Internships

Through CEDEI's Internship Program, university students and professional adults have the opportunity to gain valuable language and work experience related to their field of study. Participants work as volunteers for community-based organizations in and around the city of Cuenca, Ecuador. Past internships have been arranged in a variety of fields; a sample of these is listed below. Internships in other fields of interest that are not listed here may also be possible to arrange.

Program Requirements:

The Internship Program serves as an introduction to a professional work environment in a Latin American organization. Although internships need not follow traditional academic calendars, a minimum of seven weeks is required in order for the intern to become more fully involved in their work assignment. The intern is required to work 30-40 hours a week in the organization in order to successfully complete the program. Participants must have at least junior standing in university and have an advanced proficiency in the Spanish language (eg, a minimum of three years of Spanish at the university level). In addition, participants should have an academic background related to the internship field they select.

Academic Credit:

Participants in a regular 10-16 week internship will enroll concurrently in ISL390 Internship: Placement and ISL391 Internship: Analysis for a total of 8 credits. Participants in a 7-9 week micro-internship will enroll concurrently in ISL380 Micro-Internship: Placement and ISL381 Micro-Internship: Analysis for a total of 4 credits. It is the responsibility of the student to determine whether or not CEDEI credits can be transferred to the home university; however, CEDEI is available to assist with this process.

Internship Areas:

Cuenca offers a number of interesting possibilities for student internships. These include, but are not necessarily limited to anthropology, social and economic development, journalism, urban and regional planning. Please consult with a CEDEI program coordinator for more information.