Intern Experience Abroad : Anna's Opinion
Anna is from the UK and she studies Spanish & Russian at Bath. As part of her degree she spent 5 months with us at Globalteer as our Volunteer Coordinator Intern. If you want to know more about her experience, have a read below.
The Internship Itself
Being a volunteer coordinator is the best of both worlds – you get professional experience as well as getting to act as a volunteer when showing the actual volunteers to the projects on their first day. If I had a typical day, I would describe it to you, but one of the best parts of this internship is that every day is different. Some days you have planned out: airport pick-up, town tour etc. Other days you think you’ll just be in the office answering emails, but then something comes up and you have to rush off to buy new chairs for the volunteer house or go to one of the projects to help out with an emergency. You will never be bored.
You will also learn and do a whole bunch of things you never thought you would. If, 5 months ago, you told me that for work I was going to help construct guinea pig pens for a rural community in Peru, I would have laughed in your face. Yet, in September I found myself doing just that as part of the setting up of Globalteer’s new women’s community project in Pinagua, Peru. As part of my job I have also become an excellent haggler, bunk bed builder and spent a week at our wildlife sanctuary in the Amazon. The opportunities you get are incredible; I don’t think I have ever learnt so much in such a short period of time.
The Support
One of the reasons I learnt so much is thanks to the support of the Globalteer staff and other interns. They are always willing to help you out and try their hardest to answer any and all questions you have, whether it’s about the job or the best place to get coffee in town. The office is such a nice work environment, improved even further by our fortnightly pot-luck lunches.
The Volunteer House
Potentially the best part of being an intern is the volunteer house. Not only do you get free accommodation and food, but you get a little family too. As a house we often had movie nights, went out for dinner or drinks and organised plenty of weekends away to visit other areas of this insanely beautiful and varied country.
Cusco and around!
That’s another amazing thing about interning in Cusco: location. Not only is there plenty to do in and around the city, but the good transport links enable you use your weekends to travel to other cities or areas in Peru, including Arequipa, Puerto Maldonado (in the Amazon), Lake Titicaca, Huacachina (an oasis in the desert) and of course Aguas Calientes (the gateway to Machu Picchu). You should definitely make the most of opportunities to travel and you can always find really cheap options for both accommodation and transport.
I recommend becoming an Intern at Globalteer!
Interning as a volunteer coordinator for Globalteer has been an all-round amazing experience. I have done things I never thought I would, I have grown so much as a person, I have visited some of the most beautiful places in the world, and I have made lifelong friends. I cannot recommend the experience highly enough.