Rome - Full-Time Semester Internship

Why Rome?

Live and intern in Rome—the capital and largest city in Italy. Built on nearly 3,000 years of history, Rome is home to almost 3 million residents. In addition to the world-famous art, architecture, food, and fashion, you’ll find a bustling finance, start-up, and technology scene.

Your Internship

An IES Internship abroad develops your professional skills, your ability to communicate across cultures, and provides substantive work experience to jump-start your career in today’s competitive job market. Our 14-week program in Rome guarantees an unpaid, for-credit internship placement at a local business or organization, where you’ll work for at least 25 hours a week.

Before you leave to start your internship in Rome, we will work with you to fine-tune your résumé, perfect your cover letter, and hone your communication and interview skills as we prepare you for working in a new cultural environment. We will work with you to help find the closest match between your expressed preferences and professional goals with what’s available via IES Internships in Rome.

When you arrive, the staff at our Rome Center will welcome you for orientation. This includes an introduction to the city, housing, commuting, and professional and cultural expectations. The Rome Center is your central place for instruction, support, and meeting other interns. You also will enroll in a required 3-credit academic internship seminar, conducted in English, with other IES Internships students, where you’ll learn about a variety of local business settings and opportunities.

With IES Internships’ dedicated staff and international connections, you can be sure that you’ll find a semester internship in Rome that meets your goals. You’ll learn, and learn to stand out!

PLACEMENT FIELDS:
Past students have interned in placements like the examples listed below. Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive We encourage students of all majors to apply.

Tourism company that specializes in unique and creative ways to see Italy
Startup accelerator that provides young startups with funding and networks
Neuroscience research and health care company developing new research and technologies
Archaeological-research organization investigating historical sites around Rome
Creative agency serving companies through both traditional communication and the production of multimedia tools such as web sites, apps, and motion graphics
Center promoting social inclusion for homeless people in a process of welcome, integration, and conviviality
Locally-renowned chef-operated cooking school
Well-known Italian wedding planning business
Association founded immediately after the bombing of Iraq in 1991, which promotes solidarity initiatives for Iraqis who suffered during the war
Organization dedicated to the preservation and appreciation of Italy’s unique cultural heritage

Don’t see what you're looking for? Just talk to your IES Internships Representative—new internships in Rome are always being added!

Daily Life

Commute to your internship in Rome via the Metropolitana (railway), bus, tram, or by foot for a picturesque stroll For lunch, stop into a tavola calda to enjoy a fresh, hot meal and coffee, followed by a scoop of gelato on your walk back to work.

$6+ Million in Scholarships & Aid

We firmly believe that financial limitations should not prevent a qualified student from participating in an IES Abroad Program. This is why we commit more than $6 million to our scholarship and aid programs.

Learn more

Academics

Before you go, we work with you to fine-tune your résumé, perfect your cover letter, and hone your communication and interview skills as we prepare you for working in a new cultural environment. You’ll be guaranteed a placement at a local business or organization that fits your professional interests.

Academic Seminar
While interning in Rome, you’ll also enroll in a required English-taught 3-credit academic internship seminar with other IES interns, where you’ll gain context for your internship placement by examining cultural issues in the workplace.

Topics covered include:

Understanding workplace culture
Improving communication
Strengthening work attitude and aptitude
Navigating issues, challenges, and opportunities so you can succeed on the job in Rome and when you return home

Personalized Placements
Your internship coordinator will work with you to find a placement in the field of your choice, where you will work for 25 hours per week. We’ve placed past interns at companies and organizations in the following fields:

Archaeology
Arts, Art History & Humanities
Business
Environment & Community Service
Entrepreneurship
Immigration & Social Inclusion
International Development
International Relations & Politics
IT
Marketing
Media & Journalism
Social Action
Travel & Tourism
Visual Arts

Don’t see your field listed here? Just talk to your IES Internships Representative—new internships in Rome are always being added!

Italian Language Courses
You will also have the opportunity to take a 4-credit Italian language course.

Courses

This is a list of planned course offerings. After you are accepted, you will see a list of tentative course offerings in your MyIESabroad account.

Internship Seminar
Course Name	Term	Language	Credits
IN 395 - Internship Seminar	Fall, Spring	English	3

Service Learning
Course Name	Term	Language	Credits
SL/SO 395 - Social Action Seminar	Fall, Spring	English	3

Sociology
Course Name	Term	Language	Credits
SL/SO 395 - Social Action Seminar	Fall, Spring	English	3

Field Trips & Events

You can participate in field trips and extracurricular activities in and around Rome, and cultural activities at the Rome Center.

All field trips are optional for Internship students and additional costs apply. These trips are academic, not solely touristic, in nature and your participation depends on availability within your work schedule. Potential destinations include:

Amalfi Coast
2 Days | Fall & Spring
Explore the stunning coastal towns of Sorrento, Positano, and Amalfi with a visit to a local producer of wine and a limoncello factory.

Tuscany
2 Days | Fall & Spring
Tour the countryside of one of Italy’s most unique regions, with its gorgeous landscapes and rich artistic legacy. You will also visit the sites of the birthplace of the Italian Renaissance.

IES Abroad field trip destinations, activities, and lengths of stay may vary according to term and availability.

Daily Life

Part of making you feel at home in Rome is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it’s the orientation program that prepares you for what’s ahead, your housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re all about our student services. This is just one of the things we’re known for.

Orientation

The staff at our Rome Center will welcome you for orientation. This 2-day orientation includes an introduction to the city and program, including housing, commuting, and professional and cultural expectations. The Rome Center is your central place for instruction, support, and meeting other interns.

Additionally, CORE™, IES Abroad’s Comprehensive Orientation & Re-entry Experience, begins during orientation and continues throughout the semester with activities focusing on cultural adjustment, goal achievement, and preparing for the return home.

Housing

We want to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding which landmarks to see first or discovering the best café—not finding a place to live where you feel comfortable. We do our best to locate housing that is reflective of how the local students are living. Our goal is that when you leave Rome, it will feel like home.

Apartments
Apartments are furnished, single-sex, and generally accommodate four to seven students, with two to three IES Abroad students sharing a bedroom. Internet access is available in every apartment. Meals are not included, but apartments offer equipped kitchens. Apartments may also have an Italian Student Companion, or ISC, a local Italian student who provides opportunities to engage in cultural activities.

Extracurricular Activities & Cultural Events

Spend your free time exploring Rome, one of the most photogenic cities in the world, with its beautiful piazzas; breathtaking statues, parks, cathedrals, and fountains and winding historic streets.

Get to Know Your New City

Discover the Ins and Outs of World-Famous Landmarks

The Pantheon, Colosseum, Trevi Fountain, Vatican…the list of historic sites in Rome is endless. Our programs take you beyond the tourist visits and inside the cultural and historic significance of these landmarks.

Watch Roma Game

Soccer is more than a sport in Italy. Soak in the passion and pride at an A.S. Roma game in the Stadio Olimpico.

Shop at Local Farmer's Market

Spend the morning picking up produce, cured meats, freshly baked bread, and Rome’s famous mozzarella di bufala. Pro tip: Make it a picnic with your local friends and head to a park or piazza to enjoy!

Take in a Panoramic View of the City

While founded on seven hills, Rome is actually surrounded by 10. Take your pick and climb to the top for the best views of the city.

Take a Cooking Class

There’s no denying the mouthwatering food of Rome. Partake in the Center-sponsored cooking class, where you’ll learn the techniques and traditions of Roman cooking first-hand.

Program Cost

Consider these prices as a starting point. We encourage you to contact your study abroad office to determine the actual cost to you when factoring in financial aid, scholarships, your home school policies, and other factors.

Term: Spring 2020
Term	Tuition	Housing	Insurance	Total
Spring 2020	$3,670	$3,690	$230	$7,590

Term: Fall 2019
Term	Tuition	Housing	Insurance	Total
Fall 2019	$4,610	$3,690	$230	$8,530

Scholarships & Aid

Use our budget worksheet to calculate your costs

Learn More

$6+ Million in Scholarships & Aid

We firmly believe that financial limitations should not prevent a qualified student from participating in an IES Abroad Program. This is why we commit more than $6 million to our scholarship and aid programs.

Learn more

Our Center

Situated in the heart of Rome along the Tiber River across from the Castel Sant’ Angelo, the IES Abroad Rome Center is a newly renovated 1920s-era building within walking distance of the Piazza Navona, the Pantheon, and the Vatican.

Features include:

Multi-media academic facilities
Auditorium used for conferences and guest lectures
Rooftop terrace with city views
Internet and WiFi printer access
Reading room and study area

Our Staff

Dott. Gianni Ponti

Center Director

Dott. Ponti is an archaeologist specialized in Imperial Roman architecture. After earning a BA in Classics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Dott. Ponti obtained a Laurea in archaeology from the University of Rome. He has worked on a number of archaeological excavations in the Mediterranean, including Troy, Aphrodisias and Leptis Magna. His studies and research focus on the use of marble in Roman construction, the ancient marble trade, quarrying and carving techniques. Dott. Ponti has worked on a number of excavations in Rome, including the Palatine Hill and the Imperial Fora. He has done research for the Department of Antiquities on a number of conservation projects including the Ara Pacis, the Column of Trajan and the Arch of Constantine. He is currently directing an excavation at the Villa of Maxentius on the Via Appia, as well as conducting architectural studies at Leptis Magna, Libya, with the Università di Rome Tre. Dott. Ponti has taught at the Istituto Centrale del Restauro of the Department of Antiquities and is currently Archaeology Advisor of the American Academy in Rome. He has been teaching archaeology courses at IES Abroad Rome since 2004.