Want to Intern Abroad? Choose Dublin!
If you’re reading this, you already know you’d like to go overseas. Perhaps, you’ve always dreamed of living in a foreign country. Maybe, you’ve studied abroad before and you’re trying to go abroad a second time. Whatever your story, you just know an experience abroad is in your future.
The questions is, where?
Our answer: Dublin.
No, not the one in Ohio or California. We’re talking Ireland. The Emerald Isle.
So, why should you intern abroad in Dublin?
Well, there are all the regular ol’ cliches. You’ll get to see the world! Broaden your horizons! You’ll become independent and discover yourself!
The broad horizons.
And that’s all true. Those are things that you’ll experience without a doubt. But Dublin is unique and we think it’s a great place to intern abroad. Here are our reasons…
A Dublin internship placement gives you the chance to live in the city, become a part of the community, and explore deeper aspects of its character.
During your first weekend in Dublin, you’ll take a walk in the city centre, hitting up all the tourist spots. Perhaps, after a dinner of bangers and mash, or, maybe a nice Irish stew, you’ll find yourself in the Temple Bar area for a nice (very overly-priced) pint of Guinness and some “authentic” traditional Irish music. It’s exactly what you thought Ireland was. It’s all there!
But then you start your internship. Everything starts to change. The tourist you fades away. And soon you practically become a local. Out of the way, tourists!
At this point, Dublin becomes even more beautiful. The layers start to reveal themselves. Stereotypes are broken as you realize Irish people don’t actually say “top o’ the morning” when they greet you in their leprechaun suits. Although, people do drink inordinate amounts of tea.
Now, I wouldn’t normally go for cliches but an experience abroad is truly a way to see the world and broaden your horizons. In the context of Dublin, this happens on multiple levels. As an English speaking country, there’s no language barrier. However, that doesn’t mean there isn’t a difference in the way people communicate in Ireland. There’s also a huge possibility that you’ll meet people from all over Europe and the world as Dublin is a city with a growing international population. From the language to things like how early the shops close, you’ll notice the many differences in culture at times when you least expect it. It can make you smile or sometimes make you homesick. Whatever happens, you’ll end up wiser.
View of the city sprawl from the Dublin Mountains.
On another level, Dublin is a vibrant and modern city. Known as the city of villages, many are surprised to find that Dublin is an extremely diverse city, in its scope, its people, and its offerings.
In a way, the city is a paradox.
It’s sprawling with interesting towns and villages all around (many worth visiting) but the city centre is compact and easy to get around. It’s old, in that the city has a rich history and it shines through via the historical sites, museums, and the people, and it’s new, in that the young population is driving a spirit of creativity and entrepreneurship, paving the way for interesting art, music, food, startups, ideas, etc. To accompany this local renaissance, there’s also a huge international presence in the form of major multinationals setting up shop in the city. This ever-growing list already includes companies like Google, Facebook, Dropbox, and Twitter.
An experience in Dublin is a chance to be a part of a city, full of potential, in the midst of a resurgence.
Furthermore, an internship placement is a way to get an even better sense of Irish culture and gives you a chance to contribute to the community.
An internship is not only a great way to get career experience, it’s also one of the best ways to learn about a country and its people. While you might be able to meet Irish people while studying abroad, a university is still a bubble in the grand scheme of things. Working as a part of a local company or organization, you’re guaranteed to interact with Irish people and get a sense of how the city and society operates on a daily basis.
Additionally, as an intern, you’ll get to work on some interesting projects that can make a difference in the community. For example, you might get the opportunity to work in an engineering firm working on the cross-city LUAS (tram) line in Dublin, care for animals with the DSPCA, or design materials for clients at a design agency.
Joe, a Civil Engineering Intern, who worked on the cross-city LUAS (tram) project.
Dublin is the perfect hub for trips around Ireland AND Europe.
As with Rome, when in Ireland, all roads lead to Dublin. (I might’ve mashed a couple sayings together there.) Literally. It’s a relatively small country, compared to the USA, but it’s not always easy to get around the country. However, every part of the country leads to Dublin, the capital and biggest city.
That means it’s the perfect spot for weekend excursions to the various different spots in Ireland. There are buses and trains to every corner of the country. Galway. Cork. Belfast. Killarney. Sligo. Donegal. Being based in Dublin, you’ll be able to check them off the list, one by one.
Dublin is also a big stopover point for flights. It’s the gateway to Europe, if you’re traveling from North America. It’s also the home of RyanAir. For those of you who don’t know about RyanAir, it’s an Irish budget airline, existing to ferry you from one destination at uber low prices… with no frills. Seriously. Forget about any frills. Skyscanner is a great online tool for finding cheap flights as well. You’ll be able to travel to Paris, Rome, Amsterdam, Barcelona, and countless other destinations for the price of a Greyhound ticket from New York to Boston. Pretty neat, no?
Quite simply, come to Ireland for the craic.
Ask any Irish person why come to Ireland and the most common answer you’ll get is… the craic.
Ireland, where the craic is mighty.
What is the “craic?” Pronounced “crack,” the closest approximation in English is “fun.” But it is so much more than that. It’s, quite simply, about having a good time.
And there’s a lot of it to be had in Ireland.
So, don’t be minus-craic and intern abroad in London or something. (Just some friendly competition between “The Big Smokes.” Don’t get too worked up, London!) Be a craicoholic and give Dublin a go! You won’t regret it!
If you’d like more information about internships in Dublin, give us a buzz. We are Stint Ireland, and we offer internship placements and working holidays in Ireland.