IES Internships Dublin Summer – Internship

I participated in the Dublin Summer Internship program in the summer of 2019. I interned for a small startup company called Restored Hearing. My co-workers and supervisors at my internship were some of the friendliest and most receptive people I have ever encountered. I definitely developed many of my professional skills, but I also progressed as a person. This experience was a great opportunity for me to see the world and decide how I want to live in it. The time I spent traveling around Ireland and Europe was absolutely life changing and I made many great friends along the way. This experience influenced me to change my ideas on what career path I want to take. I actually plan on going back to Ireland for Graduate School and pursuing a degree in international business.

IES Abroad Dublin - Summer Internship was a great way to get a first overseas experience. From the moment you touch down in the airport, IES staff were there to help me adjust to a new place and make it as smooth of a transition as possible. They meet all students at arrivals to help them make it to their new home. This simple touch was just one of many that made it very easy for a first time traveler to experience Ireland and make it an enjoyable experience.

The eight weeks I spent in Dublin this summer of 2015 are filled with the most fun and unforgettable experiences of my life. So many adventures, so many memories, and lessons learned about myself throughout my internship experience and just my experience of being in a completely different country.

I was always so comfortable in Dublin. There was never a moment when I felt worried or concerned about anything really. Something that completely shocked me was just how incredibly nice everyone was to one another. When walking in to a store or a pub you wouldn't get this customer service that we are used to, so that took a while to get used to, but when it came to being lost and in need of directions there was always someone who would either walk with me and point out where I had to go or draw me a map or give me some sort of traveling tips. I was able to travel and visit the cities of Howth, Cork, Galway, Drogheda, Skerries and of course the Cliffs of Moher over the weekends without it being such a big hassel.

Walking down Grafton Street and enjoying the performances there, or drinking a pint of Guinness at O'Donoghues and listening to live traditional Irish music, going back to Croke Park to see The Script in concert, having local Drogheda band The Enemies sing me happy birthday and even going to see Once The Musical at the Olympia Theater, are examples of just how much of an impact music was throughout my eight week Dublin experience. As a big fan of music, I was never disappointed in the music playing all over Ireland.

As for my internship, I worked four days a week at the Irish Council for International Students (ICOS) where my biggest project was to design the organization’s 2014 Annual Report. Apart from that, I also learned valuable office skills, and was a part of the organization’s big DVD and Training Guide launch, their Annual General Meeting and their consistent support for International Students.

I loved being in Dublin, the Irish culture was something that I loved so much more than I thought I would, to the point where I did not want to leave and am now considering returning in the future for my master’s degree.

IES Abroad was incredible from the very beginning. Right from the start, they were attentive to all of my questions and concerns. I was happy with my internship placement and enjoyed all that the program had to offer, whether it be the weekly classroom sessions, side trips like the Experience Gaelic Sports where I played a little bit of handball, hurling and Gaelic football to just being able to live, work, and explore Ireland.

It's not hyperbole to say that this experience changed my life. Although I've worked in office environments before (for nearly 7 years, in my prior life as a graphic artist and military contractor), this internship took place in a setting that was incredibly fulfilling creatively, personally, and professionally.

My coworkers were more than happy, after the initial period of getting to know each other, to offer me all sorts of personal insights about Irish culture, and they were often curious about my perspective on things as an American.

In broader terms, the experience taught me a lot of self-reliance, and it also taught me something that I hadn't realized yet, even at my age (29 years, at the time): I was okay with, and even relished, time spent by myself exploring. Dublin, and Ireland itself, is very safe for Americans and I felt comfortable traveling all over the country by myself.

In more specifics, I found the IES center to be in a great location in Dublin-- easy to access, and easy to get to from wherever we happened to be. I worked on the outskirts of the Dublin Metropolitan area, so it was a bit of a commute to and from work, but it was easy to get from work to our classes, or from work to our apartments. The public transportation in Dublin is a bit confusing at first, but we got the hang of it pretty quickly.

The seminars we were required to attend were, while time-consuming, totally relevant to learning about Irish culture and history, and I found it fascinating (even on the days we were exhausted). It was also really useful for learning about what our fellow interns were doing, since we were prettymuch all placed in different places, so the work we did and the experiences we had were really valid.

About halfway through our time in Dublin, our lecturer decided that we should spend at least one of the two seminar periods out and about the city, and for the remaining weeks we got to do things like attend a live broadcast of a news talk show, see a Spanish sailboat at the docks, watch a senior club Hurling match, and even went to one club to learn about Gaelic Games and play them ourselves! Getting out into the city with a knowledgeable, native guide was really fun and also really useful.

I never felt lost or really on my own in my time there-- I felt like there were resources, if I needed them, and luckily I didn't feel like I needed too many.

It was a shock coming back to America, and in the months I've been back, I've actually decided to try relocating to Dublin after I graduate so I can live and work there. Never, ever would have considered living outside of America before... but, there are things I can get in Dublin that I can't get anywhere else in the world.

I worked five days a week for Sportsfile, photographing Irish sporting events as well as assisting with photoshoots. I loved the Irish culture and the people I worked with most. I still keep in touch with many of my colleagues and have formed long-lasting relationships. The staff at IES Abroad was brilliant from start to finish, helping me with paperwork and expediting the process in order for me to get the best internship possible. I truly had no problems with the IES administration or my employer. Highlights included experiencing hurling, the Gaelic sport, from the sideline numerous times as well as assisting in a shoot for Adidas and Under Armour; the trip to Northern Ireland and exploring and living in Dublin.

I'd always wanted to go to Ireland and needed a summer internship, so I killed two birds with one stone and participated in this summer program with IES. I got to use my journalism skills working at a radio station and had the opportunity to work with production and record and edit my own interviews. My schedule was flexible, so I had plenty of time to explore Dublin and travel on weekends. It was by far the most amazing six weeks of my life and I wish I could repeat my experience this summer! Dublin is such a wonderful city that has so much to offer. Working abroad is one of the best decisions I've ever made.