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.
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.
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 the fields listed below. Keep in mind that this list is by no means exhaustive. We encourage students of all majors to apply.
Don’t see your field listed here? Just talk to your IES Internships Representative—new internships in Rome are always being added!
After you are admitted, refer to the Travel Dates section of the Predeparture Information in your MyIESabroad account before booking travel.
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:
Personalized PlacementsYour 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:
Survival Italian Language Course In your first few weeks in Rome, you'll have the opportunity to participate in a Survival Italian Language course in order to learn some basic Italian that will help you navigate the city and your workplace. This 10-hour Survival Italian Language course will be optional and does not carry any credit.
This is a list of planned course offerings. After you are accepted, you will see a list of final course offerings in your MyIESabroad account.
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.
ApartmentsApartments 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.
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.
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.
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.
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 Coast2 Days | Fall & SpringExplore 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 & SpringTour 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.
About the 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:
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.
IES Abroad Rome Staff
Monica BandellaItalian Language Coordinator
Sara CoppolellaStudent Services Assistant
Simona Di GiustinoAcademic & Internship Coordinator
Valeria De MoriAcademic Assistant and Moodle Project Manager
Arianna GaffiStudent Services & Housing Coordinator
Silvana SodiniHealth & Safety Advisor
Luisa TaffaraCenter Manager & Administrator
What is it really like to live in Rome? Check out our virtual tour of all the places you’ll come to know and love when you study abroad there—GO!
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