Global Internships: Buenos Aires, Argentina

Summary

Interested in the Summer 2025 Buenos Aires program? Sign up to participate and/or get a recording of an information session with Puentes Abroad at www.puentesabroad.com/intern.

Gain first-hand knowledge, connections, and international work experience through an academic internship in Buenos Aires. On this program, you will:

• Undertake a professional internship opportunity to build transferable skills in the career field of your choice
• Earn academic credit for the internship via a ten-week online course
• Learn about Argentinian culture and history through an on-site course
• Live in a homestay accommodation with a local Argentinian family or in a shared apartment with other program participants

About Buenos Aires

Argentina’s varying ecosystems and diverse multicultural influences attracts everyone from biologists to foodies. Buenos Aires, the country’s cosmopolitan capital, brims with fascinating history on every corner, from its tango halls and vibrant nightlife to its museums, theaters, cafés, and late-night bookstores. Buenos Aires City has a population of 3.5 million people, so it is the bustling hub of the country and offers a fast-paced backdrop to work and life.

Thanks to the wealth of international and national businesses and nonprofit organizations based in Buenos Aires, the city offers plenty of engaging professional opportunities in diverse sectors and fields for all participants.

Program Details

Dates:

• Buenos Aires: May 29 – July 26, 2025
• Online Course: June 9 – August 15, 2025

Dates are subject to change.

Units: 6 units

Language of Instruction: English

Two Required Courses:

On-site course:

• HISTORY N100G: History and Culture of Food in Argentina (3 units)

And an online course of your choice:

• UGIS W157: Experiential Learning (3 units) or
• UGIS W158: Global Citizenship (3 units)

Program Inclusions

• Internship development, placement, and oversight
• Personalized internship matching process, with an individual pre-placement meeting and interviews directly with potential internship companies and organizations
• Pre-internship preparation, including the completion of the Puentes Internship Work Agreement, outlining a detailed work plan and internship objectives
• Designated Puentes Mentor to provide personalized oversight of the internship experience
• Internship oversight meetings with Puentes Mentor, intern, and internship supervisor at the beginning, middle, and close of the internship
• Ongoing mentoring, training, and progress tracking from the intern's supervisor

Participant Support

• Pre-departure information and webinar
• Orientation seminar upon arrival with key information on navigating life and work in Buenos Aires
• Exclusive access to an online Participant Portal with resources on living in Argentina
• Welcome pack with public transportation card, local currency, traditional snacks, and tote bag
• 24/7 on the ground support in Buenos Aires
• Co-working days for each intern to use at a local co-working space

Cultural Immersion Activities

• Welcome empanada dinner with program participants
• City tour of Buenos Aires
• Tango lesson with a professional tango dancer and "chocotorta" and "mate" lessons
• Day trip to a typical ranch ("estancia")
• Community Impact Day for interns to volunteer with a local nonprofit to make a positive contribution to Argentine society
• Mixer with Argentine students and young professionals to meet and
  mingle with local peers through facilitated group activities

Professional Development Activities

• Professional development seminars on making the most of your global internship experience and on building an international career path
• Alumni support, including letters of recommendation and professional networking
• Puentes Connect event with all interns, internship supervisors, and local alumni from U.S. universities to facilitate community building and networking during an evening gathering with food and beverages

Housing

• Students will live in homestay accommodations with private bedrooms or shared apartments with private bedrooms
• Housing check-in with the Puentes Team
• Breakfast daily and five weekly dinners are included in the homestay option
• Gender-inclusive housing options are available on this program. If you have clarifying questions, please feel free to reach out to the program staff

Eligibility

• Currently enrolled in a degree program or have graduated within the last 12 months
• At least one year of college coursework completed by the start of the program
• 2.0 GPA or higher
• At least 18 years old at the time of application
• At least an intermediate Spanish level is required.  The more
  Spanish proficiency you have, the more internship options will be
  available to you and the more opportunities for cultural and
  professional immersion you will have while in country. Please refer to
  this Language Level Guide.
• Not on academic probation or under censure for student misconduct at any point from application review to the end of your program

Application

• Please note: Prior to applying to this program, you will be required to complete a mandatory advising call with our in-country partner Puentes Abroad. Although the application opens December 2, you can start this process any time.
  • First, complete the complete the brief Puentes Internship Interest Form to help prepare for the advising call.
  • Immediately after you submit the Internship Interest Form, you will receive a link to schedule an advising call with the Puentes Team. Advising call spots will fill up fast, so we recommend booking as early as possible. It is important to note that this advising call is a mandatory step in the application process and required to remain eligible for the program. 
• Application opens December 2, 2024 at 9 am PST
• Space is limited and applications are accepted on a first-come, first-served basis
• Deadline to apply is January 15, 2025 at 11:59 pm PST

Courses

In addition to your internship, you will take an on-site local history course and an online internship course for a total of 6 Berkeley units.

On-site Course

Course: HISTORY N100G
Title: The History and Culture of Food in Argentina
Dates: May 31 – July 27, 2024
Instructor: Lisa Ubelaker Andrade, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

This interdisciplinary course uses food as a lens to study Argentina: its history, culture, and contemporary society and politics. Through food, we discuss Argentina’s long history of immigration and cultures of mixture; ideas about imperialism, race, class, and political inclusion; nationalist politics surrounding the beef industry; metaphors and representations of national identity; gender roles and cultures of domestic labor; and more recent questions related to economy, food security, poverty, and political and economic crises. Prepare to gain a profound grasp of the Argentine past and reality as we investigate the origins and the impact of how, what, and why Argentina eats what Argentina eats.

This course satisfies the L&S Historical Studies breadth requirement. Please note that academic requirements may change. Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements this course may fulfill.

This was one of the best classes I have had the pleasure of taking. I loved the format and
engagement of the class, and found all of the assignments related to my experience in
Argentina. The content was a really great foundation for curiosity and knowledge of Buenos
Aires. I loved it all. - Gillian B.

Professor Lisa is incredibly engaging! You can tell how passionate and knowledgeable she is about Argentina and its culture and history! Her exercises always made sense and they were fun! I loved roleplaying different Argentines! - Andrea M.

Online Course

Option 1:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W157
Title: Experiential Learning
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on what it is to be both a worker and citizen in a globalizing world. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to explore the importance of cultural / generational differences in the workplace, professional ethics and personal values, and the structure and norms of different types of organizations. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, presentations, and online group discussions will ask you to engage in honest self-reflection about what you want from your career, and to develop the skills you need to succeed personally and professionally in a rapidly changing world.  We hope that this course will help understand the challenges of the modern global workplace and guide you towards a successful and fulfilling career. 
 

Option 2:

Course: Undergraduate & Interdisciplinary Studies W158
Title: Global Citizenship
Dates: June 9 - August 15, 2025
Instructor: Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.
Units: 3 units
Prerequisites: None

With this course, you will be able to add a new dimension to your internship experience: a reflection on global citizenship. You will be challenged to use your internship experience as an opportunity to critically explore cultural differences, modes of conduct and values. A series of audio-visual lectures, practical exercises, writing assignments, projects, and online group discussions will stimulate you to leave the comfort zone of what you are familiar with and to explore alternative views on right and wrong, good and bad and the beautiful and the ugly. The course will also encourage you to interact with locals and to engage with the city/region/country where you live during your internship. It is our hope that this course will help to increase your consciousness about the challenges of being a global citizen.

Consult with your college/major advisor to see which degree requirements these courses may fulfill.

Registration

Global Internships staff will enroll you in courses after your acceptance to the program. Please make sure there are no active blocks on your student account that may impact your course enrollment.

Instructors

Lisa Ubelaker Andrade, Ph.D.

HISTORY N100G: The History and Culture of Food in Argentina

Lisa Ubelaker Andrade has a PhD in Latin American and U.S. International History from Yale University. Her research has taken her to Ecuador through an International Dissertation Research Fellowship from the Social Science Research Council and to Argentina as a Fulbright Scholar. She is currently an assistant professor of
history at San Andrés University in Argentina. She also serves as a coeditor of The Buenos Aires Reader (Duke University Press).

Richard Thomas Ashcroft, Ph.D.

UGIS W157: Experiential Learning
Email: rashcroft@berkeley.edu

Richard Ashcroft is a Lecturer in UC Berkeley’s Department of Political Science and Interdisciplinary Social Science Programs, and former Postdoctoral Coordinator for the Network for a New Political Economy. His research and teaching explore how modern societies should evolve in the face of deepening diversity and disagreement, with a particular focus on the connections between postwar multiculturalism, political economy, and the legacies of empire. He teaches courses on the political theory of multiculturalism, classical and contemporary political economy, and US, UK and EU politics.

Dr. Ashcroft is from Winchester in the United Kingdom. He read Theology at Oxford, before attending law school in London and qualifying as a Solicitor of the Senior Courts of England and Wales. He spent several years working for a leading US-UK firm specializing in tax and trust law, and then became a legal aid lawyer in South London acting for the homeless and tenants of social housing. During this period he received an MA in the Theory and Practice of Human Rights, before completing his PhD in Political Science at UC Berkeley in 2018.
 

Jeroen Dewulf, Ph.D.

UGIS W158: Global Citizenship
Email: jdewulf@berkeley.edu

Dr. Jeroen Dewulf is Associate Professor in the Department of German at the University of California, Berkeley where he teaches courses in German Studies and Dutch Studies. He is also Queen Beatrix chair as well as Director of Institute of European Studies and Director of Dutch Studies.

Born in Ostend, Belgium, Dr. Dewulf graduated in Dutch and German Philology at the University of Ghent. He holds a Master's degree from the University of Porto and a Ph.D. from the University of Bern. His areas of specialization are European Studies, particularly related to (multi)cultural identity in Belgium and the Netherlands, and Post-Colonial Studies, in particular, Dutch colonial history and literature.

Internship

The Global Internships team works one-on-one with you to find an internship based on your academic background, experience, interests, as well as employer needs and availability. Internships in Buenos Aires are available in a wide variety of fields and internship placement is guaranteed.

Internship opportunities range from various industries and fields of interests, from educational and human rights nonprofits to healthcare agencies and tech companies, with many other high-performing nonprofits and businesses in between. Some of the internship sites are locally grown, while others are local branches of internationally operated organizations. They range from small startups to large, established companies.

Examples of past internships:

• Conduct a market analysis for the company's expansion to a new country or market, culminating in a pitch deck and a presentation to the founders and board.
• Prepare content for public health workshops in under-resourced communities and help to implement the workshops.
• Develop the strategy and content for a marketing campaign of a new product, implement the campaign, and measure its success based on key indicators.
• Participate in the creation of new customer engagement channels, using technology and business models, while perfecting the existing channels.
• Identify possible grants available from international funding sources and draft grant proposals in collaboration with the local nonprofit organization’s program directors.
• Research ineffective assistance of counsel in different Argentine legal systems and prepare a summary of findings to be used as reference in future legal cases.
• Evaluate public engagement with specific government initiatives and create a formal report on how to promote sustainability in Buenos Aires.
• Analyze product or program data, organize learnings, and create dashboards and graphics to show results and findings.

Common industry sectors for internships include, but are not limited to:

• Communications
• PR, & Media
• Development & Sustainability
• Education & Teaching
• Engineering & Operations
• Entrepreneurship & Startups
• Finance & Consulting
• Government & Public Policy
• Hospitality & Tourism
• Law & Human and Civil Rights
• Marketing & Advertising
• Medicine & Public Health
• Recruitment & Human Resources
• Technology & Web Development

Costs

Tuition and Program Fee

The fees to participate in this program are broken down into 1) tuition and 2) program fees, which are applied to your student billing account as follows:

Fees are subject to change. All non-Berkeley students must pay an additional Document Management Fee of $71.

Estimated Out-of-Pocket Expenses

In addition to the fees outlined above, Berkeley Study Abroad has estimated amounts for out-of-pocket expenses. These amounts are used to calculate financial aid packages for eligible students. Actual expenses will vary depending on your lifestyle and spending habits. Students can choose between a homestay and apartment accommodations on this program. Differences in estimated expense categories are indicated below.

It is your responsibility to obtain any necessary travel documentation for your program destination (i.e. passport, visa, etc). This may require you to pay fees of up to a few hundred dollars depending on the type of paperwork required.

Financial Aid

Financial aid is available for UC Berkeley students who are enrolled in at least 6 units during the summer.

​​Financial aid estimates for 2025 Berkeley Global Internships programs will be available in the Summer Financial Aid Estimator in your Cal Central account in early February 2025. Before the estimator is available, you may submit a financial aid estimate request form on our website.

Please FIRST obtain your estimate via the Estimate Request Form, or in the Summer Aid Estimator once available, then write to travelaid@berkeley.edu if you have any questions about the estimate you receive. Your estimate will include a Berkeley Study Abroad Scholarship if you qualify for one based on financial need.

How to locate the Estimator:

1) Log into Cal Central
2) Navigate to the My Finances Tab, and find the "Financial Resources" card
3) Scroll to the bottom of the Financial Resources card and click on Summer Sessions
4) From the Summer Sessions menu, click on Summer Cost and Aid Estimator

Make sure to adjust the number of units in the estimator if your program offers a choice of course selection. If your program only offers one combination or one course for 6 total units units, you do not need to update the units in the estimator.​

All other students should contact the financial aid office at their home institution for more information.

Puentes Access Grants

Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) and low-income students are invited to apply for a $1000 Puentes Access Grant. The deadline to apply for the 2025 Puentes Access Grants is February 5, 2025. Decisions will be announced by February 20, 2025.

Explanation of Fees

Tuition is based on a per unit cost: 

• The UC undergraduate student rate is $419 per unit
• The visiting student rate for all non-UC participants is $615 per unit

The program fee includes the following items:

• Student housing in a fully-furnished private room in apartment-style or homestay accommodations. In the homestay option, daily breakfast and five dinners per week will be provided. 
• On-site orientation activities and excursions
• Travel insurance, including accident/sickness medical coverage, emergency medical evacuation, security extraction, and other travel assistance services
• Other program-related costs, including fees for placement services
• The initial non-refundable deposit of $300, which will be charged on February 3, 2025, is applied to the program fee

Please note that the list of items included in the program fee is not all-inclusive and is subject to change. 

The following items are excluded from the program fee:

• International airfare
• Personal expenses (souvenirs, routine medical expenses, toiletries, etc.)
• Meals (access to kitchen facilities will be provided)
• Course materials (textbooks and readers)
• Other travel expenses (passport, visa, etc.)
• Additional meals
• Commuting costs for the daily travel to and from your internship

Timeline

*All dates are subject to change.