Global Internship Program

Public Affairs: Internships in Buenos Aires

  • Dates

    Internship Abroad: June 23 – August 19, 2023

    Online Courses: June 26 – September 1, 2023

  • Location

    Buenos Aires, Argentina

  • Vaccine Requirement

    Proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination required for entry into Argentina

  • Program Fee

    UCLA Undergrads (4 – Units): $6,295

    UCLA Undergrads (8 – Units): $7,411

    *Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents. Click here for full fee disclaimer.

***Info Session: Click here to watch our recent info session***

Conduct a global internship at a company or organization in Buenos Aires, Argentina! Called the “Paris of South America,” Buenos Aires is one of the most cosmopolitan cities of South America. Buenos Aires is the hub of the country and offers a fast-paced backdrop to work and life. It is a great destination for people who are drawn to the hustle and bustle of big cities, who are comfortable navigating city life, and who are excited by metropolitan, apartment building living.

Internship placements are 8 weeks long. UCLA partner’s with Puentes Abroad to place students at internship sites based on personal career goals, interests, level of Spanish, and previous experience. While completing an internship, students will also be enrolled in 1 or 2 online courses, earning 4-to-8 units of academic credit. Online courses follow Summer Session A and will last for a total of 10 weeks. Student’s looking to receive financial aid must be enrolled in 2-courses during the program.

Application Timeline

Application Opens:  October 24, 2022

Application Closes:  December 4, 2022

Final Payment Deadline: February 10, 2023

Cancellation Deadline: February 15, 2023

Please do not enroll in a Global Internship Program unless you are sure you intend to participate. Remember that your deposit is nonrefundable. See our Cancellation Policy. The cancellation deadline is February 15, 2023 at 11:59PM. Paid program fees (minus $300 nonrefundable deposit) are refundable until February 15, 2023 at 11:59PM.

Eligibility, Selection and Placement Process

Eligibility Criteria

  • Undergraduate Public Affairs major or minor
  • Minimum of 90 units completed by end of Spring 2023
    • Units can include transfer credit
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Good academic standing
  • Proof of complete COVID-19 vaccination required for entry into Argentina

Selection Process

Students who apply that meet the eligibility criteria will conduct an advising call with Puentes, our partners in Buenos Aires. Through this advising call Puentes will learn more about each applicant’s qualifications, experience and career goals. The call will help Puentes determine whether the applicant is a good match for available internship opportunities in Buenos Aires. After the call is completed, Puentes and UCLA will decide whether to offer the applicant acceptance into the Buenos Aires Global Internship Program based on their qualifications and the pool of applicants.

Acceptance Decisions

Applicants will be notified of acceptance decisions in early January.

Placement Process

Students selected for the Buenos Aires program will need to place their program deposit first, in order to be officially enrolled in the program. After enrolling in the Buenos Aires program, a placement coordinator from Puentes will work with each student one-on-one to find the best internship match. Internship placements are customized to a students’ personal and career goals, interests and experience. Students will intern approximately 32 hours per week at their internship site. Total work hours and mode of work (in-person vs hybrid) will depend on their specific internship site needs.

Disclaimer

The Global Internship Program provides all participants with meaningful internship placement opportunities. Students must be realistic, however, about the level of their internship placement. Students with limited or no work experience, limited leadership or volunteer experience, no specialization courses completed, or other kinds of related activities, will be placed in an entry-level position in their requested industry.

Documents to Prepare for Your Application

Resume

As part of the application process, you will be asked to upload a current copy of your resume. Please take time to appropriately format and spell check your resume before submitting. For assistance with your resume, you can use the VMock tool provided by the UCLA Career Center.

Motivation to Enroll Questionnaire 

As part of your application process you will be asked to complete a questionnaire. Responses should be well thought out and demonstrate why you are a strong candidate for the Global Internship Program. It’s highly encouraged to prepare your responses in advance on a Word document and then copy and paste to the application once you apply. The maximum word count for each short-answer response is 125 words. Please see the questions below to assist you in preparing your answers.

  • Personal Introduction: Please give some  general background on yourself and why you are interested in participating in the Global Internship Program? (125 word maximum)
  • Location of Interest: What makes you interested in interning in the particular city or country you selected for your program? (125 word maximum)
  • Career Goals: Within your career field, which specific sector are you interested in working in and what do you hope to gain from this global internship experience? How will this experience assist you toward reaching your career goals? (125 word maximum)
  • Why should you be selected? What do you think makes you stand out as a strong candidate for the Global Internship Program? Why should you be selected for the program? (125 word maximum)

Internship Placements

Buenos Aires Placement Options:

  • Advocacy Groups
  • Economics and Finance
  • Education
  • Global Health
  • Government and Politics
  • Law
  • NGOs
  • Non-Profits
  • Social Work
  • Think Tanks
  • Urban Planning (limited)

Examples Placements:

Please note that these are just a few examples of student placements from past years and there is no guarantee that these same placements will be available for future terms. There are many more placements available in Buenos Aires than those listed below. Your internship placement will be determined through an interview process to match you with a company or organization aligned with your skills and interests.

Internship Hours

Students will intern approximately 32 hours per week. Total weekly work hours and mode of work (in-person vs hybrid) will depend on the specific internship site needs. The internship will have the majority of the work time take place in-person at the company’s office workspace.

Curriculum

Program Courses

All students are required to enroll in the PUB AFF 195CE course while attending the program. Students who wish to earn more units and/or apply for financial aid, may also enroll in the CESC 130 course as well.

  • PUB AFF 195CE (4 units) ~ Mandatory
  • CESC 130 (4 units) ~ Optional 

Please note that in order to be eligible for financial aid, students must be enrolled in both the mandatory course AND the optional course (total of 8-units).  

Course Descriptions

PUB AFF 195CE: Internship Course (4 units)

Prerequisites:  None

Public Affairs (PUB AFF) 195CE is a 4-unit course designed around an individual internship experience. You will take your academic knowledge beyond the classroom, and in your papers and during one-on-one meetings, you will analyze your organization and work experience within an international context.

  • Public Affairs Majors: PUB AFF 195CE may be petitioned to fulfill the Public Affairs 187AX Capstone requirement. Contact the Public Affairs Capstone Advisor and Coordinator for more information on the petition process. PUB AFF 195CE must be taken for a letter grade and 4.0 units if you wish to use this course towards Public Affairs major requirements. Pass/no pass is allowed for students who are not planning to use this course toward major requirements.
  • Public Affairs Minors: You may petition PUB AFF 195CE to be used toward one Public Affairs minor upper division elective. Contact a Luskin counselor for more information.

CESC 130: Intercultural Communication in the Global Workplace (4 units)

Prerequisites:  None

This 4-unit course is designed to help students critically analyze their own cultural values and beliefs and the impact they have on their communication. It will provide students with strategies and tools to more effectively communicate and to manage intercultural conflicts in the global workplace. Students will study and critique intercultural communication theories, review relevant case studies and discuss first hand experiences from their global internship. This course must be taken for a letter grade. Auditing and pass/no pass is not allowed.

  • Public Affairs Majors: CESC 130 may be petitioned to satisfy one Public Affairs upper division major elective. Contact the Public Affairs Capstone Advisor and Coordinator for more information on the petition process.
  • Public Affairs Minors: You may petition CESC 130 to be used toward one Public Affairs minor upper division elective. Contact a Luskin counselor for more information.

Budget and Financial Aid

Budget UCLA Undergrads (4-Units)  UCLA Undergrads (8-Units)
Program Fee $6,295 $7,411
IEI Fee $61 $61
Airfare (estimate) $1,500 $1,500
Meals & Incidentals (estimate) $1,100 $1,100

*Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents. Click here for full fee disclaimer.

Program fee includes:

  • Tuition
  • Personalized internship matching process
  • Pre-internship preparation
  • Ongoing internship mentoring, training, and progress tracking
  • Airport pickup upon arrival to Buenos Aires
  • On-site orientation and city tour
  • Welcome Pack including local SIM card, public transportation card and adaptor
  • Single private bedroom and shared common spaces in fully furnished, apartment accommodations
  • Equivalent of US$50 in Argentine pesos for spending money upon arrival
  • Eight co-working days to use at a local co-working office during the program.
  • Professional development seminars
  • Optional social and cultural activities, including a day trip to a local “estancia” (ranch)
  • Access to Puentes Global Alumni Network
  • 24/7 on the ground healthy and safety support from the Puentes staff
  • Health insurance

Personal Expenses NOT Included:

  • Round trip airfare to Buenos Aires
  • Personal travel during program
  • Costs for medical expenses and emergencies
  • Meals and entertainment expenses
  • Transportation to/from housing to internship site

IEI Fee

All undergraduate students will be charged a $61 IEI fee per summer. The IEI (Instructional Enhancement Initiative) fee is a course materials fee that is charged in order to support the use of technology in undergraduate education at UCLA. For more information please click here.

Budgeting

We recommend that you budget accordingly to cover optional sightseeing, laundry, emergencies, etc.  How much to budget depends on your travel, entertainment, and souvenir choices. It is always best to overestimate your spending. Take the time to research the cost of living in your destination and the activities you want to participate in while abroad.

Purchasing Airfare

Students should not purchase their flight to Buenos Aires until informed to do so by UCLA.

*The purchase of a fully-refundable and/or flexible airfare is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.

Financial Aid

Financial aid for Summer Global Internship Programs is available to qualified UCLA students. Students must be enrolled in a total of 8 units (2 courses) to be eligible for financial aid. For details about the financial aid application process, please visit the Financial Aid section of this website.

On Location

Arrival

Our partner organization, Puentes, will provide airport pickup upon arrival and transport you to your program housing. You will be responsible for making your own arrangements back to the airport at the end of the program.

Accommodations

You will reside in a private bedroom in a shared apartment accommodation (possibly including non-UCLA students also interning in Buenos Aires through the Puentes program). All apartment rooms come with bedding, towels, cleaning, basic Wifi, and communal kitchen access. Accommodations are pre-screened and located in safe and convenient neighborhoods, typically within a 30 to 45 minute commute from internship sites by riding in public transportation, biking, or walking.

Co-Working

All students will be provided with 8 co-working day passes to use at a local co-working office during their program. Should your internship site including a hybrid work schedule, these day passes will provide a convenient option in case you would like an alternative workspace outside of your lodging.

Meals

Meals are not provided. You will have access to a shared fully furnished kitchen space in your apartment to cook.

Optional Social and Cultural Activities

This program offers organized events around the city that are free to participate in with the other internship program participants. You will have  a comprehensive welcome orientation during your first weekend in Argentina, and will go on a city tour of Buenos Aires. Then during your program, you will have the opportunity to dive into the local cultural through more events, such as a tango lesson with a professional tango instructor to learn Argentina’s iconic dance and a day trip to a nearby destination, such as a typical ranch (“estancia”), complete with horseback riding, barbecue lunch, teatime, folk music, and round trip transport.

Travel

Travel to Buenos Aires

All Global Internship program participants are required to purchase and arrange their own travel accommodations to Buenos Aires. Students should not purchase their flight to Buenos Aires until informed to do so by UCLA. Students will receive specific arrival instructions to assist with arrival to program housing.

*The purchase of a fully-refundable and/or flexible airfare is STRONGLY RECOMMENDED.  

Visa Information:

A 90-day Argentine tourist visa is issued to all US passport holders upon arrival in Argentina.

For non-US citizens, you may be required to get a visa in order to intern in Argentina. Please contact the Global Internship Program manager regarding your visa eligibility for the program.

Personal Travel

The Global Internship Program is an intensive 8 week experience. Internship sites will expect students to complete their weekly hours and will not be providing vacation days during the program. Although it may be possible for students to conduct short weekend trips, all longer trips should be conducted prior to or after the conclusion of the Global Internship Program.