Home to booming modern industries and long-standing vocational traditions, Italy is an excellent place to gain professional experience in a wide range of careers. AIFS Abroad offers full-time internships and Study + Internship programs in Rome, Florence, and Milan. Each city provides a unique opportunity to discover a piece of the beloved Italian culture—explore world-famous museums, taste delicious cuisine, and live like a local along quaint cobblestone streets—all while you build real-world career skills at a local company or organization. Ready to hear what it’s really like to intern abroad in Italy with AIFS Abroad?
Hear from four college students and recent graduates who did an internship in Italy with AIFS Abroad!
Jenna: Fashion Internship in Milan
Jenna, a marketing major and professional sales management minor at the University of North Dakota, interned abroad in Milan at a local fashion consulting company. For someone like Jenna who wanted business experience in the fashion industry, Milan was the perfect destination:
“I ended up choosing Milan because I had an almost guaranteed chance of getting placed in a fashion focused internship, whereas if I chose another city, there would’ve been the possibility of being placed in a marketing internship (which is something I could do in North Dakota, so I really wanted to maximize my reason for interning abroad!).”
As the assistant to the owner, Jenna was able to build a wide range of career-focused skills:
“I work directly one-on-one with my boss who is the [founder] of [my host company]. She’s a business consultant, so she works with young fashion brands that are anywhere between zero and ten years of establishment. She helps them with everything including photography, social media, getting the clothes developed, designing the clothes—anything that you can possibly think of to get a business started… I get to be her assistant and…work with models when we’re photographing outfits, creating lookbooks for the brands, reaching out to influencers to help promote the brand, [and] reaching out to stylists. So, I get to do a lot of cool things… One of my favorite parts about my job is getting to enhance my photography skills during the shoots.”
After sharing her long-term career goals with her supervisor, Jenna was given responsibilities that directly supported her professional interests:
“After telling my boss about my dream of potentially owning a vintage store, she has been giving me tasks that align with this dream, so learning how to properly photograph items is a top priority.”
Outside of her internship, Jenna took advantage of Milan’s transportation system to explore Milan and travel the region:
“Something that is so nice about living in Milan is not only how easy it is to get around the city with their public transportation system, but you can also travel anywhere you want around Europe with the amount of trains and flights offered!”
Jenna enjoyed plenty of time to travel, and was even able to intern remotely while she discovered other parts of Italy and Europe:
“I was a little worried before I started my internship that I would not have as much time to travel compared to students who study abroad, but that has been far from the case! My boss is extremely flexible and understands my desire to see as much as I can while I’m here, so I usually leave on Fridays and come back to Milan on Sundays. Some days, I’m even able to take day trips and work from the train!”
Carlos: Psychology Internship in Florence
Carlos, a psychology student from the University of Kentucky, did a summer internship as an English teaching assistant at a non-profit in Florence. With a variety of responsibilities in and outside of the classroom, Carlos’s psychology internship kept things new and interesting:
“Every day is a little different [at my internship]! Sometimes I [am] online doing admin tasks or lesson planning. Other days I collaborate with my supervisor to develop new projects or activities. And of course, some days I’m hands-on with the kids, leading English games, crafts, or interactive lessons. It’s a great mix of behind-the-scenes work and time with the students!”
One of Carlos’s favorite things about his program in Florence was AIFS Abroad’s award-winning housing, which allowed him to really immerse himself in the community and go beyond a typical tourist experience:
“Housing really gives you the chance to live like a local! We stayed in an apartment surrounded by Italian neighbors. All the apartments are spread out across central Florence, so everything is super walkable. They vary in size and style, but you typically share with 2 – 4 other students from the program. It’s a cool way to really feel like you’re living here, not just visiting.”
And while his shared apartment came with a fully equipped kitchen, Carlos loved sampling the local dishes:
“The apartments have everything you need to cook at home, but I’ve been eating out and trying new foods pretty often. Italian cuisine is incredible!… I tried many new foods, including fresh pasta, pizza, gelato, and local cheeses. I especially loved gelato from small shops and homemade pasta dishes. My go-to meals were often simple, local favorites like margherita pizza or pasta with seasonal sauces, and I enjoyed trying different restaurants and cafes around the city.”
Jessica: Art History Internship in Florence
Did you know that you can intern abroad with AIFS Abroad after you graduate? Jessica, an art history graduate from the University of British Columbia, is living proof! She did an art history internship in Florence at the famed Florence Cathedral:
“I have a position with the Florence Cathedral, also known as Santa Maria Del Fiore, which is probably one of the most popular landmarks here in the city of Florence—it’s absolutely beautiful.
My official position with the cathedral here is as a tour guide, so I get to spend most of my day talking to guest visitors from all over the world about the works of art and the history of the cathedral here.”
Being a tour guide at one of the most popular and fascinating cultural landmarks in Italy definitely has its perks—as Jessica explains:
“I’ve learned a lot and I’ve met some really great people—I’ve met people from all over the world from traveling and giving those tours. The people I work with are all pretty much from Italy, so I’ve been learning a little bit of Italian… There are also some students here with partnering universities, so I’ve been able to interact with them and meet people from other places in North America. I’ve learned lots about the city of Florence and the cathedral and I’ve been really happy with everything that has been provided to me.”
Jessica even enjoyed the short commute to her internship, which was a great excuse to stretch her legs and take in the local sights:
“I live in a small neighborhood called Le Cure, just outside of the city center, so it takes me about a 20/25 minutes’ walk to get into [my internship] every morning. But Florence is very much a walking city, so it’s quite enjoyable, everything is fun to look at.”
Kaitlyn: Study + Internship in Rome
Can’t decide between a study abroad and internship program? Kaitlyn, a journalism student, got both experiences wrapped into one with an AIFS Abroad Study + Internship program in Rome:
“I’m doing the internship and study broad program in Rome, and it’s basically a mix of both a [part-time] internship and two or three classes. So, I’m taking photojournalism and travel writing, which I really like. Then my [journalism] internship [is] with an Italian magazine company because I wanted more of like social media and digital marketing [experience]. And basically, you pick the field that you’re most interested in and [AIFS Abroad] helps pair you up with a local company here in Rome… I really like it so far.”
One of Kaitlyn’s internship responsibilities was going around Rome to create content for the magazine. When we caught up with her during the program, she told us about her favorite internship experience so far:
“My internship sent me on a Vespa tour of Rome last week to get photographs and content! One of the coolest experiences ever.”
Not only did she get to go out into Rome during her internship, but both of her courses provided plenty of opportunities to explore the city, too:
“I’m only taking two classes and those are photojournalism and travel writing. I don’t know if I have a favorite because I really like both of them. For my travel writing class we usually go on excursions to see parts of Rome and art exhibitions each class. And for photojournalism we get to go around—for example, we went to Piazza Navona—to try to create a report, and just work on our photography skills, which is something I really like. Both are very fun, you get to see much more of Rome with those classes.”
Outside of your internship and coursework in Italy, you’ll have even more chances to explore your host city and beyond—thanks to AIFS Abroad trips and excursions which are included in every program. Kaitlyn’s favorite excursion was the trip to the UNESCO town of Assisi:
“One of my favorite things about AIFS is that they bring us on excursions, so I’m going to say my favorite one so far was Assisi just because it was super peaceful and calming… We also went to Florence.”
For anybody concerned about making friends during their time abroad, Kaitlyn offers some words of wisdom:
“Don’t worry if you don’t know anyone going into it, most people are in the same position and you will make friends there! [I’m] so grateful for the people I’ve met here in Italy.”
Immerse yourself in Italian culture and dive into your dream career with an internship in Italy with AIFS Abroad!
AIFS Abroad offers numerous internship programs in Italy, each tailored to meet specific professional, academic, and personal preferences. With an intern abroad program in Italy, you can grow career-focused skills and build your resume, all while you immerse yourself in the world-famous Italian culture. Choose AIFS Abroad and take advantage of our valuable program inclusions (which really take the stress out of planning!), such as housing, trips and excursions, social and cultural activities, career readiness programming, 24/7 emergency support, comprehensive insurance, and the support of our trusted on-site staff.
