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$5 Million in Financial Aid
Academics
While working in Sydney, you'll also enroll in a required 3- or 6-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
- Resolving conflicts
- Understanding new cultures
- Navigating issues, challenges, and opportunities so you can succeed on the job in Sydney and when you return home
Courses
This is a list of planned course offerings. A final list of course offerings will be made available to you in your MyIESabroad account.
| Course Name | Term | Language | Credits |
|---|---|---|---|
| IN 395A - Leading Across Cultures: Internship Seminar | Summer | English | 3 |
| IN 395B - Leading Across Cultures: Internship Seminar | Summer | English | 6 |
Field Trips & Events
IES Abroad Sydney organizes a number of field trips as an integral part of its opportunities for cultural immersion in Australia. These trips explore areas of significant regional interest and are led by people who contextualize what you are witnessing and experiencing. Additional costs apply. Possible destinations include:
Featherdale and Blue Mountains
1 day
Hike in the Blue Mountains and enjoy a visit to Featherdale Wildlife Park.
Royal National Park
1 day
Enjoy a visit to the second-oldest national park in the world, full of fascinating plants, birds, and animals. During this day, you will canoe, bushwalk, swim, and photograph awesome sea cliffs. There will also be an opportunity to learn more about Indigenous Cultural Activities.
The Rocks Walking Tour
Get up close and personal and experience the story of Sydney on a historic walking tour of The Rocks area.
Daily Life
Part of making you feel at home in Sydney is doing our best to help you feel safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation program that makes you feel prepared, housing that is well-located and comfortable, or the field trips that take you to places off the beaten path—we’re here to support you!
Orientation
After your arrival, you will participate in an orientation program that introduces you to the city and program, which includes:
- A welcome dinner and sightseeing cruise on Sydney Harbour
- Settling into your accommodations
- Information sessions on professional and cultural expectations and practical tips to prepare you for life in Sydney
Housing
We want to make sure that your greatest challenge is deciding which beach to see first or discovering the best coffee in Sydney—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 housing has a community feel which inspires our students to make lifelong friendships while abroad. Our goal is that when you leave Sydney, it will feel like home.
IES Abroad housing in Sydney enables you easy access to the Central Business District and Sydney’s famous landmarks. Public transportation is close by. Commute to work via bus, train, or ferry.
Apartments - Live in a two-bedroom apartment in a multi-unit apartment building. You will share your two-bedroom apartment with 3 IES Abroad roommates, sharing one of the two bedrooms with one of those roommates. Meals are not included/provided but there is a kitchen in the apartment in which to prepare meals.
Extracurricular Activities & Cultural Events
Spend your free time getting to know Sydney and its surroundings through IES Internships-planned cultural events and optional field trips to places like the Blue Mountains and The Royal National Park.
June, July and August see Sydney host a number of exciting events including:
- Vivid Sydney – a festival of light, music and ideas! Vivid Light transforms Sydney into a wonderland of 'light art' sculptures, innovative light installations, and grand-scale projections for all to enjoy.
- The Sydney Film Festival - this festival showcases the best in cinema from across Australia and around the world, including features, documentaries, short films, retrospectives, restorations, animation, and more. One of the world's oldest film festivals, Sydney Film Festival reflects the historic development of the Australian film industry.
- Winter Festival – located at St. Mary’s Cathedral, Winter Festival Sydney offers winter activities and entertainment, including a large outdoor ice skating rink.
During your time in Sydney, you’ll likely want to explore what the rest of this vast country has to offer! Whether it be a weekend in Melbourne, a trip to the Great Barrier Reef, or sleeping under the stars in the Outback, the possibilities are endless. The Sydney Center staff are available to help you plan trips further afield, to maximize your Australian experience.
Get to Know Your New City
Enjoy a meal by the waterfront in this unique inner-city suburb.
From lamingtons to Tim Tam slams, there's bound to be a dessert you'll love.
Capture magnificant views of the Opera House and Circular Quay.
Prepare for stunning views, beaches, parks, and cliffs on this 6 km (3.37 miles) coastal walk in Sydney's eastern suburbs.
Treat yourself to one of many spectacular performances at Sydney's most iconic venue.
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.
Use our budget worksheet to calculate your costs
$5 Million in Financial Aid
Our Center
The IES Abroad office is located in Surry Hills, an inner suburb of Sydney. It is immediately adjacent to the city center, known as the Central Business District, or CBD. At just a few blocks from Sydney’s central rail station, it is well connected to the rest of the city and surrounding areas. Commuting time, by bus, to the University of Sydney campus is 15 minutes and to the UNSW campus 20 minutes. The Macquarie campus is 45-55 minutes away by public transportation.
Our Staff
Chris McKenna
Center Director (Interim)
Chris has worked in the international education sector for almost 20 years and joined our partner, the University of New South Wales in Sydney, in 2006. He held a number of positions at UNSW before being appointed as Director, International Affairs, in May 2016. In this role, he provided support, counsel and advice to the Pro Vice-Chancellor International. Prior to UNSW, Chris was a Senior Project Manager at JWT Education, one of the world's largest communications agencies that provides market research, consulting, branding and communications services to clients in the education sector. In this role, Chris worked on various research projects with a number of Australian universities, government education departments worldwide and organizations such as the British Council. Chris has an M.A. from the University of Glasgow.
IES Abroad Staff
Kate Smart (Center Director - on extended leave until May 2019)
Kate Smart has been the Director of the Sydney programs since 2016. Kate has over 15 years of experience in International Education, including senior Study Abroad roles at Macquarie University, the University of Sydney, and University of New South Wales.
Kate has lived and worked in the United States and studied abroad in Thailand and Jamaica. She has a Master of Arts in International Studies from the University of Technology, Sydney, and a Master of Education in International Education from Monash University. Kate loves sharing her knowledge of the city (and the rest of Australia) with new students, from her favorite beaches to swim at to the best place to grab a great flat white.
Internship and Student Services Coordinator
Sian Viney
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