Update on CIEE Internship Programs

For the past three months, COVID-19 has disrupted our world in ways that no one could have imagined.  As we began this new year, most of us looked forward to the bright promise of a new decade and the growing demand for high-quality international academic internships. Today, the world stands in place in an effort to slow the spread of COVID-19, leaving education and international exchange organizations, including CIEE and AIC, forced to adjust operations to accommodate the changed global landscape.  

Last week, CIEE announced a significant reduction in our worldwide staff due to COVID-19’s detrimental impact on student exchange programs. The Academic Internship Council (AIC), which has served as CIEE’s lead division for customized internships since 2015, and has supported a growing network of customized internships programs, was unavoidably affected by the reduction of CIEE’s global workforce.   

As CIEE streamlined operations by consolidating programs and teams, the AIC customized programs were merged into CIEE’s broader portfolio of global internships. We regret that the abrupt disruption to our programming activities required us to reduce our team of talented and dedicated staff. Yet, we are confident this is the best way to provide all of our university partners with an expanded network of experienced personnel who will be able to develop and deliver the field’s broadest set of internship locations and program options.

Like many of you, we believe that this halt in international exchange is temporary and soon the world will heal, allowing students to once more participate in high-quality international internships. In anticipation of that day, CIEE is committed to continuing to provide our partners and their students with the highest degree of service and support, including the highest level of health, safety, and security support for students in any location they may be completing their internships.

Our Vision for Supporting Internship Programs

Despite the headwinds we face with COVID-19, we know CIEE will be able to weather this storm. We remain committed to supporting institutions and students with:

• The largest network of international locations. In 31 cities in 20 countries we have highly experienced CIEE staff who can support your students and faculty, delivering for-credit, part-time, and full-time Global Internship opportunities.

• Over a decade of delivering customized, high-quality, immersive internship and experiential learning opportunities designed to suit the needs of your university. With a network of thousands of employer partners around the world — including in internship hubs like San Francisco, NYC, Boston, Singapore, Hong Kong, Toronto, Berlin, and London — we can work with you to design a custom internship program tailored to fit your students. You pick what, when, and where, and if we don’t have staff in a particular location, we can swiftly recruit and deploy skilled professionals to establish and support the program you require.

• Online and remote internship programs to align with current needs – and future realities. The world of work is changing quickly, and we believe online and remote internship opportunities are critical in advancing our shared mission of preparing people for success in an increasingly intercultural and interconnected world.