• Community Field Experience

    Global Custom Internship

    A 4-credit multidisciplinary internship in Vietnam

AT A GLANCE

Start dates: Custom dates, year-round

Duration: 4 weeks or longer

Credit: 4 US credits (~ 8 ECTS credits) for eligible university students

Eligibility: Undergrad/grad – any field and level of study

Program fees: US $2,870 (4 weeks) + US $480 per extra week

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Course overview

Do you seek a global internship that offers a lot more than just a meaningful 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 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. This includes medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, allied health, oral health, mental health, veterinary medicine, business, social innovation, global studies, communications & media, law, development, education, sustainability, engineering, or natural resource management. Custom placements are available year-round, with flexible durations (minimum 4 weeks).

 

Highlights:

  • Combine a highly relevant global experience with the development of core competencies as a change leader.
  • Work with Vietnamese colleagues and develop your intercultural communication skills, confidence, and adaptability.
  • Gain new insight through a unique Asian perspective on sustainable development and change leadership.
  • Explore the transformations towards sustainable development of a leading Asian success story.
  • Broaden your personal and professional network, and build lasting international friendships.

  • Program locations

    Vietnam

Program locations

 

Vietnam

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 program 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 in one of various fields, including, among others, medicine, nursing, pharmacy, public health, allied health, oral health, mental health, veterinary medicine, business, social innovation, global studies, communications & media, law, development, education, sustainability, engineering, or natural resource management.
 
Students are matched with host organizations 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.
 
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
  • Engage in professional workplace expectations, including organizational culture, time management, appropriate dress and professional relationship boundaries
  • 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.

 

Further details:


Eligibility
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.

Course requirements & student evaluation
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.

Credits
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.

Language of instruction
The language of instruction is English.

Dates, fees, and scholarships

 

Program Application due Start date End date Fees
Year-round 2 months prior Custom Custom US $2,870 (4 weeks)
+ US $480 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 placement and supervision at a host organization, a pre-placement orientation, a weekly interdisciplinary training session, a weekly meeting with the internship supervisor, accommodation (either in a host family with breakfast and up to 5 dinners per week or at a local guesthouse with breakfast), a personal meet & greet at the airport and transfer to the host family or guesthouse, and 24/7 emergency support by GEI staff.
 
It is important that you take note of what is explicitly not included in the program fees. This helps you budget. Not included are the transportation to/from the program location airport (including international airfare and taxes), visas, immunizations, meals and local transportation other than what’s included in your accommodation, excursions that you may want to do in your own time during weekends, general items and services of a personal nature, medical expenses not covered by the insurance provided, and other discretionary expenses. Also not included are potential expenses relating to any Covid-19-related measures, including testing, quarantine, or isolation requirements. Should such requirements exist, we will gladly provide on-site assistance, but you will have to cover all related expenses.
 
In addition, if you are an undergraduate student and want to seek academic credit, your college or university may charge additional fees for study abroad, 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.

Our program staff

Our in-country program staff consists of experienced local education, sustainability, and program operations experts.

 

Thuy Phan, MA
Regional Director, Southeast Asia

Amy Lin, MA
Operations, Vietnam

FAQs

 

General

Where are you located?
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).
Where do you operate programs?
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).

 

Application & credits

Do I have to be a U.S. citizen to join your programs?
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.
Is a deposit required to apply?
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.
Is my deposit refundable?
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.
Before I apply, is it possible to contact an alumnus?
Sure, if you’re still looking for answers, we’ll be happy to connect you with one of our alumni.
What kind of credits do you offer?
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.
How much do credits cost?
Credits are not typically included in regular program fees. They typically cost an additional US $500 (4 credits), payable to us.
How long will it take to receive my transcript?
It can take up to 4 weeks for you or your home university to receive a transcript.

 

Healthy & safety

Do you have a COVID-19 vaccination policy?
Yes. At GEI, we value the health and safety of all members of our worldwide community as paramount. This not only includes program participants, but also staff, instructors, host community partners, and logistics, activity, and excursion partners. We find that it is vital that we try to minimize the risk of spreading COVID-19 and its variants between and within the communities in which we live and work. It goes without saying that we have strong prevention measures in place. But vaccination is an important additional element of our health and safety strategy in order to significantly increase protection for all members of the GEI community. As a result, we have made it a requirement for all members of our worldwide community who have access to an approved vaccine – especially including all program participants – to be fully vaccinated no later than January 1, 2022. To report your vaccination status, you must provide us a copy of your COVID-19 Vaccination Record Card, or other acceptable form of proof, by uploading it to your GEI account before the start of your program. If you are receiving a two-dose vaccine (e.g., Pfizer, Moderna, or AstraZeneca), the card or form of written proof should indicate that you have received both doses. We will only accept exemption or accommodation from the vaccination requirement upon request for documented medical or deeply held religious reasons, or for any reasons protected by your home country’s law. In such a case, please contact us so that we can provide you with a COVID-19 Vaccination Exemption Request Form that you need to complete. We shall review your request for exemption or accommodation, taking into consideration the particulars of the spread of the disease and the conditions of vaccination status of the host location. In any case, we may not be able to accommodate such requests, especially if country laws, policies, and public health regulations supersede our own GEI requirements.
How do you monitor safety and security at your program locations?
The continuous monitoring of safety and security at our program locations has been an intimate part of our daily work since the very beginning of our operations. All of our decisions are made after careful consideration of every resource at our fingertips – our GEI Regional Study Center staff, our diverse in-country institutional partners, contacts in the field, relevant local government and police sources, local diplomatic missions and a variety of news sources. Our program managers subscribe to various countries’ travel warnings and advisories, including those of the U.S. State Department. Resident managers make every reasonable effort to stay informed, and they disseminate updates to GEI staff and program participants about any changes that have implications on local safety, security and health risks. And, when necessary, we take immediate action, including program relocation or evacuation.
What does your response to crises look like?
Over the years of operating in Africa and Asia, we have unfortunately been forced to occasionally deal with diverse crises, ranging from civil unrest, terrorist attacks, politically motivated violence or street crimes to car accidents, public health and medical emergencies and natural disasters. As terrible and sad as every single one of these events has been, they have strengthened our ability to foresee and prevent many potential problems, and to respond swiftly and decisively to any crisis that really hits us. They have also helped us to develop the networks and relationships to those institutions and individuals who can make the difference in the event of an emergency.
Will you provide health insurance?
Yes. Participants of our study abroad programs receive a comprehensive health insurance that includes evacuation coverage. This is part of the program fees and arranged by GEI.

 

Trip arrangements

Do you help with flights?
No. We are not a travel agent and only provide in-country services. Our partners and clients regularly recommend StudentUniverse for affordable international options.
Can I arrive earlier or depart later?
No problem to arrive earlier or depart later. But you will be responsible for covering the added costs. If desirable, please contact us with your travel plans. If we’re able to assist with housing, transportation services, and excursions, we’ll gladly do so. Late arrivals are not permitted, unless previously discussed with GEI.
What are the living arrangements?
Depending on the program and the program location, we offer different types of accommodation: hotels, guest houses, serviced apartments or homestays. As a general rule, study abroad programs utilize trusted guesthouses in gateway cities and trusted guesthouses, serviced apartments, or homestays in host communities. The latter are particularly applicable to interns. You can find additional information in the following blog post: Accommodation – What to expect.
Do I need a power converter?
Most of the modern electronic devices no longer need power converters. Please check if all your devices can cover the current between 110–230 Volt.
Is there Wi-Fi available?
In gateway cities, we typically select hotels and guesthouses where Wi-Fi is relatively reliable, as long as you take into account that you’ll be staying in a developing country where internet speed can be slow and patchy. Homestay host families don’t always have an internet connection readily available. In such a case, we offer mobile hotspots that you can rent at an additional fee. At the host communities, we’ll make every effort to also provide internet access, even though speed and reliability are likely to be significantly poorer.
Can you accommodate my dietary restrictions?
In the great majority of cases Yes! A lot of the participants we host have dietary restrictions or food allergies. Please make sure to let us know in advance – on your application form – precisely what restriction of allergy you have. We will then try our very best to accommodate for your needs, whether at a hotel or guesthouse or with a host family or serviced apartment.

 

Finances

Once my deposit is received, does that mean that I'm accepted into the program?
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).
Does my deposit go towards the full price of the program?
Yes, the deposit counts toward your program balance and will hence be deducted from the final payment.
Is my deposit refundable?
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.
Does GEI offer scholarships?
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.
How can I finance my experience abroad?
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.