Global Learning without Travel Virtual Internship Opportunities

Overview

Still hoping to complement your degree program with some international work experience? You still can, without having to leave your home!

The Education Abroad office is working with our international partners to offer virtual global work experience opportunities. These opportunities are available for both undergraduate and graduate students. Virtual internships offer students a chance to get first-hand work experience in their field on a global scale, all from their own chosen location. Benefits include:

Flexibility to work and study simultaneously
Virtual experience working in different countries, organizations and economies
Minimal cost to the intern
Opportunity to make an important professional global connection

"Overall I had a positive experience. As someone who participated in the program in-person in summer 2019, I think the quality of my internship was essentially the same. I would happily participate in the program again, virtual or in-person. Dr. Daniel Holder, the organizer of the program, did a very good job of converting the program into a virtual format despite the short time frame they had to work with."

- Jenny Le, RWTH Aachen UROP Virtual Intern

Please see below for a list of current partners offering online global work opportunities:

The Washington Center

Aga Khan University Virtual Internship Programme

The Aga Khan University is a long-time partner of the University of Alberta and one of the few that offer experiences from campuses in countries across the Middle East and Africa. Its focus is on developing students through the discovery and dissemination of knowledge as well as the application of service.

AKU is offering their virtual internship program only to a select group of international partners including UAlberta, UToronto, UBC, Waterloo and Western (in Canada), Brown and UWashington (in the US), and NOVA Lisbon (in Portugal). We invite you to join other interns from this select group of institutions as you contribute knowledge and build skills while working online.

Application Deadline:

See here for more information.

Aga Khan Virtual Internship Program

RWTH Aachen Virtual Internships

RWTH Aachen is one of the leading European universities in natural sciences and engineering. With over 40,000 students, 126 programs of study and 260 research institutes, it is also the largest university of technology and natural sciences in Germany. Focusing on interdisciplinary collaboration, RWTH Aachen is proving to be a hotspot where innovative solutions to global challenges are developed.

UAlberta has had great success placing students in internships at RWTH Aachen (both traditional and virtual). While we are still facing travel restrictions, we invite you to explore virtual opportunities that will provide invaluable experience both personally and professionally. Admissions will be done on a rolling basis, so please contact the International Internships Coordinator for more information.

Application deadline: Summer 2023 - this program will be in-person unless travel restrictions are imposed.

UROP - Information for Students

OWL Consortium of Universities

Home to approximately 120,000 companies, the Ostwestfalen-Lippe (OWL) in northwestern Germany is a region with an industrial focus that connects business and science. The collaboration of these companies with the local universities makes OWL an important location for study and research that attracts more than 65,000 students each year.

The OWL consortium consists of Bielefeld University, Paderborn University, the Bielefeld University of Applied Sciences and the OWL University of Applied Sciences and Arts. Like Leeds, OWL is also developing online internship opportunities which should be available starting in the Winter term. Admissions will be done on a rolling basis so please contact the International Internships Coordinator for more information.

OWL Consortium Information

Leeds Summer Program

Global Career Center Internship

The Global Career Center (GCC) partners with educational institutions around the world, host organizations from a wide range of industries, and learners of all ages to connect employability and education through collaborative program development, comprehensive services delivery, and curated experiential education.

Application deadline: 2023 applications are open!

Global Career Center

When Can I Go?

Terms Offered: Winter, Fall, Summer
Duration: 2 months - 8 months

Eligibility Requirements

Open to: All Faculties (including students completing the Certificate in International Learning)
Level: Undergraduate, Graduate, Graduated
Language: English is required. In some cases, it would be to the applicant's advantage to have some ability in the language of the host country, but this is not required.

See Eligibility.

Application Process

Step 1 - Applicant emails unofficial transcript, resume and a brief letter of intent to trevor.buckle@ualberta.ca indicating which program you are interested in.
Step 2 - Trevor will screen for basic eligibility and forward documents to partner contact.
Step 3 - Partner contact will review documents and may invite the applicant to Skype or phone conversation to establish expectations (both for the applicant and the supervisor).
Step 4 - If approved, the applicant will be asked to complete the Virtual Internship application in the Horizons portal and pay program fees.
Step 5 - Virtual Intern and supervisor will complete an Internship Work Plan.