Virtual Internships in Quito —

Program Details

Virtual Internships in Quito is a four-credit internship opportunity. It’s critical to learn to adapt, acclimate, discover new ways to contribute, and be productive working remotely. Virtual internships combined with the internship course give you an opportunity to learn and develop valuable skills.

Location	Quito, Ecuador
Term	Fall Semester
Credit Type	Resident Credit
Sponsor	Learning Abroad Center

Program Eligibility

GPA	2.5
Student Type	UofM Students
Student Year	Sophomores, Juniors, Seniors

About Virtual Internships in Quito

The Virtual Internship in Quito program is a four-credit internship opportunity. Virtual internships combined with the internship course give you an opportunity to learn and develop valuable skills.

You’ll work on projects from the US for an international organization while adding a global perspective to your professional work experience. You’ll apply your in-class knowledge to real-world meaningful work, gain experience working remotely, expand your skill base, earn four credits from coursework, and maximize your time.

While we’ll try to place you in your preferred location, keep in mind that our top consideration is making an appropriate match to your skills, experience, and internship goals.

Learning Outcomes

At the conclusion of this course, students will be able to:
- Communicate and navigate effectively in a global, virtual environment
- Gain culture specific knowledge of work placement country
- Understand your own values, skills, and behaviors and how different values and communication styles may impact workplace dynamics; develop strategies for adapting to these differences
- Identify and articulate skills and experiences necessary to reach future career goals; develop learning objectives for the virtual internship site that will help you move toward these career aspirations
- Conduct your work during the internship utilizing best practices around professional behavior within a virtual work environment
- Understand and practice tolerance of different cultural assumptions
- Use a comparative framework in essays and dialogue with fellow students to examine cultural and professional aspects of work and how COVID-19 has impacted these environments
- Research and analyze the placement country’s workplace, particularly in terms of social media and online presence, including language, norms, values, economic assumptions and compare this to virtual environment to the US
About the Learning Abroad Center

Learning Abroad Center programs are:
- Affordable: our programs are cost effective.
- Academically strong: many programs have strong University of Minnesota departmental support and offer pre-approved courses for many majors.
- Culturally rich: regardless of the program you choose, you will have the opportunity to immerse yourself in the local culture.
- Expertly managed: our staff in Minnesota and abroad are trained professionals and are always available to answer your questions from extensive pre-departure advising and online orientations to reentry programming. Your safety and well-being are paramount, and we work hard to ensure you have a rewarding and safe experience abroad.

Program Structure

Program Level	3000-level course
Courseload	One 4-credit virtual internship course as well as 12–20 hours per week at your internship placement.

Course Schedule

September 21st, 2020: Virtual internship course begins

September 28th, 2020: Virtual internship placement begins

December 16th, 2020: Virtual internship course and placement ends

The class will meet synchronously three times throughout the semester. The schedule of those classes is:

September 21st at 10:00-11:00am
November 2nd at 10:00-11:00am
December 11th at 10:00-11:00am

Coursework

The 4-credit virtual internship course will consist of lectures, small-group discussions, readings, posting to prompts, blogs, essays, a mock interview, and a presentation. Along with the class, you’ll be assigned projects for 12–20 hours per week at your internship placement. The course will help you apply in-class knowledge to your work and understand your newly developed professional skills to articulate in professional situations.

You may selected from an English-taught or Spanish-taught section of the course.

Virtual Internship Syllabus (PDF)

Internship Placements

Health Data Analyst

Cayambe / Pedro Moncayo Health District
Research changes in epidemiological and mortality profiles by reviewing data from a variety of sources
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or equivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Healthcare, Research, Public Health, Nonprofit
Status: 2-3 positions available

Health Research Assistant — Child & Maternal Health

Review scientific papers to learn about the impacts of COVID 19 on pregnancies and child health.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or equivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Healthcare, Research, Public Health, Nonprofit
Status: Position filled

Media & Communications Assistant

Work with a local publishing company to develop a strategic social media plan as well as graphics and video content.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Communications, Creative Media, Graphic Design, Social Media, Nonprofit
Internship Status: 1-2 positions available

Web Design Assistant

Work with a variety of small, locally-owned businesses to establish a web presence.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Web Design, Communications
Internship Status: 1-2 positions available

Virtual Education Resource Developer — Food & Nutrition

Develop educational modules related to nutrition, food sovereignty, sustainability, etc. Recommend best practices and platforms for educating children online.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Education, Environmental/Sustainability
Internship status: 2-3 positions available

Virtual Education Resource Developer — Science & Robotics

Create virtual STEM education resources for children and young people, including video and visual content.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Intenship Industries: Education, Sustainability, Communications, Creative Media, Graphic Design
Internship status: 1 position available

Marketing & Market Research Intern

Marketing, promotion and market research for an association of local farmers to help them expand the market for their products within Quito.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Marketing, Communications, Research, Nonprofit
Internship status: 3 positions available

Branding & Design Intern

Work with with local artisans and producers within sevel microenterprises to create their visual brand.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Graphic Design, Marketing, Communications, Nonprofit
Internship status: 1-2 positions available

Marketing Assistant

Research local markets and trends in order to help several local artisans and producers within sevel microenterprises to expand the market for their products, both locally and internationally.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Marketing, Communications, Research, Nonprofit
Internship status: 1 position available

Health Research Assistant — Food & Nutrition

Design, conduct and analyze results of a survey regarding food intake/nutrition within a local community.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Public Health, Research, Nonprofit
Internship status: Positions filled

Nutrition Education Intern

Develop nutritional training materials for children and pregnant women.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Public Health, Research, Nonprofit
Internship status: Position filled

Human Rights Research Assistant

Compile a list of local resources for immigrants. This could include shelters, youth programs, and human services.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Nonprofit, Research, International Relations, Nonprofit
Internship status: 2-3 positions available

Environmental Education Assistant

Help to create online environmental education resources for children and young people.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Education, Environmental/Sustainability, Nonprofit
Internship status: 2-3 positions available

Communication Assistant — Environmental Policy

Help a small local government in the Amazon region communicate their environmental policies to the public.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Education, Environmental/Sustainability
Internship status: Position available

Research Assistant — Environmental Policy

Help a small local government in the Amazon region collect/analyze environmental data and make recommendations for future legislation.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Education, Environmental/Sustainability
Internship status: Position available

Social Media/Web Assistant — Environmental Conservation

Support for community communication processes on issues of cultural identity and the environment for the conservation of the Amazon jungle.
Internship language: Spanish
Language prerequisite: SPAN 1004 or eqivalent proficiency
Internship Industries: Education, Environmental/Sustainability
Internship status: 1 position available

Dates & Deadlines

Submit the online application and complete the assigned application checklist according to the appropriate deadline:

Program Term	App Open Date	Deadline^*
Fall 2020	Jul 15	Aug 15
Virtual Internship Course Begins		Sep 21
Virtual Internship Placement Begins		Sep 28
Course and Placement Ends		Dec 16

Fees for Virtual Internships in Quito

The tuition rate for this 4-credit course is the same as other undergraduate UMTC courses and will be billed to your UofM student account. If you are already taking 13 credits this fall, you can add the virtual international internship course at no additional cost. Visit Onestop for additional information about tuition costs.

Cancellation Policy

The regular Learning Abroad Center cancellation and refund policy does not apply to this course. If you decide to cancel your participation in the course after confirming your participation, the Learning Abroad Center will bill your University of Minnesota student account for non-recoverable costs incurred to secure an internship placement on your behalf. In addition to any tuition refund processed per Onestop policies, if you cancel before the course start date, you will be billed $400. If you cancel after the course start date, you will be billed $600.
Center Name TC Learning Abroad Ctr

Country Ecuador

Submit

Apply Now

Complete

After completing the above application, which includes submitting a cover letter and resume, your application will be reviewed.

Next Steps

After the above application is complete, your application is reviewed by our program team. You will be notified of an acceptance decision by email. After the initial application submission, you may need to submit additional application materials with our onsite partners. This could include a letter of recommendation, transcript, and/or a cover letter and resume in the language of your host city/country. You may also be asked to conduct interviews with potential internship placements.

If accepted, you will be assigned a confirmation checklist, which you will complete to confirm your participation in the program. If you decide not to continue with the application process, log into the online application system and submit a Cancel Request.

Register for On Campus Course

Once you are confirmed in the program, the Learning Abroad Center will register you in the 4-credit Virtual Internship course. No other action is needed from you to register for the course. You will not be able to withdraw from this course on your own, you will need to contact the Learning Abroad Center.
Program Contact

We encourage you to reach out early in the process if you have questions about available placements, so that our advisers can help guide you to the location that works best for your skills, experience, and internship goals.

For further information or questions about this program, send an email to
Molly Micheels or call at 612.624.3949.