Internship USA Placement Program
Introducing CIEE's Newest Service
Talent Knows No Boundaries
In today’s interconnected world, businesses are increasingly looking beyond borders to attract top talent. At the same time, students are searching for opportunities to gain the relevant skills necessary for a successful launch into the global workplace.
The Council on International Education Exchange (CIEE) partners with thousands of companies – from start-ups to multi-nationals – to deliver meaningful work-based learning experiences for college students and recent graduates and provide your organization with access to an expanded, diverse talent pool from around the world. We believe that, together, we can change lives by improving the transition from education to employability for young people everywhere.
Ready to Get Started?
Placement Program
Partner with CIEE to bring the world to your workplace
When you partner with CIEE to recruit and hire international interns, you leverage our deep experience as a world leader in exchange programs and a leading sponsor of the U.S. Department of State’s BridgeUSA program to nurture early-career talent and tap into an expanding global workforce. Whether you are a business looking to diversify your workplace or an organization looking to develop your international talent pool, CIEE offers the work-integrated learning programs, experience, and support you need to provide meaningful cultural exchange and training opportunities.
Introducing CIEE’s Internship USA Placement Program
Our personalized end-to-end placement plus visa sponsorship program simplifies and streamlines the intern recruiting, hiring, and onboarding process.
Recruiting
Access motivated, global talent from 140+ countries.
Our recruitment representatives in 140+ countries grant you access to motivated talent from top tier universities.
Hiring
We simplify the hiring process for you.
Our placement advisors pre-vet candidates, matching participant skills and interests with your requirements.
Visa Sponsorship
We make the J-1 Visa process easy.
Because we are a trusted BridgeUSA sponsor, we seamlessly integrate the visa application process to facilitate timely and efficient processing.
Program Support
Support you can count on.
A dedicated account management team collaborates with you to ensure a successful experience from recruitment to internship completion. Host employers have access to 24/7 emergency phone support.
Important Note On J-1 Visa Applications
Our rigorous application process, careful vetting, and thorough preparation of applicants ensures that most international interns receive their J-1 visas. However, it is solely the decision of the U.S. Embassy or U.S. Consulate to approve or deny an applicant’s visa application.
Ready to Get Started?
How to Hire an International Intern
Working with CIEE, you’ll be able to bring qualified international interns to your workplace under the BridgeUSA program in just a few easy steps. Here’s how.
Complete Your Host Profile
- You’ll receive access to Beacon, CIEE’s secure placement portal, where you’ll complete your company profile. Your profile should highlight what’s unique about your organization and set participants’ expectations.
- You’ll also provide descriptions of the placement opportunities available for interns.
Recruit and Hire
- CIEE markets your positions and recruits qualified BridgeUSA (intern) candidates based on your requirements and goals. CIEE vets for basic eligibility requirements set by the US Department of State.
- You’ll then interview candidates and make offers to your selected intern(s).
Complete the Training Plan
- With support from CIEE, you’ll collaborate with your selected candidate(s) to finalize details of the participant’s training plan—Form DS-7002.
- Once the training plan is finalized, the visa application and approval process, facilitated by CIEE, begins.
Welcome Your Intern!
- We’ll keep you updated with your intern’s visa status and arrival dates so you can prepare for a smooth onboarding process.
- Welcome your new team members and prepare for a fantastic cross-cultural experience!
Host organization eligibility considerations
Prospective host organizations must meet these basic requirements:
- Provide a suitable workspace for the duration of the program
- Offer in person or hybrid work environment (at least 3 days a week)
- Offer ongoing onsite supervision and evaluation to participants
- Have a Worker’s Compensation coverage (or equivalent)
- Provide at least 32 hours per week
Ready To Hire?
Industries We’ve Worked With
Host employers operating in nearly every industry have trusted CIEE to sponsor their interns. These include but are not limited to:
New Ventures/Startups
Regardless of how long your venture has been around, CIEE can match and sponsor international interns that will help develop your product and your brand.
Biotech/Pharma
Host international interns with different cultural backgrounds and perspectives to spark innovation and facilitate industry breakthroughs.
Technology
Whether your company is researching artificial intelligence, developing software, or designing robotics systems, you too can benefit from creating an intellectually diverse team by hosting international interns.
Energy/Sustainability
With a global spotlight on the energy industry, the amount of money committed to research and development initiatives within the field has skyrocketed. Host international interns to add a dynamic element to your team!
Hospitality
International interns bridge the gap between entry-level and more professional positions at your hotel or restaurant; this gives your business the opportunity to provide practical work experience to highly motivated and educated students while gaining a fresh international perspective..
Business
Hire an international intern and bring the next generation of global business leaders to your organization. Add cultural diversity to your workplace and gain the international insights you need to compete in the global marketplace.
Engineering/IT
Connect people, processes, and data by diversifying your workplace. International interns bring more than just cutting-edge knowledge to your organization; they also bring valuable cultural insights.
Arts
International interns have a wide variety of perspectives, experiences, and skill sets. With CIEE, you can bring a new cultural context to your museum, gallery, design studio, or educational institution.
Industry Partners
More than 10,000 organizations have trusted CIEE to sponsor their interns globally. Host companies include multinational corporations, local businesses, innovative startups, and public and private organizations in between and operate in nearly every industry.
Impact
Participating in an internship is a life-changing and transformative experience. When you hire an international intern, you make a positive impact on their future success.
Expand Knowledge
You'll enable international interns to broaden ideas about their chosen field by experiencing American perspective, business, and ideas.
Cultivate a global network
Throughout their internship, interns will be able to share ideas with colleagues, make important business connections, and build lifelong friendships with the Americans they meet and work with.
Promote cultural exchange
When their program concludes, interns will be able to share the knowledge they've gained about American business and culture in their home country from their own experience.
Provide real-world skills
International interns get valuable insights into American business practices and learn new skills that will help them stand out in today's competitive job market.
Unlock Global Talent
5 reasons why organizations should hire international interns
When you open the door to hosting international interns, you bring fresh perspectives, diverse skills, a global mindset, and so much more to your organization.
1. Attract talent
Employers can create new global talent pipelines and tap into a broader talent pool, while providing meaningful training opportunities for committed, motivated young people eager to work and learn.
2. Promote cultural exchange and understanding
Cultivate a more culturally sensitive workplace that benefits both your international interns and employees, leading to improved communication and collaboration.
3. Boost diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts
International interns have unique perspectives, lived experiences, and different social, economic, cultural, and educational backgrounds that can contribute to a more diverse and inclusive organization.
4. Bring global perspectives into your workplace
Interns from a foreign country can offer insights into different customs, traditions, and business practices, and can help you and your team better understand global markets, consumer behavior, and trends.
5. Access diverse skill sets
International interns often possess specialized skills not easily found domestically, allowing them to contribute fresh ideas and new solutions to projects.
Contact
Are you ready to bring the world to your workplace and expand your global talent pipeline?
We’ll help you match your positions with amazing international interns.
Contact us to learn more.
About CIEE
Since the late 1940s CIEE has dedicated our work to providing educational experiences that transform the lives of all they touch and to transforming our organization to meet the changing needs of both the times and our participants.
As a nonprofit, nongovernmental organization, CIEE is the oldest and largest nonprofit study abroad and intercultural exchange organization in the US. Since 1947, CIEE has helped thousands of people gain the knowledge and skills necessary to live and work in a globally interdependent and culturally diverse world by offering the most comprehensive, relevant, and valuable exchange programs available.
CIEE’s Internship programs are a critical part of the programs we offer to help young people launch global careers. For more than 60 years, we have been the leading sponsor of the US State Department’s Exchange Visitor Program (BridgeUSA) which allows young people globally to go to the US for work and intern experiences. Over this time, we’ve facilitated exchanges for nearly 1M young people globally through our network of partners which spans more than 140 countries.
For US students, we have been offering Global Internship programs for nearly a decade. CIEE is one of the pioneers of global work-integrated learning programs. In the last decade, we have facilitated global internships for nearly 10,000 US students. Today, we offer global internship programs in 23 of our centers globally, spanning every continent except Antarctica.
Connecting Global Leaders, Creating Lasting Impact
Led by the U.S. Department of State in partnership with organizations like CIEE, BridgeUSA brings together the next generation of current and emerging young leaders through unmatched cultural and professional exchange programs.
Learn more about BridgeUSA