Global Internship Program

Virtual Internships: Cape Town, South Africa

  • Dates

    Virtual Internship: June 21 – August 13, 2021

    Online Courses: June 21 – August 27, 2021

  • Locations
    • Cape Town, South Africa
  • Program Fee

    UCLA Undergrads (4 – Units): TBA

    UCLA Undergrads (8 – Units): TBA

    *Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents.

Conduct a global internship at a company or organization in Cape Town, South Africa from the comfortable confines of your own home! With project based work, you will have the ability to make an impact at your internship site, while gaining remote work experience, exposure to a new work culture and preparing yourself for the 21st century job market. Virtual internships provide a more economical price point, a flexible schedule, and are not dependent on travel advisories or a students ability to travel.

Internship placements are approximately 8 weeks long. Students will intern between 20-to-30 hours per work. UCLA partner’s with VACorps to place students at internship sites based on personal career goals, interests and experience. While completing a virtual 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.

Registration Dates

Registration: November 2 – February 26, 2021

Priority Registration: November 2 – December 13, 2020

All Global Internship Programs have a limited number of placements available for each location. Priority registration for all programs will be from November 2 – December 13, 2020. Students who apply within this time frame will be given first consideration for internship placement. Students registering after December 13 will still have an opportunity to apply for and be placed in internship programs, however, some programs may be already filled.

Cancellation Deadline: March 10, 2021

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 March 10, 2021 at 11:59PM. Paid program fees (minus $200 nonrefundable deposit) are refundable until March 10, 2021 at 11:59PM.

Eligibility, Selection and Placement Process

Eligibility Criteria

  • Undergraduate student
  • Minimum of 90 units completed by end of Spring 2021
    • Units can include transfer credit
  • Cumulative GPA of 3.0 or above
  • Good academic standing

Selection Process

Students who apply that meet the eligibility criteria will conduct an advising call with VACorps, our in country partner. Through this advising call, VACorps will learn more about each applicant’s qualifications, experience and career goals. The call will help VACorps determine whether the applicant is a good match for available internship opportunities in their region. After the call is completed, VACorps and UCLA will decide whether to offer the applicant acceptance into the Virtual Global Internship Program based on their qualifications and the pool of applicants. Please note that the  earliest applicants will hear back regarding acceptance decisions is early January.

Placement Process 

Students selected for a virtual internship program will need to place their program deposit first, in order to be officially enrolled in the program. After enrolling in the program, a placement coordinator from VACorps will work with each student one-on-one to find the perfect internship match. Internship placements are customized to a students’ personal and career goals, interests and experience. Students will work approximately 20-to-30 hours per week at their virtual internship placement.

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.

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. 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?
  • Location of Interest: What makes you interested in interning in the particular city or country you selected for your program?
  • 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?
  • 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?

Program Inclusions

Our partners VACorps will work to provide a great experiences for all virtual internship participants. The program includes:

  • Personalized internship placement process
  • Full-time 8 week virtual internship placement (20-to-30 hours per week)
  • Orientation
  • Weekly video chats with your internship site supervisor and colleagues
  • Weekly VACorps culture series (adapted to online), including virtual Xhosa language classes 
  • Internship support and mentoring as needed throughout the internship provided by internship supervisor and VACorps staff.

Curriculum and Placements

Career Sector Courses Placement Areas
College Scholars*
  • CESC 195CE (mandatory)
  • CESC 130 (optional)
  • Numerous Career Fields
Education
  • EDUC 195CE (mandatory)
  • CESC 130 (optional)
  • Law
  • NGOs
  • Non-Profits
Engineering
  • ENGR 195 (mandatory)
  • CESC 130 (optional)
  • Computer Science
  • Chemical Engineering (limited)
  • Mechanical Engineering (limited)
  • Software Engineering
Global Affairs
  • I A STD 195CE (mandatory)
  • CESC 130 (optional)
  • Advocacy Groups
  • Economics
  • Global Health
  • Government and Politics
  • Law
  • NGOs
  • Non-Profits
  • Social Work
  • Think Tanks
Public Affairs
  • PUB AFF 195CE (mandatory)
  • CESC 130 (optional)
  • Advocacy Groups
  • Economics
  • Global Health
  • Government and Politics
  • Law
  • NGOs
  • Non-Profits
  • Social Work
  • Think Tanks

*College Scholars Cohort Meetings:

Students enrolled in the College Scholars Virtual Global Internship Program will be required to attend 3 Virtual Cohort Meetings, including pre-departure, during program and post-program meetings. These cohort meetings will provide students an opportunity to reflect on their experiences with the larger cohort and the College Honors department, as well as share their experiences with other College Scholars (ie. post-program meeting).

Budget and Financial Aid

Budget UCLA Undergrads (4-Units)  UCLA Undergrads (8-Units)
Program Fee $2,411 $3,527
IEI Fee $61 $61

**Fees are subject to change by action of the UC Regents.

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.

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.