With thriving industries spanning tourism, environmental conservation, healthcare, and tech—and an emphasis on work-life balance—Costa Rica is an excellent place to gain professional experience in a wide range of fields. AIFS Abroad offers many intern abroad and Study + Internship programs in San José, Costa Rica’s capital. With an internship in San José, you can build career-focused skills, all while you enjoy the country’s Pura Vida lifestyle and discover the stunning natural landscapes it’s famous for. Want to learn more about what it’s really like to intern abroad in Costa Rica?
Hear from four college students and recent graduates who interned abroad in Costa Rica with AIFS Abroad!
Anna: Engineering Internship in San José
With rigorous course loads and highly specific degree requirements, STEM majors often wonder if they can study or intern abroad like other college students. The answer is YES—and Anna is living proof! An electrical engineering major at the University of Kentucky, Anna interned abroad in Costa Rica during the summer before her senior year.
As she explains, her engineering internship taught her both career-specific hard skills and broader soft skills, which are bound to benefit her in the future as she pursues professional opportunities:
“I’m [interning] at a global engineering firm, and I have just had such a great time. I’ve learned so much, not only about things that will help me in my future career, like programming schematics, all those hard engineering skills, but also about the soft skills, so how to collaborate and communicate and adjust to [new] workplace [environments].”
Anna discovered that connecting with her welcoming colleagues was her favorite part of her internship:
“My coworkers have definitely been the best part; they’ve been so encouraging and sweet about helping me to learn their culture, and they’re actually throwing me a Fourth of July partybecause they’re just so eager to learn about where I come from.”
While Anna enjoyed her homestay during a previous study abroad experience, she appreciated the independence that her shared apartment in San José afforded her:
“I decided I wanted to be a little bit more independent and experience what it would be like to be in an apartment. I’ve loved it a lot. I think being able to experience what it’s like living in San José , and if I were potentially to move here or abroad in the future, what it’s like to cook my own meals, figure out my own transport, have my own space, and just have a little bit more independence.”
It’s totally normal to not know where you want to study or intern abroad—especially after you see all of the amazing options offered by AIFS Abroad! One thing that helped Anna’s decision to choose Costa Rica was contacting the AIFS Abroad team, who helped her pick out a program based on her personal interests and professional goals:
“I was super overwhelmed at first about where I should go for my internship. As soon as I realized that I wanted to intern abroad, I started looking into what AIFS offered and there are just so many locations that I got super scared for a second that I was not going to end up where I needed to be, but [the AIFS Abroad team] was super helpful with explaining exactly why they were recommending certain places to me.
They let me know that Costa Rica has 99% renewable energy production and since that is [the industry] I’m hoping to [work in] in the future, this would be a great match for me and my interests as well… They really said that this would be a great place for me to go, and clearly it’s worked out absolutely perfectly. I would not want to be anywhere else, and I cannot wait to travel back to San José in the future.”
Caroline: Non-Profit Internship in San José
Meet Caroline, who’s pursuing a degree in environmental studies and media studies & production at Temple University. Caroline did a non-profit internship in San José that brought both of her academic disciplines together:
“[My host organization] does a lot of climate and environmental research. It manages protected areas in the country, and it also runs a lot of environmental education programs. So, I’m working in the communications team there, so it’s a great pair between the two… I interview different subjects, and I collect all the videos and edit them together to eventually go on the website.”
Costa Rica is full of unique experiences—both in terms of professional opportunities and wildlife. While Caroline enjoyed collaborating with her coworkers, she could never get a few of them to come out of their shells:
“In the garden/patio at work, we have a cat and four turtles! They’re great coworkers.”
Reflecting on her experience, Caroline described her internship in Costa Rica as both impactful and one-of-a-kind.
“I think that for me, San José, and interning here in Costa Rica has been very transformative. I’ve experienced so many things that are once-in-a-lifetime opportunities. I definitely think that San José is a location for people who want to just have hands-on experiences and to have a really authentic, unique experience.”
With so much to offer, Caroline emphasized how Costa Rica has something for anyone, whether you’re drawn to its protected ecosystems or eager to explore your adventurous side:
“Costa Rica’s just a great destination for thrill-seekers to nature-lovers and anything in between with its rich biodiversity and wonderful natural landscapes. I think if this interests you at all, then you should definitely take the opportunity to come here.”
William: Media Production Internship in San José
Did you know you can intern abroad after you graduate from college? William, who studied communications and Spanish at Xavier University, did a media production internship in San José as a recent graduate.
After hearing about the beautiful landscapes—think lush rainforests, majestic volcanoes, and tropical beaches—and welcoming culture, Costa Rica seemed like the perfect place for William to gain professional experience and work on his Spanish language skills:
“I wanted a Spanish-speaking country to practice my Spanish, and I’d never been to Central America before… Also, I heard so many good things about how nice the people were, which is true, and how beautiful the scenery is here, and how nice the weather is as well. I had never thought about going to Central America before, so when I saw Costa Rica as an opportunity, I thought this was my chance… I didn’t know when I’d be able to have that chance in the future.”
As a media production intern, William’s role focused on all things videography and cinematography, allowing him to build a broad array of skills related to audio and visual production:
“The tasks at my internship really just depend on the day—it varies a lot. Most of the time, I do a lot of editing… But also I have the opportunity to go off-site when I’m not in the office—I’ll be doing a lot of filming, I get to work behind the camera and get to learn more about the processes and all the gadgets. And then I also help with the setup and takedown of all the equipment. Sometimes I’ll help with revising scripts… Anything that has to do with audiovisual production, I’m pretty much doing all of it. So, it’s definitely a full-time gig, but I enjoy it, and it’s awesome, I love it.”
Outside of his internship, William took full advantage of the AIFS Abroad trips and excursions that were included in his program, allowing him to visit some of Costa Rica’s world-renowned national parks:
“Thankfully, with AIFS, you’re able to go to a lot of places in Costa Rica. The first month that we were here, every weekend of January, we were going to another location, and we hit every province in Costa Rica. We [visited] Manuel Antonio [National Park], Monte Verde [Cloud Forest], Poás [Volcano National Park], [and] La Fortuna… [And] you’re able to plan your own excursions, a lot of the students do that here and they have a blast. Thankfully, through my internship, I’m also allowed to travel throughout Costa Rica because I’m out filming, so there are a lot of opportunities to travel within Costa Rica.”
Thinking back on his time in Costa Rica with AIFS Abroad, William was so grateful for this opportunity and all the people he met because of it:
“I’ve enjoyed pretty much every minute, and it’s just a magical city and a magical country. The people here are amazing, the people in my program are amazing—definitely made some lifelong friends for sure. I love my roommates. Everything just fell into place, and I’m just so blessed to be here, and I think that if you have the opportunity to go, you’ll find the same thing. So definitely give AIFS a try, give Costa Rica a try, you won’t regret it. It’s a beautiful country, and it’s an amazing time.”
Marie: Study + Internship in San José
For students who can’t decide between an internship and a study abroad program, a Study + Internship program is the perfect choice. By including a part-time internship abroad alongside a traditional study abroad experience, these programs offer the best of both worlds.
Marie, a third-year marketing major and Spanish minor at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, enrolled in the extended Study + Internship program in San José, allowing her to take four courses and gain professional experience during her 16-week program:
“I am an intern abroad, also while taking classes that transfer back to my university… I have taken four classes in total here while interning. I took [a] Spanish [course] my first month here—I’m doing the extended semester, so I finished that back up in September…There’s such a big variety of classes and I’ve absolutely loved them. We’ve gone on field trips for most of them as well.”
Marie was a marketing intern at a local university in San José, where she took on a versatile role supporting communications, promotions, and campus events. From social media management to assisting with events, Marie’s internship gave her hands-on experience across a range of marketing disciplines:
“And then I’m also interning [for] 30 hours a week… I am usually working on the social media accounts as well as fixing up any of the promotions… [I also create] a lot of the announcements… [and help out with] a lot of the bigger events [for my host organization].”
While attending classes and doing an internship may sound like a lot, as Marie explains, her schedule was very manageable:
“My internship schedule is really based on my school schedule, so Monday and Wednesday I intern from about 8 AM to 1 PM, with my lunch break being from 3 to 4, as I have classes during the day. And then on Tuesday and Thursday, I intern from 8 AM to 5 PM. It’s very flexible; I have Fridays off completely. They totally want to work with you if you’re interested in that… I really, truly enjoy it, so my 30 hours a week doesn’t bother me.”
Discover all Costa Rica has to offer—intern abroad in San José with AIFS Abroad like these college students and recent graduates did!
AIFS Abroad offers numerous intern abroad programs in Costa Rica, each tailored to meet specific professional, academic, and personal goals. For college students and recent graduates who want to build career-focused skills across a range of industries—all while they discover beautiful landscapes and lively Latin culture—Costa Rica is an excellent choice for an internship abroad. Go with AIFS Abroad and make the most of your time abroad with our valuable program inclusions, such as housing, trips and excursions, career readiness programming, 24/7 emergency assistance, comprehensive insurance, and the support of our dedicated on-site staff.
