Why and How to Get an Internship in Colombia

Colombia provides fantastic conditions and opportunities for students looking for internships or volunteer in South America as the country is still relatively unknown to foreigners while the need for high-quality interns is higher than ever.

As many people that do not know much about Colombia, we came to Medellin, the country’s second largest city, with some negative presumptions in mind.

However, we were pleasantly surprised to feel at ease straightaway, feeling very safe and immediately fell in love with Medellin and its 3.5 million people.

One of the aspects that blew our mind is the blooming business culture in the city.

The entrepreneurship spirit is strongly developed. For example, Culture E, a program funded by Medellin city government, sponsored the creation of 1,843 new enterprises with 3,025 new employments between 2008 and 2010 alone.

This internationalization and dynamism of both Colombia and Medellin attract many foreign companies which can rely on Colombia’s attractive foreign investment policies, a strong GDP growth (a 4.6% annual GDP projected growth in the next five years according to the Economist), Colombia’s improved security (Bogota has a lower murder rate than Washington DC) and increase in tourism.

However, while the country’s need for English speakers is growing, Colombia’s workforce does not have an adequate level of English. This provides amazing opportunities for international students and/or graduates who will have access to an unique professional experience abroad. Students will also learn or improve their Spanish skills in a country which has the clearest Spanish of South America.

Additionally, local companies highly value foreign student’s education levels.

Moreover, Colombia, unlike some other South American countries, has not attracted many interns or volunteers because of its past violent while the need for foreigners to contribute in the country’s fast development is bigger than ever.

This exceptional vacuum secures great opportunities that can be offered to volunteers and interns nowadays. US influence is big in Colombia and many companies In Colombia have US based clients. They are very interested in having American students doing paid summer internships in Colombia.

An experience in Colombia is unique and extremely valuable. It shows the adventurous spirit and adaptability of the student.

International students and/or graduates will also have the opportunity to visit a country with the second most important biodiversity of the world : pristine beaches (i.e Tayrona Park with beautiful beaches close to 19,000 feet mountains), 3 ranges of mountains, the Caribbean sea,the Atlantic and Pacific ocean, the coffee region,…

All these factors convinced us to launch Internships Colombia an interactive platform between companies located in Colombia and foreign students looking for an exciting adventure abroad.