FAQs

Companies, governmental agencies, non-profit organizations and universities are all potential hosts.

Undergraduate students from all disciplines on the UW-Madison campus. We promote opportunities based on the organizations’ needs.

Organizations are able to specify language requirements for positions, if needed. The University of Wisconsin-Madison is an international leader in foreign language education and research, offering instruction in over 80 modern and ancient languages. English-only positions are also very popular, if there is an appropriate setting, sufficient work, and an English-speaking supervisor for students with limited language skills.

It varies. Most are in summer (between June-August) when we have most demand. We also have internships that are semester-long (Fall is between September-December, Spring between January-May) and combination of semester and summer is also possible (e.g. June to December). Generally the most popular duration for North American summer are 6-12 weeks, and 10-15 weeks for semester-long internships. However we will allow anything over 4 weeks and about 100 hours of time with the organization.

Yes! We have virtual internships with organizations located outside the United States. These are primarily focused during the semester (fall or spring) when fewer students travel abroad for internships. We are happy to discuss virtual internship ideas with hosts.

Paid or unpaid internships are possible based on the local laws or organizational capacity; but providing any support such as housing, local transportation, and/or a stipend can make a big difference in number of applicants. Remuneration can come in the form of a scholarship through the UW Foundation distributed by our office if there are complications directly compensating the student locally.

For internships we cultivate, all students enroll in a 3-credit online course to reflect on the internship experience and increase intercultural communication knowledge and skills. Therefore, access to the internet and some time for the course are necessary, though not necessary to provide during the work day. Supervisors are expected to fill out an evaluation at the end of the internship. Virtual interns have options for credit, but it is not required.

Summer and Fall internships need to be posted by mid-January at the latest to allow time to promote to students, review applications, select candidates, and determine logistics before summer. Spring positions should be posted no later than beginning of September. We have slightly different timelines for virtual internship positions.

A clear and specific position description should be created to outline the project(s) or work the student will be expected to complete, and the skills/qualifications the organization is looking for. Having a clear position description up front will help us find the best candidate pool from which the organization can select. We have an International Employer Interest Survey to get an initial idea and then follow up with more questions as we finalize the posting and all details.

Intern Abroad staff promote the internship opportunity and collect applications, but the organization makes the selection to ensure best fit for the position. Interviews via videoconference or phone are encouraged and can be facilitated by Intern Abroad advisors.

We need a responsive point person on the organization side to review candidates and work with our office and the selected intern on details. This person may or may not be the intern supervisor. There does need to be a supervisor who is interested in working with the student and will help her/him meet the stated internship goals and an emergency contact on site.

Yes! If you have an existing program that does not have any fees to students we are happy to review to see if it fits with our internships we help promote alongside those we directly cultivate and facilitate. We are always happy to hear of new opportunities and help connect UW-Madison students. We can also help support the process with the organization or student to help make it a success. Please send information about your internships to iip@international.wisc.edu

You can review our Internship Host Handbook which details the internship development through hosting process, and reach out to one of our team members at any time to talk more about your ideas and questions!