Top 10 Fully-Funded Internships to Travel Abroad for Free

As competition for graduate jobs increases, experience is becoming a crucial factor for employers when deciding who gets a job. There are a number of internship opportunities for graduate students to travel abroad for free in order to gain relevant experience.

Young professionals who have relevant work experience tend to be more valued by employers, and this makes internships an attractive prospect. However, getting an internship opening abroad can be difficult unless it is fully-funded or paid internship.

Getting an abroad internship is one of the best investments you can make in yourself as a young professional. It helps your resume stand out, builds concrete cross-cultural skills, and gives you direct experience in a region of the world that interests you, helping you further develop an area of expertise in the global job marketplace.

Although, like any investment, an international internship can be costly. Several internship providers charge thousands of dollars for short-term placements, not including airfare and the cost of food and housing once you arrive. There are ways, however, to get the experience without getting to pay for it.

What Is An Internship?

An internship is a period of work experience offered by an employer to give students and graduates exposure to the working environment, often within a specific industry, which relates to their field of study.

An internship should give you practical skills, workplace experience and greater knowledge of that industry, in exchange for the employer benefiting from your labour.

An internship can be either paid or voluntary. The trend is increasingly (and rightly) towards the former, as voluntary internships are often cited as exploitative. However, there some internships where the interns are paid to undergo training.

Top 10 Fully-Funded Internships to Travel Abroad for Free

Having understood the importance of internship to students and young professionals, we’ll be sharing the top 10 fully-funded internship opportunities to travel abroad for free.

1. Government of Japan Internships

Every year, more than 100 internship slots are opened by the Japan Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry. With this internship, you will receive 4,000 yen daily for living expenses throughout your internship. You will also receive round-trip air ticket, Internship insurance, Transportation and accommodation expenses including training program fees when participating in the training.

2. World Bank Paid Internship

The World Bank Group, in its effort to provide graduate students practical experience in global development, offers World Bank paid internship for Young Graduates. The Bank Group pays an hourly salary to all interns and, if needed, provides an allowance towards travel expenses.

2. Government of Italy Invest Your Talent Scholarship

The Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation funds program where international students can undertake a Laurea Magistrale or Master degree followed by a mandatory 9-month internship at selected Italian companies.

4. International Monetary Fund (IMF) Internship Program for International Students

The internship provides an opportunity for postgraduate students to gain an insider experience of the integrated, member country focused, mandate and work of the IMF. Internships are offered to about 50 masters and PhD students each year. IMF interns receive a competitive salary, Round-trip air travel and limited medical insurance coverage.

5. African Development Bank Internship

African Development Bank offers several internship spots to current masters students from its member African countries. As an intern of the AfDB, you will be provided with a monthly stipend but you do have to cover other expenses by yourself.

6. European Commission Traineeship

The EU has a 5-month traineeship where university students from all over the world get to work at executive bodies and agencies of the European Institutions. In this internship, a per month living allowance will be offered in addition to visa and medical allowances.

7. IBM Great Minds Student Internships

The Great Minds internship by IBM is a competition for internships of 3 to 6 months at one of IBM’s Research Labs in Zurich, Nairobi, or Johannesburg for students from Europe, the Middle East and Africa.

8. Google Business Internship

The Google Business Internship is open twice in a year; the Google Winter internship and the Google Spring internship.  This 6-month internship by Google is offered to undergraduate or masters students in their penultimate year. As an intern, you’ll have the opportunity to work on projects central to Google’s business, whether it is Sales, Google for Work, Finance, People Operations (HR), Legal, Trust and Safety, or Marketing. It is a paid internship programme.

9. Employment-Based Scholarship Programme for International Students

This internship offered by the Irish council is to postgraduate students who want to be employed while undertaking research in a qualified higher institution. So if you want to pursue your master’s degree, Masters by research or PhD in Ireland, then go for this scholarship which comes with an internship program.

10. Open Society Internship

If you are a master’s student interested in public policy and open society, apply for this internship. The internship will involve a clinical seminar fully paid for at the School of Public Policy at Central European University Budapest, followed by an 8- to a 12-week internship at an outstanding nongovernmental organization. The internship also includes a stipend covering daily expenses, visa costs, accommodation, travel insurance and relocation fund.

11. World Health Organization (WHO) Internship

The World Health Organization (WHO) as the leader in global public health issues is committed to building future leaders in public health. Participants include both students and young professionals from different cultural, academic, as well as geographic backgrounds with a common interest: a motivation to pursue a career in supporting public health.