Internships

The International Youth Internship Program (IYIP) is accepting applications for its second cohort soon! Jointly implemented by the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation and the Marine Institute of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, the program offers youth aged 18 - 30 the opportunity to gain valuable international work experience through 4-month internship placements with partner organizations in Africa, the Caribbean, Asia, and Central America.

About the Program

The International Youth Internship Program was launched in 1997, and has always focused on offering young people aged 18-30 from Canada the opportunity to gain skills and professional experience while travelling, living, and working abroad. Since its inception, IYIP has and sent over 7,000 youth to work with partner organizations and institutional abroad in the field of international development.

IYIP is part of the Government of Canada's Youth Employment and Skills Strategy and aims to prepare youth in Canada for future employment or further studies. The focus of the current 2023-2028 IYIP program is to provide meaningful and transformative opportunities to youth facing barriers to employment, such as youth with disabilities, Indigenous youth, racialized youth, and 2SLGBTQI+ youth.

This program is designed for youth who:

Have faced barriers in securing meaningful employment
Are seeking opportunities to acquire new skills and gain professional experience abroad
Are interested in contributing their knowledge and skills in meaningful ways abroad
Are curious, open-minded, and flexible

IYIP is a 5-month commitment that involves:

1 month of pre-departure training (3 weeks virtually, 1 week in person),
4 month international internship placement with a local partner organization,
3 days of post-internship debrief in Canada.

The program costs are funded (including airfare, transportation costs, visa fees, pre-departure and post-internship training), and interns will receive a stipend while abroad.

Information Sessions

Join us for an Information Session to learn more about the IYIP Program, the application and selection process, and placement opportunities for Cohort 2. Registration is required.

Tuesday, July 30th 7 pm EDT/8 pm ADT/8:30 pm NDT

Friday, August 2nd 11 am EDT/12 pm ADT/12:30 pm NDT

Tuesday, August 6th at 7:00 pm EDT/8 pm ADT/8:30 pm NDT

This program works with Canadian and international partners across 15 countries. To learn more about the partners, and the type of internship assignment you might have, please review the information sheet for Cohort 2 by clicking here.

Application Process

Step 1: Written Application

Your written application is completed through the application form online. The information and questions are simple and meant to help us understand why you’re interested in the program and what you might bring to it. These applications are reviewed with three criteria: that you have learned about and looked into the program, that you indicate a good fit for one of the partner organizations or placement opportunities, and that you demonstrate one of the qualities most important to the program (curiosity, flexibility, adaptability, and open-mindedness). Applications not meeting these criteria will not be invited to step two.

Step 2: Introductory Interview

The Introductory Interview is completed with one of the program managers as a way to learn more about your skills, experiences, and interests. These are conversational interviews that have some planned questions. In this step of the process, we select candidates to move forward who demonstrate the qualities important to the program: curiosity, flexibility, adaptability, and open-mindedness.

Step 3: Placement Interview

The final step in the application process is an interview with international partners and/or subject matter experts. These are more formal, structured interviews led by our international partners and require preparation on the part of the applicant. Not everyone who completes a Placement Interview will be offered an internship position and in this final stage, the international partners ultimately determine who receives an offer.

Applications for Cohort 3 (August to December 2025) will open in the winter of 2025.

Eligibility Criteria

To be eligible for this program, you must be:

18-30 years old, at the start date of the internship
A Canadian citizen or permanent resident

This program gives priority to Indigenous, Racialized, 2SLGBTQIA+ interns and youth who have experienced barriers to employment due to COVID-19. This means the program will first select interns who hold those identities from the pool of applicants.

No education, work or travel experiences are required to be eligible and successful in this program. We welcome applicants with lived experience and expertise and invite applicants to reach out to us with questions if you are unsure if this program is a good fit for you.

Application Details

August 15, 2024