Uruguay: Montevideo

Spend eight weeks interning in the capital and largest city of Uruguay. Montevideo offers the amenities of a big city, while maintaining a relaxed, more low-key vibe than its neighboring capital of Buenos Aires. Although it is a city of only 1.3 million people, it headquarters Mercosur and ALADI, Latin America’s trading blocs, and has a very international feel. Montevideo offers a vibrant culture and delicious food and is a huge hub in the entrepreneurial and technological space due to its location and economic stability. It is known for being one of the safest capital cities in all of Latin America, as well as South America’s highest-ranking city for quality of living.

Interns will work with a team based in Montevideo and will have frequent engagement with their supervisor and working teams. Interns will also interact frequently with our internship provider, Puentes Abroad, who will coordinate additional internship oversight, career coaching, and cultural seminars.

During this program, you will apply the theories and concepts you’ve learned in class to a professional international working environment, learning and practicing the customs, behaviors, and norms of another culture. 

The skills you develop on this internship will transform you as a leader and give you a distinct competitive advantage in the job market. Along with practicing fundamental workplace skills, you will prove that you can work in a diverse environment, adapt to change, be a flexible problem solver, and integrate successfully into a diverse and cross-cultural team—all high-demand skills for today’s globally-minded employers.

This program is ideal for students who are eager to learn outside the classroom and who enjoy creative problem-solving and tackling new experiences with an open mind and an optimistic enthusiasm. We look for resiliency, the ability to adapt, and an eagerness to grow and learn as key attributes that help students thrive and maximize their professional experience abroad. Students should be prepared to navigate and respect different cultures, to become immersed in Spanish, and to adjust to the less modern infrastructure in Uruguay. 

Work Schedule:

You will work Monday through Friday for eight weeks at your host company as an intern for 30-35 hours per week. Students in the in-person program will have at least two to three days per week of their internship work time to take place at the company’s office and/or at a coworking office where the company meets.

This program is run through Puentes Abroad, a third-party provider.

Puentes Abroad’s internship services include:

• Personalized internship matching process, with an individual pre-placement meeting and interviews directly with potential internship companies and organizations. 

• Internship in a high-performing business, nonprofit, or government agency with meaningful work and close guidance. 

• Pre-internship preparation, including the completion of the Puentes Internship Work Agreement, outlining a detailed work plan and internship objectives, which is signed by the intern and internship supervisors and reviewed by Puentes. 

• Designated Puentes Mentor to provide personalized oversight of the internship experience. 

• Ongoing mentoring, training, and progress tracking from the intern’s supervisor at the organization or company where the student is interning. 

• Initial meeting during the first week of the internship with the intern, Puentes Mentor, and internship supervisor in order to review together the anticipated work plan. 

• Mid-internship meeting with the intern, Puentes Mentor, and internship supervisor to review challenges, learnings, and successes from the first half of the internship and look ahead to objectives for the second half of the experience. 

• Closing evaluation meeting with the intern, Puentes Mentor, and internship supervisor to review the intern’s deliverables and reflect on the experience and learnings. 

• Professional development seminars on global career insights and reflections. 

• Alumni support, including letters of recommendation and professional networking. Invitation to join the Puentes Alumni Network with connections around the world and continued resources and support. 

Visit puentesabroad.com/in-person to find out more about the program. 

Cultural Immersion Activities: 

• Welcome dinner for all interns during arrival weekend, to provide a space to connect with each other and with the Puentes team.  

• City tour to key sights and neighborhoods of intern’s new home city upon arrival. 

• Local cultural activities, such as a candombe drum class to experience Uruguay’s traditional music that originated among descendants of liberated African slaves.  

• Day trip to a nearby destination, such as the beautiful city of Colonia del Sacramento, a UNESCO-World Heritage site. 

• Puentes Connect event with all interns and their internship supervisors to facilitate community building and networking during an evening gathering with food and beverages. 

• Community Impact Day for interns to volunteer with a local nonprofit to make a positive contribution to Uruguayan society, while more fully understanding the country’s socioeconomic context.   

• Mixer with Uruguayan students and young professionals so that interns can meet and mingle with local peers through facilitated group activities. 

On-Site Support:

• Housing in homestays or shared apartments with private bedrooms.  Homestays include breakfast daily and dinner five nights a week. 

• Pre-departure information and webinar to help prepare for travels abroad. 

• Exclusive access to the online Participant Portal with resources on all programming details, a participant directory, and recommendations on living and working abroad.  

• Airport reception upon arrival and transfer to program-coordinated housing. (The program does not include airport transport for departures.) 

• Orientation seminars on living and working in Montevideo, including health, safety, transportation, culture, communication, and finances. 

• 24/7 emergency and general support for participants. 

• Welcome pack with essentials, such as public transportation card, adaptor, local snacks, and local currency to help get settled during the first days in country. 
• Co-working days for each intern to book and use at a local co-working office during their program.
• Weekly emails on program activities, local current events and recommendations, and professional tips. 

Meet with an Advisor

UBP students can schedule a meeting with Dr. Brian Peters or a Global Advisor to learn more about this and other International Internship programs by clicking on the “Schedule Appointment” link below.

Schedule Appointment