietnam. That said, institutional affiliate partners regularly request that we provide their faculty-led and custom programs also in neighboring countries. As such, we have the operational capacity and experience to provide programs across our three regions – in East Africa (Burundi, DR Congo, Ethiopia, Kenya, Rwanda, Tanzania, Uganda), Southern Africa (Botswana, eSwatini, Lesotho, Malawi, Mauritius, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Zambia, Zimbabwe), and Southeast Asia (Cambodia, Indonesia, Laos, Malaysia, Philippines, Singapore, Thailand, Vietnam).

We welcome applicants from all nationalities in our programs. If you seek academic credits or continuing education credits, please make sure that your home institution will accept the (typically U.S.) credits that we offer. More details about credits can be found on our program pages.

Yes, your application is only complete with the payment of a non-refundable deposit payment of US $300 that goes towards your total program fee.

Sure, if you’re still looking for answers, we’ll be happy to connect you with one of our alumni.

We have signed a School of Record agreement with The College of New Jersey (TCNJ). Undergraduate student participants of our courses are generally eligible for U.S. credits via TCNJ. You can find more information in the following blog post: Academic Credits.

Credits are not typically included in regular program fees. They typically cost an additional US $500 (4 credits), payable to us.

It can take up to 4 weeks for you or your home university to receive a transcript.

Yes. Our programs are generally inclusive. Students can be enrolled in any major or minor and can be at any level of study (both undergrad and grad).

Yes, the deposit counts toward your program balance and will hence be deducted from the final payment.

No. Your deposit is not refundable. However, should you not be able to join a program, deposits can be stored for one year and used for another GEI program after discussion with your GEI coordinator. Please contact us immediately if you need to cancel your participation.

Yes. GEI offers a variety of merit scholarships, trailblazer scholarships, and opportunity scholarships and grants. You can find further information as well as additional resources for external funding opportunities in the following blog post: Scholarships & Grants.

Don’t wait until the last minute to take care of this important point. Various options are possible (scholarships, fellowships, financial aid, grants or loans) and seeking multiple resources, including from friends and family, may be a very good idea.

Contact us for more information >

GLOBAL VIRTUAL INTERNSHIP

AT A GLANCE

PROGRAM LOCATION: RWANDA

PROGRAM LOCATION: VIETNAM

Meet our core team

Program timeline