Why choose a virtual internship with CYA?

CYA has been overseeing students in volunteer placements and internships in Greece for over twenty-five years. Students have interned in many of the amazing spaces this country has to offer, ranging from sectors that connect to Greece’s ancient heritage, to contemporary economic and social issues, to business, the arts, and many many more.

CYA utilizes this experience and its strong network of contacts in Athens to offer you a virtual international internship designed to match your own interests. Greece has been undergoing dynamic changes in recent years, and students have been able to learn directly from the professionals who are behind those changes.

• Program length: 12 weeks
• Program dates: dates can be arranged to your schedule
• Program fee: $1,250
• Intern commitment: Approx. 9-11 hours per week
• Program credit: transcript issued from College Year in Athens

A CYA faculty member supervises the virtual internship, running activities that increase cultural immersion, facilitate intercultural communication, and give the intern the tools needed to make the most of an international internship experience virtually.

• weekly support check-ins
• cultural immersion activities
• workshops
• optional credit
• wide variety of majors supported

CYA oversees students in internships related to communications, business, tourism, cultural heritage management, social and economic research institutes, the environmental sector, health sector, NGOs that provide support for marginalized populations, museums, libraries, and theater and the arts.

If you have another interest relevant to the social context in Greece and Europe, let us know and we’ll advise you if we’re able to help!

CYA is committed to diversity and inclusion, both in the organizations we partner with, and in supporting its students.

ELIAMEP
an independent, non-governmental, nonprofit think tank who conducts foreign-policy research and recommendations

IOBE
a private, non-profit, public-benefit research organization

JEWISH MUSEUM OF GREECE

MUSEUM OF THE CITY OF ATHENS
Housed in a building that was the first royal palace of Greece, the Museum’s collections include Athens-related items from antiquity to contemporary art, and displays of furniture depicting typical living-room arrangements of 19th century Athenian aristocracy.

PROLEPSIS
the Institute of Preventive Medicine, Environmental and Occupational Health Prolepsis is an NGO active in the field of medical research, health promotion, environmental and occupational health

SOCIAL HACKERS ACADEMY
the first tech education school in Athens for vulnerable groups

THE GREEN TANK
an independent, non-profit think tank developing policy solutions for a sustainable future, with a focus on biodiversity, climate change mitigation, a sustainable economy, and quality of life issues

ANEMON PRODUCTIONS
a non-profit dedicated to producing documentaries, educational programs and cross-media projects

ATHENS INSIDER MAGAZINE
an English-language culture, arts, gastronomy, and events magazine, chosen as Best Travel Magazine in Greece at the Tourism 2020 Awards

Before the internship begins:

• The CYA Faculty Supervisor will work with you to match you with an internship that corresponds to your interests and experience.
• A detailed overview of your internship project and expectations will be agreed upon between you, the internship host organization, and your CYA faculty supervisor.
• An online orientation and tutorial on virtual internships will get you set up on the basics of doing remote work.
• An online orientation meeting with your CYA faculty supervisor and your internship host organization supervisor will prepare you for the journey ahead.

Communication during the virtual internship:

• Weekly video check-ins will occur with the CYA faculty supervisor to evaluate progress and discuss the curriculum materials
• Weekly video and/or email check-ins will occur with the internship host supervisor to evaluate progress, discuss the work and the organization, and incorporate the intern into the host organization’s work culture.
• Video chats with fellow interns will be regularly scheduled for informal discussions of progress and challenges

Workshops and online activities occurring weekly alongside of project work will cover:

• Learning about the Greek and European social setting of the internship, to provide knowledge to contextualize the work being done
• Cultural immersion activities, addressing diversity in norms and practices across cultures
• Career development in the chosen sector
• Networking chats with other members of the internship host organization, to gain a more holistic sense of their work and goals
• Reflection sessions to help interns track their own learning and development

The internship workload:

• Interns may wish to receive university credit for the internship. Our standard internship requires approximately 130 project hours total, and qualifies for 3 credits. Over a 12 week internship, that will be 9-11 hours per week spent on the internship.
• Those hours include hours spent working on the internship project, video chats, as well as the CYA workshops and activities.
• Shorter or longer internship durations may be arranged, and internships with additional or fewer credit hours can also be arranged.

Evaluation of the internship:

• The intern will be regularly evaluated, and self-evaluate, on the skills they are developing relevant to communication, critical thinking, creativity, dependability, professionalism, time management, organization, and quality of work.
• Structured written feedback on the final project will be given at the completion of the internship, following a rubric given to the intern in advance.
• Reflections and responses completed as part of CYA’s workshops and activities will also be evaluated.
• A meeting will be scheduled at the end of the internship between the intern, the Host supervisor, and the CYA faculty supervisor, for a concluding discussion of the student’s progress and accomplishments.

Internship course credits:

• For credit: Universities have differing requirements for granting internship credit; you should be in communication with your home institution before the internship begins. If your home institution requires additional written work to be produced, or has different hour requirements for internships, CYA can work with you to structure the internship to meet their requirements. CYA’s transcript will reflect these requirements.
• Without credit: If your home institution will not grant credit for an internship, CYA will provide you with a certificate of completion and written evaluation.

A deposit of $150 is due within two weeks after your application has been accepted. Balance is due within two weeks after confirmation of your internship.
Checks should be in US dollars and made payable to College Year in Athens, Inc. For questions on any matters concerning finances, please e-mail the Bursar, bursar@cyathens.org.

If you cancel at any time before the agreed-upon starting date of the Internship, you will receive a full refund, including the $150 deposit. There will be no refund if you cancel after the agreed-upon starting date of the Internship.

To apply, complete Section 1 of the CYA Virtual Program Application at the link below. Students will be asked to upload a resume (which should include contact information of two references), and a Statement of Interest (a statement of 500-800 words describing the type of internship you are interested in, the reasons, what you can offer and what you expect to gain from the internship). An official transcript should be sent directly from your home institution.

Upon receipt of the above, the CYA faculty supervisor will contact you to start the process of matching you with the appropriate institution and putting together the components of your internship. When your Internship is confirmed CYA will send you a Letter of Confirmation for you to sign and return. The Letter of Confirmation will contain a detailed description of your internship project and schedule, and the start and end dates of your internship.

If you have any questions about the program, please contact us at internships@cyathens.org