Vienna Summer – Internship

This program is temporarily suspended for Summer 2021. Explore our other study abroad programs for 2021, as well as details on our health & safety protocols, travel guidelines, refund policy, and more.

Tips for Navigating This Page

As you explore the details of this program across the Overview, Field Trips, Daily Life tabs and more, know that these tabs are reflective of our future programming once COVID regulations allow us to resume. If you’re considering studying abroad in the nearer future, look for term-specific tabs like Fall 2021 or Spring 2022 to see how we’ve adjusted program details to give you that IES Abroad experience you’re looking for, while keeping you safe and healthy.

Summer 2021

As we navigate the COVID-19 pandemic, we continue to cautiously assess how we can deliver safe, quality programming this summer.

While some of the details of this program may need to shift for Summer 2021—such as housing and field trips, based on changing travel/quarantine regulations—you can rest assured knowing that the essence of this program will stay the same, including the academic focus and the opportunity to learn both inside and outside the classroom.

As always, every decision we make for this term will be guided by our Students First philosophy, which puts you, your well-being, and your academic and personal growth at the forefront. Our advice? Give yourself the chance to study abroad this summer by submitting an application, and know that we’re planning for all of the what if’s so you can have a safe, healthy, and study abroad-filled summer. We and our refund policy have your back.

Why Vienna?

Since Summer 2019, IES Internships has offered full-time placements in Vienna—the home of our very first IES Abroad Center.

As an IES intern, you’ll enjoy the history, rich culture, and professional opportunities that the political and economic capital of Austria has to offer. Recently ranked first in the Mercer Quality of Living survey, there’s nowhere and no way better to spend your summer than with a full-time internship in Vienna.

Your Internship

Our program guarantees you an internship in Austria that will help you develop professional skills to jump-start your career and make you more attractive to employers in today’s competitive job market.

IES Internships’ unpaid, academic summer internships place Vienna interns in fields such as the arts, international relations, psychology, and more (see our list below). Before you depart, we work with you to fine-tune your résumé, perfect your cover letter, hone your networking and interviewing skills, and prepare you for working in a new cultural environment.

As a summer intern, you'll work with a local business or organization for approximately 30 hours per week. You will 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. You have the option of enrolling in a 3-credit German language course at no extra cost, as well, if your work schedule allows.

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

PLACEMENT EXAMPLES: 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.

Composite-materials manufacturing company building snowboards, surfboards, and more
Educational technology company creating an innovative, multi-sensory learning tool for speech therapy
Technology startup providing chatbot services for local retailers and customers
Producer and publisher of alternate and indie music
Animal welfare research firm
Sound production and technology at a music studio
Nonprofit connecting expats in Vienna with mental health professionals
NGO producing an interactive database of Jewish memory as the first oral history project of its kind
Viennese opera house
Recording company producing albums across genres
Sustainable farming and food production company
Radio station focusing on creating content for the African continent

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

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Daily Life

We want you to feel at home in Vienna, so we will do everything we can to help you integrate into life in Austria. An internship through IES Internships provides you with a chance to experience the local professional culture while still benefiting from the support of IES Abroad Vienna staff and housing. So experience the city like a true Viennesse by living in an apartment with other IES interns or a local residence hall.

In your free time, get to know Vienna, Austria, and Central Europe through IES Abroad-organized cultural events and field trips alongside IES Abroad study abroad students. Possible destinations include: a weekend trip to Prague and Salzburg or Budapest and a day trip to Eisenstadt or Semmering. Trips are optional and generally at an additional cost.

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$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.

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Academics

While working in Vienna, you’ll enroll in a required 3- or 6-credit academic internship seminar with other IES interns. Topics include:

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

You may also enroll in an optional 3-credit German language course taught at the Center.

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.

German Language
Course Name	Term	Language	Credits
GR 101 - German Language in Context: Novice Abroad I	Summer	German	3
GR 201 - German Language in Context: Novice Abroad III	Summer	German	3
GR 301 - German Language in Context: Emerging Independent I	Summer	German	3

Internship Seminar
Course Name	Term	Language	Credits
IN 395 - Leading Across Cultures: Internship Seminar	Summer	English	3
IN 395 - Leading Across Cultures: Internship Seminar	Summer	English	6

Field Trips & Events

All field trips are optional for Internship students and additional costs nay apply to overnight trips. Possible destinations may include:

Styria
Day trip to Krems and Donau Valley

Daily Life

Part of making you feel at home in Vienna is doing our best to help you fell safe and cared for. Whether it is an orientation program that makes you fell prepared, housing that is well-located and comfortable, or networking and social events with Vienna professionals - we're all about our student services. This is just one of the fields we're known for.

Orientation

Your program begins at home with our virtual orientation to help you prepare for your IES Abroad experience. Orientation continues once you arrive abroad and introduces you to the IES Abroad Vienna staff, your fellow interns, and the city of Vienna. Orientation will also include information sessions on professional and cultural expectations and commuting.

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

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 Vienna, it will feel like home.

Shared Apartments - Live with other IES Interns in apartments with fully equipped kitchens. No meals are provided.

Get to Know Your New City

Experience an Opera at the Wiener Staatsoper

Students have the incredible opportunity to see world-class opera performances for only a few euros.

Relax Along the Danube Canal

Enjoy the late afternoon sun while you take in the tranquility of this waterway.

Visit a Museum or Two on a Rainy Day

Whether you’re into classic or modern art, history, science, architecture, or nearly anything else, at least one of the 100+ museums of Vienna will interest you.

Ride the Praterturm at Prater Park

The “Prater Tower” is the highest swing ride in the world, providing both thrills and spectacular views of the city!

Sip Wine at an Authentic Heuriger

These Viennese wine taverns serve locally-produced wines and snacks to thirsty and hungry patrons who sit at long picnic tables.

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: Summer 2021
Term	Tuition	Housing	Insurance	Total
Summer 2021 3 Credits	$4,360	$1,355	$135	$5,850
Summer 2021 6 Credits	$4,710	$1,355	$135	$6,200

Scholarships & Aid

Featured Scholarships

Summer Social Impact Internship Scholarship

Up to 100% of room and board costs based on financial need + $1000 travel grant

The Summer Social Impact Internship Scholarship was initiated by the Hemera Foundation, whose mission is to foster basic human goodness in individuals and society. This Scholarship, which will be sustained through a foundation collaborative, aims to inspire students to make a social impact through summer internships within philanthropic or direct service/social service organizations.

Barbara A. Barker Vienna Summer Internship Scholarship

Up to $2,000; awarded to one student each year

Barbara Barker is an alumna of the University of South Carolina, and a member of the IES Abroad Vienna Class of 1968-69. Her year in Vienna, in which she discovered a passion for European art, music, culture, and travel with classmates, was life changing. Barbara passed away from a medical condition in Vienna in 1970, cutting short her new-found direction and purpose. Her father, George A.

Dr. Mary M. Dwyer and Jim Ahr Endowed Scholarship

Up to $6,000 awarded to one student per year.

Dr. Mary M. Dwyer served as the President and CEO of IES Abroad for nearly 25 years. During her tenure, more than 121,000 students enrolled in IES Abroad programming around the world. Dr. Dwyer’s student-focused strategies set new standards for study abroad in academic rigor, program evaluation and health and safety.

Use our budget worksheet to calculate your costs

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$6+ Million in Scholarships & Aid

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Our Center

While in Vienna, we want to ensure you have every opportunity to immerse yourself in new experiences. That’s why our IES Abroad Vienna Center staff is committed to providing outstanding academic and student support services. We take care of the details, so you can soak up every moment of your Vienna experience.

Also known as the Palais Corbelli, the IES Abroad Vienna Center is an elegant, early 18th-century palace in the heart of the city and is just minutes from many of the museums, theaters, and other cultural attractions that have bestowed international fame on Vienna.

Our Center is your connection point for all things IES Abroad.

Take your IES Abroad classes in the Center’s classrooms
Relax in the lovely student lounge
Music students can take advantage of the practice rooms, recording studio, and instrument storage
Enjoy a student concert (or perform in one!) in the rococo concert hall, featuring a Steinway D

Other features include WiFi, printer access, computer lab, and a small library.

Our Staff

Morten Solvik, Ph.D.

Center Director

An international scholar, Dr. Solvik holds a Ph.D. in Musicology from the University of Pennsylvania and a B.A. in Music and Intellectual History from Cornell University. Born in Norway, he speaks Norwegian, German, and English fluently, and uses French as a research language.

Dr. Solvik was instrumental in setting up the IES Abroad Vienna Music Program, which he has coordinated since 1999, and has also designed and taught numerous courses in Music History. In addition to his work with IES Abroad Vienna, Dr. Solvik has served as lecturer at the Universität für Musik und darstellende Kunst (The University for Music and Performing Arts). His teaching and administrative experience is augmented by his active and productive scholarly career as an expert on Gustav Mahler.

IES Abroad Vienna Staff

Ginte Stankeviciute, M. Sc.
Academics Manager

Katherine Mawdsley
Special Programs Manager

Meral Kölblinger
Living in Vienna Coordinator

Mathias Schmerbach
Accounting and Business Operations

Tobias Sigmund
Student Services Manager

Kaja Ciupinska
Events & Trips Coordinator

Kaja Seruga
Summer Internship Assistant

Matt Schreiber
Program Assistant

Ben Wyatt
Program Assistant

Marija Milosavljevic
Program Assistant

Dieter Strobl
Facilities and IT Manager

Gavin Lord
Health and Safety Coordinator

Health & Safety

With 70 years of experience, we are proud to set the standard for health and safety in study abroad. Our Chicago-based and on-site staff are all highly trained and experienced in the matters of health, safety, and crisis management. We are here for you from predeparture to your return, and are ready to support you—no matter what time zone you’re in.

In response to COVID-19, enhanced safety guidelines will be implemented this year—such as social distancing and personal protective equipment (PPE) in on-site classes, in-country field trips and travel only, and apartment or residence hall housing (no homestays) that ensures proper space should self-quarantining be necessary.

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student in denim jacket looking over shoulder and smiling

How We Support You

We plan for "what if" so that you don't have to. From international health insurance included in the cost of your program to highly-trained local staff who can connect you to English-speaking healthcare providers, we are working around the clock to ensure your health and safety while abroad.

Learn more about the support you can expect to receive on our programs, including:

International health insurance through CISI in the case you need to see a doctor or mental health professional
24/7 emergency support whether you encounter an issue while traveling or in your host city
Location-specific health and safety information presented at orienation by on-site staff
TripTracker system allowing you to share independent travel plans in case you need to be contacted swiftly in a crisis
A mandatory cell phone policy so that you can be contacted locally and receive any emergency updates via call or text
Crisis drills so that you feel prepared to respond to an emergency should one arise
And more!

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