My Internship Schedule in Milan (Full-Time)

When I decided to do an internship through IES Abroad, I was curious about what positions past students had been placed in. But even more than that, I wanted to know: What does a typical day actually look like?

If you’re considering an internship — or you’ve already committed to one — I hope this gives you a realistic picture of what your weekly schedule might look like. Keep in mind that every internship varies depending on your company, your role, and whether you’re in a full-time or part-time track.

Here’s what my experience has looked like so far.

A Quick Introduction

I enrolled in the IES Abroad Milan Full-Time Internship Program through SAF Korea, IES Abroad’s partner organization in Korea.

I’m currently working at a small consulting firm as a:

• Market Research Intern
• Internal Marketing Intern

Unlike students who are only taking classes or doing a part-time internship, full-time internship students are not required to continue Italian language classes after the initial period. However, the two-week Intensive Italian course at the beginning of the program is mandatory for everyone.

There is also a required weekly course called the Internship Seminar, which all internship students must attend.

Most full-time interns stop taking Italian after the intensive course. In my case, I chose to continue. Since I’m doing a homestay, I wanted to communicate better with my host family — and I figured I might not get another chance to take Italian like this again.

My Weekly Schedule (Full-Time Internship Track)

Full-time internship students are required to work a minimum of 26 hours per week. Based on that minimum, I structured my week into a four-day office schedule — with Fridays off (at least initially).

Here’s how my week typically looks:

📆 Monday

• In-person at the office
• 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM lunch break

📆 Tuesday

• 9:00 AM – 10:40 AM: Internship Seminar (at IES Abroad Center)
• Remote work at the IES Abroad Center before Italian class
• 1:00 PM – 2:40 PM: Italian class
• Finish remote work after class

📆 Wednesday

• In-person at the office
• 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM
• 1:00 PM – 2:00 PM lunch break

📆 Thursday

• Remote work from home
• 1:00 PM – 2:40 PM: Italian class
• Continue working from home after class

📆 Friday

• Initially off
• (More on this below 👀)

+)One of my full-time internship friends (who doesn’t take Italian) works:

• Monday & Wednesday: 9:00 AM – 6:00 PM (in-person)
• Tuesday & Thursday: 12:00 PM – 5:00 PM (in-person)

Schedules can look very different depending on your choices and company flexibility.

A Note on Work Hours (Very Important!)

To complete the full-time internship program, you must accumulate a total of 360 work hours.

Here’s something I realized later:
If you only work the minimum 26 hours per week, you might not reach 360 hours by the end of the program.

Because of this, I’ve started adding Friday work hours during weeks when I’m not traveling.

So here’s my advice:
Calculate your total projected hours early.
Don’t wait until the last month to realize you’re short.

Flexibility & Balance

One thing I’ve appreciated is that my schedule allows a mix of:

• In-person collaboration
• Remote flexibility
• Academic engagement through the seminar
• Continued language learning

It’s busy — but manageable.

In my next post, I’ll share more about my actual workplace, what my office environment is like, and what kinds of projects I’ve been working on after about a month in.

If you’re considering the full-time internship track, I hope this gives you a clearer picture of what your weekly life might look like.

More soon✨