Learning beyond the classroom
International internship, research, and volunteer opportunities for NAU students
NOTE: Any current NAU student must register for their internship, research, and volunteer program for academic credit or for non-credit with the Center for International Education. This does not apply to NAU alumni. To register, make an appointment with the Education Abroad Advisor of the region you are interested in to discuss your goals and explore which international GRIP opportunity might be right for you!
DISCLAIMER: The NAU Education Abroad office maintains this web site as a service to NAU students for their international fieldwork seeking efforts. Registering a fieldwork experience with the Education Abroad office for both credit and non-credit experiences does not indicate an endorsement or recommendation from NAU or the NAU Center for International Education (“NAU”). It is the applicant’s sole responsibility to ensure that any fieldwork opportunity found with an organization listed on the Education Abroad website or anywhere else meets the applicant’s personal standards of safety, integrity, and quality as well as the user’s academic and professional goals. For more information on how to evaluate fieldwork opportunities, please contact the Education Abroad advisor. NAU provides third party links only in good faith and as a resource to support the career and professional development of students and alumni. NAU is not responsible for the contents of any linked web site, and the accuracy of such web sites is not guaranteed by NAU. By using the NAU web site, the user agrees that NAU has assumed no liability for acts or omissions by third parties or for material supplied by third parties, and the user further agrees to waive any and all claims against NAU based upon the actions of those third parties or based upon NAU maintaining this web site.
ABOUT GRIP
The Global Research & Internship Program (GRIP) is an NAU program that assists NAU students to search and secure international internship, research and volunteer opportunities that meet their academic and career goals. GRIP helps to connect students to opportunities abroad that meet their academic and professional goals as well as guidance to find possible funding sources to offset the cost.
Did you know that while 10% of university students study abroad, only 1% of university students complete an international internship or fieldwork experience? Take your resume to the next level, try out an international career, and see your discipline from a new perspective!
FIELDWORK ABROAD START GUIDE
If you are interested in interning, researching, teaching, or volunteering abroad, start with the Fieldwork Abroad Start Guide. Most students find internships three different ways: independently sourced (“do-it-yourself”), a competitive opportunity, or through an internship provider program.
NAU CAREER DEVELOPMENT
Be sure to check out all the resources from NAU Career Development! They have a lot of helpful resources for every step in your career journey, from your very first year at NAU to your study abroad experience to how to incorporate your international experience into your resume and future job interviews!
- Search for job/internship postings on Handshake and GoinGlobal, both here in the U.S. and abroad (and even NAU on-campus jobs!)
- Schedule a career advising appointment for career exploration, resume/cover letter, internship and job search strategies, and mock interviews
- Attend a workshop or event to hone your job search skills and learn more about potential employers out there
- Check out the Career Progression Plan to see how you can start developing your career during your whole time at NAU
- Take online lessons in the Career Steps online program to learn important and practical job information at your own pace
Career Development is located in the University Union Room 105 (Building 30B).
ACADEMIC CREDIT
You may be able to take care of a graduation requirement with your fieldwork! You can fulfill major, minor, Liberal Studies, Diversity, or general elective credits through your internship (pre-approval is required). Credits students typically receive include: Research (485/685); Independent Study (497/697) or Fieldwork Experience/ Internship (408/608) but other courses can also be approved.
If you do not need any academic credit, you can also do have a non-credit experience but you still must register with the Education Abroad office. Getting academic credit does open up scholarship opportunities! Non-credit options are usually not scholarship eligible.
GRIP students gain credit in the following ways:
Enroll in credit through your academic department: Students should speak to their academic advisor about obtaining credit directly from their department for a fieldwork experience abroad. Your department will determine which credit is appropriate and how it will count toward your graduation requirements. A faculty member in your department will supervise and grade your credits.
Enroll in credit through the sponsoring organization and transfer it to NAU: Some opportunities offer academic credit as part of the program fees. You will still need to gain pre-approval through your academic department to transfer these credits and have them count toward your graduation requirements. Pricing for these units may be more or less than NAU tuition depending on the organization, the term you decide to go abroad, and what NAU scholarships or tuition waiver you might have.
Financial Aid
NAU Hooper Undergraduate Research Award
The intent of the Hooper Undergraduate Research Award (HURA) is to encourage greater participation of undergraduate students from all disciplines in research, scholarly, and creative activities supervised by a faculty mentor. If you would like to submit a research proposal abroad, be sure to let your Education Abroad Advisor know you are applying for the HURA!
RECENT GRIP EXPERIENCES:
Carmen Robles Barron
Fully-funded biomedical nanotechnology training program: BioNanoIngeniería | NAU Sponsored Program
Hermosillo, Mexico
Biomedical Science Major, Spanish Minor
Carmen trained at the Núcleo de Investigación Científica y Desarrollo Tecnológico (NICDET) laboratories during the summer of 2018. She worked on a project testing the biocompatibility of specific materials for safe use in biomedical applications and conducted their own research using these materials in a high-tech and cross-cultural research context.
Nanxue Zhao
Asia Internship Program | Provider Program
Singapore
Accountancy and Information Systems Major
“The most fascinating parts of interning in Singapore was that I got a chance to live like a local. It was a fully emerging experience into the culture. After this experience, I know how capable I am to be on my own. I was proud that I did this, and I think everyone should have study/intern abroad experience at least once in life because you never what’s actually out there unless you are there.”
Caleb Reynolds
Child Family Health International (CFHI) | Volunteer Program
Cape Town, South Africa
Biology Major, Chemistry Minor (Pre-Med)
“I could not have been more grateful to have completed my abroad volunteer program with CFHI at the Red Cross Memorial Pediatric Hospital in Cape Town, South Africa. I was able to build my knowledge base for clinical practices and sit in during all the meetings, lectures, surgeries and follow any local medical student around during their rotations. Living in a developing country eradicates the focus of consumerism and the individual. You begin to appreciate the human race as one body and find your role in this world.”
Sierra Campbell
The School for Field Studies (SFS) | Research Program
Turks and Caicos
Microbiology Major, Chemistry Minor
“I helped conduct one of the first fish surveys on South Caicos after Hurricane Irma and Maria. It was an incredible and unforgettable experience that was full of adventure. SFS is a great program for field research, and GRIP helped me every step of the way.”
Kali Swichtenberg
The Germanic Academic Exchange Service (DAAD) | Provider Program
Bielefeld, Germany
Microbiology and Chemistry Major, Studio Art
“I had the amazing opportunity to research in Bielefeld, Germany for three months through the DAAD RISE program. While I was there, I was able to learn and practice applicable laboratory techniques and be professionally mentored by a PhD student. I was also immersed in the German culture and participated in both day-to-day activities and special summer festivities throughout Germany. I also had the opportunity to travel to the Czech Republic, Belgium, and various German cities. Overall, this experience was highly valuable to me academically, professionally and personally.”
FIELDWORK TYPES AND PROGRAMS
Most students find internships three different ways: independently sourced (“do-it-yourself”), a competitive opportunity, or through an internship provider program.
A “do-it-yourself” experience will be similar to searching for an opportunity in the U.S. You should engage your professional network both on- and off-campus for reputable organizations. Your professor, supervisor, professional acquaintances, friends, or family may have a connection to an opportunity. You may also contact the HR department of reputable organizations and inquire if they accept interns. Work with the Career Development office and also check the GoinGlobal county guides to tailor your resume to that particular organization and country, and you might even consider a mock interview with Career Development if they want to interview you. “Cold contacting” organizations that are not well-known or that you have no connection is not recommended for safety concerns. Search this way at your own risk.
A competitive opportunity might be a fully-funded experience in a specific field, but only a certain number of seats (and funding packages) are available, so prepare your application well in advance, taking advantage of relevant resources on campus including your departmental mentors, the University Writing Commons (and bring your other scholarship essays, too!), and the NAU National & International Scholarships and Fellowships office. There are many such opportunities listed with NISF, so be sure to check out the website!
Internship or fieldwork providers are organizations that assist with the placement process, from setting up interviews to arranging accommodation and 24/7 support and even hosting events and excursions. For these services, providers charge a “program fee.” There are many providers out there, some reputable and some not! Before paying any application or program fee, meet with your Education Abroad Advisor to ensure it is a reputable program. Programs listed below are ones that NAU students have previously participated in and returned with success stories and are well-known as reputable programs in the field of international education.
lease note that it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that an opportunity found with an organization listed on the GRIP Opportunity page or anywhere else meets the student’s personal standards of safety and quality as well as their academic and professional goals. The opportunities listed are meant to be a resource for further research.
PRE-APPROVED FIELD WORK OPPORTUNITIES:
NAU Sponsored Programs:
South America NAU: Fieldwork Semester & South America NAU: Fieldwork Summer: NAU Anthropology Senior Lecturer and TAO Founder Dr. Britton Shepardson leads NAU students through this once-in-a-lifetime experiential program to develop Spanish language and professional skills, research experience, and lasting intercultural relationships. Students should expect to work closely with local high school students, explora hotels, government institutions, and private non-profit organizations.
Government Sponsored Programs:
Boren Awards: Boren Awards provide funding for U.S. undergraduate and graduate students to study less commonly taught languages in world regions critical to U.S interests and underrepresented in study abroad: Africa, Asia, Central and Eastern Europe, Eurasia, Latin America, and the Middle east.
DoDDS: The Department of Defense Dependents Schools (DoDDS) is a special opportunity for teacher candidates within the College of Education at a school are operated by the Department of Defense Education Activity (DoDEA). A lengthier application process is in place along with additional requirements to be considered an applicant to one of these international student teaching programs. Please check with your advisor or Marilee.Eveleth@nau.edu for more details.
Fulbright Commission:The Fulbright UK Summer Institute offers Fulbright Awards and Summer Institutes for US students, academics and professionals interested in studying, researching or teaching at higher education institutions in the UK. Spend 3-4 weeks in he UK next summer, all expenses paid for!
U.S. Department of State Internships: Programs provide students with opportunities to explore Federal careers while being paid for the work performed.
United Nations Internships: If you are thinking of entering the world of diplomacy and public policy, an internship at the United Nations could be the ideal start for you. The objective of the internship is to give you a first-hand impression of the day-to-day working environment of the United Nations. You will be given a real chance to work with our people.
If you are interested in internships with other United Nations funds and programs listed, please apply with them directly through the links below.
Research Programs:
High-level research programs usually charge students a program fee to participate and in exchange theses organizations provide a more supported experience abroad. These program fees usually cover the placement in a research lab or facility, housing, airport pickup, orientation, insurance, in-country staff support and sometimes additional trips.
The School for Field Studies: SFS creates transformative study abroad experiences through field-based learning and research. Our educational programs explore the human and ecological.
SIT: School for International Training: SIT offers 4- to 6-week, for-credit internships abroad in approximately 30 locations in Africa, Asia, Australia, Europe, Latin America, and the Middle East and has broad networks in nonprofit, private, and government sectors. SIT offers internships for topics in climate/ environment, development/economy/inequality, global health. media/arts/social change, migration/identity/resilience/, and peace/human rights/social movements.
Wildlands Studies: Wildlands Studies has offered exciting and challenging opportunities. Our field studies programs put you in the field. Hike across mountain meadows, ford streams and camp in the forest. Swim in warm ocean waters and examine coral reefs and sea life.
Cerca Abroad: Complete a hands-on internship in marine conservation, pre-medicine, pre-veterinarian, wildlife conservation, and zoology and wildlife in Athens, Greece. Summer, fall, and spring terms for at least four weeks.
EuroScholars: EuroScholars is a unique research abroad program for highly talented undergraduate students from U.S. and Canadian institutions looking for an international research experience. EuroScholars offers research projects at 5 internationally renowned European Research Universities in almost any discipline.
Provider Programs:
Academia Latinoamerica de Español: At the Academia Latinoamericana de Español, you will not only learn Spanish. You will also live exciting experiences and be in touch with Nature. Join the adventure and learn Spanish in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Absolute Internship: Absolute Internship matches talented university students and graduates with international work experience placements in elite cities around the world. With over 60 university partnerships and more than 800 host companies across the globe, we help ambitious individuals stand out in an increasingly crowded job market. Our programs offer unbeatable work experience, incredible adventure, and a summer to remember!
Asia Internship: Work with a wide variety of companies and organizations to best suit our participants’ needs based on career interests and academic/professional backgrounds.
CRCC Asia
: CRCC Asia offers young professionals the opportunity to boost their global employability and truly stand out in the most competitive job markets with dynamic internships abroad in some of the world’s most progressive organizations
Global Experiences: Join our community of over 8,000 global alumni by taking the first step towards an unforgettable international internship.
The Intern Group: The Intern Group provides international internship programs that enable qualified individuals to gain valuable professional experience at leading companies and organizations, while exploring exciting new places and developing extensive global networks. The Intern Group offers scholarships to ambitious and global-minded individuals who live our organization’s values: teamwork, global leadership, continuous learning and people focus. can be combined with the discount your students already receive for being from a partner university. The deadline to apply is early February. The application cycle is currently open!
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- Full-Ride Global Leadership Grant to Bangkok
- $2500 USD Global Leadership Grant to Madrid
- $2500 USD Global Leadership Grant to Shanghai
- $2500 USD Global Leadership Grant to Colombia
Massey University: National Expedition and Internship in New Zealand: Travel through some of the planet’s most spectacular scenery, immerse yourself in Kiwi culture, and see parts of New Zealand open only to locals, all while earning university credit over your summer break. The National Expedition and Internship will take you across the North and South Islands and place you in an internship where you’ll work on real-world problems relevant to your degree: agriculture and environment, communication and marketing, creative.
The Education Abroad Network (TEAN): Broaden your horizons, expand your education and create long lasting memories through meaningful work and study abroad opportunities.
USAC Internships:Intern in multiple countries in various fields and earn academic credit. USAC includes internships in fields such as business, health, education, teaching English, and more.
VOLUNTEER PROGRAMS:
Academia Latinoamerica de Español: At the Academia Latinoamericana de Español, you will not only learn Spanish. You will also live exciting experiences and be in touch with Nature. Join the adventure and learn Spanish in Bolivia, Ecuador, and Peru.
Child Family Health International: CFHI’s 40+ programs in 11 countries connect students with local health professionals and community leaders transforming perspectives about self, global health, and healing.
GIVE: GIVE offers amazing, once-in-a-lifetime volunteer abroad programs that transform the lives of its volunteers, igniting new passions and inspiring incredible personal growth. Work and play side by side with welcoming locals. Immerse yourself in extraordinary new worlds abroad. Break down cultural barriers and build up lifelong relationship.
National Volunteer Center: The English Opens Doors Program:The English Opens Doors Program is a fee-free Program serving the students, teachers, and school communities of Chile’s public education system. EODP volunteers make a lasting impact on the lives of their students, motivating them to improve their English and participate in cross cultural exchange.
Volunteer HQ: At International Volunteer HQ, we’ve been enabling people from all walks of life to give back abroad through volunteering vacations since 2007. Our volunteer programs are the most affordable and regenerative way to immerse yourself in new cultures, connect with like-minded international volunteers and make a difference through travel.
FUNDED FELLOWSHIPS
CIEE Teach Abroad: The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) offers paid and volunteer teaching positions around the world for university graduates looking to teach English abroad and immerse themselves in a foreign community. General requirements for Teach Abroad programs are a bachelor’s degree in any subject, native English speakers, and a kind, patient, and enthusiastic attitude that will inspire students. CIEE provides job placement, visa assistance, and 24 Hour In-Country support throughout your program duration.
Clinton Fellowship for Service in India: The Clinton Fellowship pairs a select number of highly skilled young professionals with leading NGOs and social enterprises in India in order to accelerate impact and create effective projects that are replicable, scalable, and sustainable. Through ten months of service and fieldwork, Fellows gain knowledge of development on the ground in the fields of education, livelihoods, public health, and social enterprise, honing and harnessing their growing skills as change agents capable of effecting lasting change.
Critical Language Scholarship Program: The Critical Language Scholarship(CLS) Program offers fully-funded summer language institutes for U.S. university students and is sponsored by the U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Educational and Cultural Affairs. The program is part of a U.S. government effort to expand dramatically the number of Americans studying and mastering critical foreign languages. Students of diverse disciplines and majors are encouraged to apply. Participants are expected to continue their language study beyond the scholarship period and later apply their critical language skills in their future professional careers. In 2013, approximately 600 scholarships were awarded for thirteen languages, including Arabic, Azerbaijani, Bangla, Chinese, Hindi, Indonesian, Japanese, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Russian, Turkish, and Urdu.
Cultural Vistas: U.S. Internship, Trainee, and Teacher Exchanges that facilitate dialogue and the sharing of ideas, and promote global understanding through the lens of career exploration, civic engagement, leadership development, and professional training.
English Language Fellow (EL Fellow):Through the English Language Fellow (EL Fellow) Program, highly qualified U.S. educators in the field of Teaching English to Speakers of Other Languages (TESOL) or Teaching English as a Foreign Language (TEFL) participate in 10-month-long fellowships at academic institutions throughout the world.
Fulbright:The Fulbright U.S. Student Program provides grants for individually designed study/research projects or for English Teaching Assistant Programs during one academic year in a participating country outside the U.S. There are a number of specialized Fulbright opportunities by country, and including the Fulbrights listed above and the recently developed Fulbright–National Geographic Digital Storytelling Fellowship, which provides a unique platform for American Fulbright students to develop global narratives and discuss commonalities across borders around a common issue or theme.
Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad Fellowship: The Fulbright-Hays Doctoral Dissertation Research Abroad (DDRA) Fellowship Program provides opportunities to doctoral candidates to engage in full-time dissertation research abroad in modern foreign languages and international area studies. Students may request funding for a period of 6 to 12 months. Institutions of higher education (IHEs) in the U.S. are eligible to apply for grants under this program. As part of the application process, students submit individual applications to the IHE, which then submits all eligible individual student applications with its grant application to the U.S. Dept. of Education.
Global Health Corps: A leadership development organization focused on health equity. They are building a global community of diverse young leaders changing the face of global health.
Humanity in Action:The Humanity in Action Fellowship brings together international groups of Fellows to study minority rights and produce original research exploring how and why individuals and societies, past and present, have resisted intolerance and protected democratic values.
Institute of Current World Affairs Fellowship: The Institute of Current World Affairs (ICWA) fellowship program aims to nurture deep expertise in foreign countries and cultures by supporting a Fellow who carries out a program of self-designed, independent study abroad for a minimum of two years. The organization’s mission is to foster understanding of the world by immersing promising individuals in a region, country, or globally important issue and by sharing the benefits of their knowledge with society. Language proficiency required.
Peace Corps: A volunteer program that offers the opportunity to serve abroad and make the most of your world. Peace Corps service can be the first step toward a career or the continuation of a life’s work. Sharpen your skills in a field you’ve always loved, or challenge yourself with a new opportunity.
Princeton in Africa: Princeton in Africa develops young leaders committed to Africa’s advancement by offering yearlong fellowship opportunities with a variety of organizations that work across the African continent. Young alumni and graduating seniors from any accredited college or university in the United States are eligible to apply. Prior experience in Africa is not a prerequisite.
Princeton in Asia: Princeton in Asia offers service-oriented fellowships in the fields of education, media/journalism, international development (NGOs), and business, with a majority of fellows working as English teachers at universities and high schools. PiA fellowships are open to graduates or graduating seniors from all accredited colleges and universities.
Princeton in Latin America: Princeton in Latin America (PiLA) is a non-profit organization that partners with non-profits throughout Latin America to match them with young, public sector professionals seeking full-year fellowships in development work. PiLA placements offer important field experience to recent college alumni who cannot otherwise find NGO work in Latin America and who are eager to pursue careers in development work; no other program like this exists. Requires working knowledge of the target language (Spanish, Portuguese, or French).
The Teaching Assistant Program in France (TAPIF): The Teaching Assistant Program in France offers you the opportunity to work in France for 7 months, teaching English to French students of all ages. Each year, over 1,500 American citizens and permanent residents teach in public schools across all regions of metropolitan France and in the overseas departments of France such as French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique and Réunion.
Teaching English in Czech Republic:The Academic Information Agency assists people interested in teaching English in the Czech Republic to find teaching posts mainly at primary and secondary state schools. Teachers from abroad are not expected to speak Czech. They teach mostly conversation classes, but some schools, which do not have a Czech teacher of English, may require their teacher also to teach grammar.
Teach and Learn in Korea: The TaLK Program (Teach and Learn in Korea Program) is designed by the South Korean Government to award current undergraduates and recent University graduates with the opportunity to contribute their English speaking abilities and transition this ability into the skill of becoming an international English teacher.
Yenching Scholars:The Yenching Academy of Peking University Yenching Scholars program aims to build bridges between China and the rest of the world through an interdisciplinary master’s program in China Studies. The Yenching Academy provides full fellowships to its scholars, and offers them a wide array of interdisciplinary courses on China within broadly defined fields of the humanities and social sciences.