Reviews
Real stories from real participants, parents and university partners who share their experiences as well as their advice. Learn more about the benefits Connect-123 interns and volunteers receive on our programs around the world!
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Karen Warsh
I had the opportunity to take an internship in Dublin, Ireland with the help of Connect-123. Connect-123 was supportive from the beginning. I applied as a senior going into a fifth year at the University of Arizona for a summer internship. I realized I needed more quality experience in my field of Event Management before graduation and stepping into the “real world”. Connect-123 helped me make that transition by showing me how fun the real world can actually be. They found three companies for me to consider and ultimately choose from. I’m sure that if I wasn’t satisfied with any of the three, Connect-123 would have continued the hunt for my perfect internship. Fortunately, my dream job was among the three and I ended up with a remarkable internship learning hands on how to plan some of Dublin’s largest and most well-known events. Connect-123 was with me the entire journey, always asking how I am doing, if I need anything, my thoughts and feedback, etc. They even walked me to work on my first day to make sure I wouldn’t get lost! Lifesavers! (I totally would have been lost for hours.) This summer was not only about the internship for me, but about Ireland. I made one of my best friends through Connect-123 and we got to travel the country together. We went to the Cliffs of Moher, Galway, Howth, Wicklow, Giants Causeway, Belfast, Aran Islands, Cork, and Doolin. I saw some of the most amazing views and met some of the most spectacular people. The music in a small-town pub makes you want to dance until you drop; I highly recommend popping in for a visit. Connect-123 also planned trips and events for us to do on weekends and some pub nights together during the weeks. They did a ton to make us all feel “at home”. Personally, I love travelling and love the things I learn and the people I meet while doing it. The lessons I have learned this summer have contributed to my life in immeasurable ways. I have Connect-123 to thank. THANK YOU CONNECT-123!
Kelly Truska
Being away for a month in another country seemed very daunting, at least to someone like me who has never travelled on her own without friends or family. If it were not for Connect-123, which took care of the really important basics, like introducing me to my tourism placement and transportation from the airport, my experience would have been very different. Although it feels like only yesterday I was boarding the plane from Chicago to Dublin, I know I have not returned to the US as the same person who left. The experience taught me invaluable lessons and I have grown in ways I would not have expected. Interning for a tourism company was wonderful. It was challenging enough, testing my character and skills, helping me better understand my strengths and weaknesses. The whole experience – working, travelling, and meeting new people – was absolutely incredible. It was so much more extraordinary than I ever would have imagined. Honestly, I had the best time of my life. Dublin was spectacular, Ireland was magical and I cannot wait to see what else there is to explore. Thank you, Connect-123, for giving me the opportunity to take my first “baby-step” out into the world. I will be forever grateful for your help and hospitality. Thank you, thank you, thank you!
Internships in Dublin
Imran Kidwai
After deciding that an international internship in consulting would make me more competitive in the global market and as a MBA applicant, I stumbled upon Connect-123. The unique characteristic I found about the program they offer was that they find you an internship catered directly to your career aspirations. Thus, I was absolutely ecstatic that Connect-123 was able to find me an internship aligned directly with my career goals. From the first day of my internship, I was involved with my company's client. I was assigned a project, and worked with their client every day to get the project completed according to their needs. The internship was challenging, inspiring, and incredible. The skills that I gained from the internship were unrivaled. The city of Barcelona is nothing short of amazing! It has a unique culture, the people are extremely friendly, and the beaches are gorgeous. The friends and memories I made in Barcelona are truly unforgettable. My internship and experience in Barcelona were life-changing and it was all made possible by Connect-123.
Internships in Barcelona
Tariq Rashid
I interned in Beijing for 2 months during the summer. Traveling to China, which was completely different from anything I have ever known, was quite the quantum leap for me! I was nervous at first with my undertaking...I wasn't sure whether or not I had made the right decision. Once I met my program coordinator and got acclimated to the city, though, those feelings subsided and I learned more than I ever could have possibly hoped for with my internship. Beijing is an ancient city with a rich history, and it was loads of fun exploring such a wonderful place! I had the chance to try many new and exotic flavors, take in many historical sites, meet many new people, and gain a greater appreciation for humanity. Connect-123 does not offer programs in Beijing, but since I wanted to be based there with other friends of mine, they were able to secure a placement for me in another city in China. My internship was more than I could have ever hoped for. I had two roles: first I worked with a foundation which had the goal of serving children in orphanages across China. This was a very rewarding role in that it brought me an appreciation for the role that the entire health care team has for taking care of a patient. I hope to come back to China soon and continue supporting this foundation by volunteering in orphanages they help. My second role was with the Department of Family Medicine at an international standard hospital where I helped them set up a diabetes registry for better tracking their patients. The health care experience was absolutely wonderful: it was one of the best experiences of my life, both personally and professionally. Thank you, Connect-123, for connecting me with this absolutely life-changing experience. It has helped me gain a greater appreciation for everything I hope to be someday.
Internships in Shanghai
Michelle Cunningham
From the moment Connect-123 called me, I knew I was going to go with them. The staff worked hard to find me an internship that would fit my preferences. I had 2 goals, to learn as much Spanish as possible and to intern in the field of neuropsychology. Oh, and a third goal to check the Iguazu Falls off my bucket list. Done!! On May 29th, I left home and flew to Buenos Aires. My advisor from Connect-123 met me at my apartment after I arrived and talked with me about the city, transportation, safety, gave me a phone and set me up with loads of important information to help ease the transition from home to Buenos Aires. One thing different about traveling to Buenos Aires this summer was that I was going alone. I left my job, my family, my cats, my dog and even my fiancé (we had just gotten engaged 2 months before!). This was something new. This was something I was doing specifically for myself. My internship was great! I interacted with patients and professionals in my field and was able to ask questions and work on my Spanish! The icing on the cake was when I met the psychiatrist at my organization who had been an intern in the United States with a neuropsychologist. Not only do I now have connections in Argentina, I also have a connection in Buffalo, NY too! Connect-123 was great too! They were available to give advice, help with any issues including providing information on where my visiting family could stay to what to do when I travelled. Although I was alone, I was comforted by the new people I met at my internship, the family I stayed with, and the people at Connect-123. For anyone thinking about going abroad, my advice is DO IT! These opportunities don’t come along every day and your life will be changed for the better if you can allow yourself to be changed by such an incredible experience!
Internships in Buenos Aires
Karla Trevino
After spending two months in Buenos Aires and with Connect-123, I am really happy with my time spent there. The city is full of life and there is always something new to do. Learning public transportation was a challenge of its own, but I am happy to say I mildly, have mastered it. The opportunity provided allowed me to work somewhere I loved, and to meet great new people. My Spanish has improved and I have also learned a lot about myself and the wonderful world we live in along the way!
Internships in Buenos Aires
Tricia Tongco
Staying in a building named “Perspectives” is ironic yet appropriate, since I’ve gained so much perspective during my two and half months in Cape Town. Connect-123 made my transition to a new country smooth, which allowed me to truly focus on this new, intense place. Instead of spending my first week frantically searching for accommodation, I could go on tours, try the delicious food and explore this vibrant city. As for my internship, I couldn’t have wished for a better experience. As a broadcast journalism student, I had an opportunity to start producing my host organization’s weekly segment on my own by my second week. They trusted my abilities and gave me big responsibilities from the beginning – which was exactly what I wanted! I had a chance to meet interesting people and visit places that even Capetonians have never been. My coworkers were incredibly warm, encouraging people and were always there for support. I learned so much from them and feel more confident in my own abilities than ever before.
Internships in Cape Town
Melisa Bak
I did my internship in a social organization that works as a link or network between civil society organizations in Argentina and international donors. My work has been diverse, since the number of volunteers and interns is high and there is a variety of tasks to be done. I have translated documents, created presentations and articles for the organization´s website. I have also reviewed reports on Argentina´s current situation (economy, society, environment, health), and worked with statistics and graphs for the Directory of partners of the organization. My experience has allowed me to meet and interact with people from Argentina and other countries. The people that work there have been very kind and attentive, and made me feel very comfortable.
Internships in Barcelona
Emily Woo
After working 5 years in the corporate environment, I knew that I wanted to find more meaning in my work. I found Connect-123 online and they connected me with a consulting company in Cape Town. This company focuses on bringing inclusive business models into the low-income environments. I found fulfillment in taking my previous work experience and applying it to real-life needs and problems. I fell in love with the City of Cape Town, it truly is beautiful and has so much to offer, with endless sunshine. The creativity of the City and my work propelled me to start a new venture making bags with single mothers from low-income areas and selling them to my friends at home. In Cape Town, I felt like I was able to pursue my passions unbound.
Internships in Cape Town
Cristine Richardson
Deciding to go to a foreign country knowing no one or even the culture in detail was difficult. But Connect-123 was there for my numerous questions, making me feel well acquainted in Shanghai, and providing ways for me to meet other people with whom to take on the city. I could not have imagined this program to be as helpful and thorough as it was. Thanks Connect-123!
Internships in Shanghai
Anna McCabe
I took part of an amazing internship opportunity in Dublin, Ireland all thanks to Connect-123. What I loved about Connect-123 is that they really put you and your future endeavors first. They help you find a placement that is in an area of interest for you and that will hopefully allow you to grow within your respective future career. For me that was Child Life/Play Therapy and I was placed in a children’s hospital. Connect-123 didn’t just find me a placement, they continued to make sure that this was a good fit for both me and the hospital, towards the end of my internship we met to go over how I felt my progress was going and how my internship supervisor felt about it. The closing interview with Connect-123 proved once again that they were there for my best interest. During this meeting we made additions to my resume, figured out a professional way to ask for a letter of recommendation, and went over mock interview questions. I constantly felt supported by Connect-123 during my stay in Dublin, if I had any problems they were a phone call away and they helped highlight key points of my internship to use for my resume and future interviews. As for being in Dublin, Ireland, not enough can be said. It was the experience of a lifetime and I fell in love not only with the city but with the whole country. Dublin is rich in opportunity, history, shopping, and culture. There are countless things that I have done all over Ireland not just Dublin; I went on a literary pub crawl, a hike up the Sugar Loaf Mountain, nature walks, the Titanic museum, beaches, The Cliffs of Moher, Dublin Writers Museum, Giants causeway, Galway, Guinness Brewery, the Ring of Kerry, I even kissed the Blarney Stone! The nightlife is amazing and the people are so kind and friendly. Dublin itself is very diverse with people from all over so you’re bound to make a wide variety of friends, it’s a cultural adventure of a lifetime!
Erin Miller
My time spent in Barcelona was nothing short of incredible, and this is largely due to the attentiveness and effort from Connect-123. I received round-the-clock advice and assitance during the application and placement process, and ended up with a fantastic internship that was professional, interesting and perfectly relevant to my field of study. I decided to pursue an international internship the summer after I graduated from my university and chose to go through Connect-123 due to their extensive program offerings. Gaining experience working in a foreign country was an invaluable addition to my professional career goals and has provided expansive amounts of knowledge and networking opportunities. Now that I have experience working abroad, I feel I definitely have a leg up in today's competetive job market. Barcelona is such a beautiful and exciting place and Connect-123 was available to provide heaps of information about the city; covering everything from housing suggestions to restaurant recommendations. My advice to those considering an internship in Spain would be to do it! It will without a doubt be an unforgettable experience!
Internships in Barcelona
Trevor Larson
Having the opportunity to live and work in Barcelona during the summer of 2012 has provided me with indispensible life skills as well as many lasting connections with people from all over the world. Connect-123 found me an internship almost immediately after signing up. I was very surprised seeing that my request to work with entrepreneurs in an Internet tech-based firm was very obscure. However, Connect-123 worked diligently finding me a handful of options right away. Needless to say, I got the opportunity to work with some really intelligent and hard-working entrepreneurs in a real-life environment. This opportunity gave me the experience I needed to go back home and be successful in my own business ventures as well as provided me with beneficial business contacts for me in Europe in the event that I ever want to work in the overseas market. My only piece of advice for someone who is debating whether or not to intern in Barcelona is to simply just do it. Connect-123 is very professional and makes the transition to a foreign country very enjoyable. Not only that, but Barcelona is an amazing city and you will undoubtedly find that you will not want to return home!
Internships in Barcelona
Saachi Sadchatheeswarm
After four years in undergrad I realised that not only was I not ready for graduate school, but that I also had very little experience for a career in science, despite a double major in Zoology/Human Biology. Luckily I happened upon an internship at home in Canada which gave me training in scientific publishing and literature research, but I still needed experience working with animals in some form. After some searching I found Connect-123’s website, and I decided to take the chance at an internship in Cape Town. From the very start the agency went above and beyond my expectations. They answered my tentative inquiry email promptly, and from there everything went very fast. They not only found me an internship outside of their usual placements, but helped me find a place to stay at Stellenbosch University for two months, and even placated my mother when she became nervous about me going to and staying in South Africa all by myself. During this internship, I not only gained a wide set of skills needed to become a real researcher of marine biology (a childhood dream), but also got to experience campus living for the first time, I learned how to cook rice properly from a mycology professor and quiche from my ecology supervisor, and indulged in the best pasteries ever whenever I wanted. The end result of my internship, which I worked hard and happy at, was a successful chance at continuing it as a Masters of Science project at the University of Cape Town come this September (2012). In addition, I received the references necessary for a summer post as Assistant to the Curator of Amphibians & Reptiles and Curator of Mammals at the Toronto Zoo in Canada. Connect-123 provided me with a very rare chance to intern with lovely people within my chosen profession, and realise that it would actually be possible to be a Marine Biologist. Although the people at Connect-123 had to make special arrangements for me for nearly all aspects of my 2 months in Cape Town, they did so without fuss and made me feel incredibly welcome and safe. They were with me every step of the way, checked on my progress often, and took a real vested interest in how and what I was doing. I highly recommend this program to all hard-working (yes, I even worked on weekends and loved it) young folk that want to realise the possibilities offered in other countries. Stellenbosch was a jewel of a place to study and research and I felt properly apart of an academic community. The surroundings were beautiful and the people were always cheerful and polite. I really can’t wait to be back in South Africa, this time for 2 or more years.
Internships in Cape Town
Vanessa Cox
My time in Buenos Aires has been an experience I'll never forget. During the two months of living here, I have learned a great deal about myself, the culture, and skills pertaining to my profession–Graphic Design. Before this trip, I had never lived in a big city; I discovered not only could I survive by myself, but also how much I love city life. The first few weeks were a little challenging being over 4000 miles from home, but I soon found a lovely church that made me feel at home. Transportation was easier to use than other countries I’ve visited, and strangers were kind and helpful during times of uncertainty. Upon arriving, the language was hard to understand due to the accent. Though I still have difficulty, I can understand more now, and have picked up the porteño “sh” sound. I am very happy with everything Connect-123 has done during my stay in Buenos Aires. They found me a wonderful internship with a web development company that helps non-profits thrive via the Internet. Everyone with whom I worked was wonderful, friendly, and willing to help when I needed it. My Connect-123 representitives were also very helpful and responded quickly to any and all concerns/problems/questions I had. They also found me a lovely porteña to live with in her apartment, which was safe, clean, and where my privacy was respected. I am very pleased with the job Connect-123 did, and highly recommend their services!
Internships in Barcelona
Sarah Lucey
My time in Cape Town was life changing. I had a lot of wonderful experiences around the city and the beautiful country of South Africa. In my free time I went skydiving, surfing, wine tasting, hiking and so much more. My most rewarding of activities however was my internship at a human rights organisation, working in the Education Programme. I worked with a really great team of social workers, programme officers and other interns who work hard to advocate for the rights of and raise the standard of living of the refugees and asylum seekers that came in for our assistance. Under the supportive supervision of the staff at the centre, I learned how to assess our clients for vulnerability to assist with school fees, uniforms and stationary for their children. I also implemented a new advocacy program, called Peace Through Play for primary schools as an integrative way to teach respect and love for different cultures. I recognized a lack of actual programs with the children, and suggested this one for grade 3 learners in schools we knew to have a mix of local and refugee students. The program was well received by the students, the schools and the organisation, and I am proud to hear it is still thriving after I left my placement there. The work wasn't always easy, but the successes we witnessed were amazing to see and learn from. The shear strength that our clients possess to have managed escaping war ridden countries, and living in families torn apart in a new home who's people don't fully accept them is the most admirable thing I have ever seen. I will never forget and always be grateful for this opportunity!
Internships in Cape Town
Jenny Reader
I recently spent two months on a volunteering program in South Africa, organised by Connect-123. I can honestly say it was an amazing, once in a lifetime experience which I would recommend to anyone! I spent my time there working in a Primary School and with a Foster family. I learnt so much from this experience, so much of which I was able to take back home with me and I am sure will stay with me for a very long time. It was great to have Connect-123 to organise my accommodation which was in a great location, right in the middle of Cape Town and so easily accessible to shops, the train station, nightlife, local markets and my workplace. They also organised my placements for me which matched closely to the type of work I said I wanted to experience during my time in Cape Town. Connect-123 also organised some great day trips which gave me the chance to visit some of the amazing ‘must see’ sites of Cape Town whilst socialising with others on the Connect-123 Internship program.
Volunteer in Cape Town
Megan Petrous
Coming to South Africa to intern for three months was one of the best decisions I’ve ever made. Not only was I able to explore the beautiful city of Cape Town, but also got to meet wonderful friends, make great memories, and gain valuable work experience. As a marketing intern for an environmentally focused social enterprise, I was part of several unique projects that allowed me to explore different career fields and gain a better understanding of my interests and strengths. I was entrusted to take on challenging tasks that helped me develop the skills that I will need as I continue in my career. Overall, I was grateful with the amount of responsibility that I was given, as I felt I was able to truly make a difference, while learning new things daily. None of this would have been possible without the help of Connect-123. Living in a foreign country can be challenging and overwhelming. Having the Connect-123 team to handle all of the legwork that comes with finding an internship, arranging housing, etc., allowed me to focus on making the most out of my time in Cape Town. Furthermore, it was great to have Connect-123 as a resource to answer any questions or concerns that I had. I couldn’t have asked for a better experience in South Africa and I highly encourage everyone to participate in the wonderful program that Connect-123 has to offer.
Internships in Cape Town
Rana El Naggar
I grew up in the Middle East, and finished my Undergraduate degree in Business Administration, in Dubai. I decided to change my career path to International Relations, and now planning to study a postgraduate degree in the UK. I decided to intern in an NGO in a different country to learn a new language, and I chose Barcelona. Spain is among the most important countries in Europe with international development entities. Connect-123 gave me a great placement in which I was able to expand my knowledge and skills in the field in a very friendly environment. I chose to find an internship with Connect-123 because of the variety of services they provide throughout the duration of the internship. Connect-123 helped in finding the appropriate internship, list of housing options and language courses that were tailored to fit my needs. I got a discount in almost all services provided through Connect-123. Most importantly for me, living alone in a foreign country was a difficult decision. Knowing I had someone to contact was very comforting! I would advise graduates in any field of work to intern in Barcelona. It is a beautiful city, lovely weather, and very student- friendly. It is great to be able to learn a new language, meet new people as well as get a head start on your career!
Internships in Barcelona
Justin Parsons
Connect-123 helped create a really incredible experience for me in Shanghai. They were very professional in their correspondence, from the initial interview to providing me with a good variety of internship and housing options. My internship itself was excellent and provided me with an experience that will be essential when I graduate and enter the job market. Connect-123 provided me with excellent options that I felt privileged to choose from. Shanghai is an incredible city and full of contrasts and energy. I had a great time there and met a lot of fascinating people. Despite speaking only a few words of Chinese, I’ve had some great opportunities to see different parts of the city through my internship. In Shanghai, Connect-123 continued to support me and I enjoyed the weekly dinners with other interns and international students. This has been a truly eye-opening experience for me, and I would certainly recommend Connect-123’s services to anyone seeking support in setting up an international internship.
Internships in Shanghai
