Internships & Service Learning
At many BCA study centers, students can participate in an internship, practicum or volunteer service. These may be for credit or not-for-credit. When you arrive at the study center, the BCA resdient director will help you to find a placement, if it's available.
The opportunity for a work experience must be earned, and it must be carried through fully once accepted. Every effort is made to accommodate student requests for work experiences, however, availability and nature of work experiences will vary from country to country. As economic conditions change frequently, BCA cannot guarantee placement at an internship for any student before arrival at the study center.
Students studying at different study centers have a variety of options open to them:
Barcelona, Spain
“While helping with the festival I felt more integrated in the community, a good feeling to be a part of something so big and different. I am really glad that I had this opportunity: the Festival del Raval made me feel a part of Barcelona and now a part of me will always be here.”
Karla Maust, Goshen College,07-08 Barcelona
Cheltenham, England
Students in Cheltenham routinely participate in the local community through volunteer work and internships at local schools, the YMCA, the police authority, offices of political parties, the area welfare center, local newspaper offices, youth rehabilitation centers, local hospitals, local engineering companies and care homes for the elderly and terminally ill.
Quito, Ecuador
Approximately 55% of BCA students in Quito are active in volunteer work or internships. The University of San Francisco, Quito has an internship placement office and the resident director often locates new volunteer opportunities for students. Prerequisites for internships include strong language skills and a willingness to make a significant time commitment. Most internship and volunteer opportunities involve working with children in a variety of situations including working with orphans and abandoned children and at a local cancer hospital.
Strasbourg, France BCA-IFE Internship
The BCA-IFE Strasbourg internship track combines BCA’s popular Strasbourg program with exciting new opportunities for learning through Internships with Francophone Europe (IFE). The IFE program partners with you to find an internship placement working in a professional environment alongside French colleagues. Your experience will open new opportunities and invite you to discover a lively European society moving in new directions that are inspiring, thoughtful and creative.
Xalapa, Mexico
Many BCA students get involved in the community through volunteer work. Some examples include working at a state-run orphanage, a museum, a center for street children, a community health center, a doctor's office, an environmental organization, NGOs and local public schools. If you are interested in a specific issue, please let the resident director know.
Internships in these areas are available to year students in their second semester (or one semester students who have extensive language skills or familiarity with the topic and Mexico).
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