Taylor
My name is Taylor, and I’m an American student from Goucher College in Baltimore, MD. I’m an English major, Business Management minor and, needing an internship for my degree, I chose to work here in South Korea. I became very interested in Korean culture a few years back, around the same time I developed an interest in NGO work.
Now more on interning at ACOPIA…
During orientation, hearing about the multitude of responsibilities was overwhelming, but I soon figured out that the office and the job are both very relaxed. As an intern, there's actually a lot of freedom to align your work with your academic interests and personal skills (like media/web design, video production, marketing, foreign language, etc). We are all expected to begin projects in our home countries, including finding partner organizations and marketing outlets. The work isn’t hard, but it’s time-consuming and tedious. Most interns are also expected to give language lessons to local students, whether in English or a native language. I actually find a lot of joy in preparing lessons for my students and getting to know them. Currently I work with a Japanese woman preparing to take the TOEIC exam this winter. I also mentor the director of ACOPIA, working on casual English conversation and formal documentation.
So why ACOPIA?…
ACOPIA provides an actual program, so they don’t expect you to figure everything out by yourself. They will help orient you to the city and the culture, they provide housing for you, and your supervisor at the office is also the person that can show you the best restaurants and even help you when you’re sick or injured. If, like me, you haven’t traveled alone before, a program like this is very helpful and comforting.
Some final FUN FACTS…
Unlike most business internships, you will not be expected to dress up every day and work a 40+ hour week. Here, you can build the schedule of your choice. (They actually understand that you didn’t travel to Korea just to sit inside all day.)
The office itself is a really modern space, and they offer free snacks and coffee :)
You will be working and living in an area that even Koreans fight to get to every night. Spend as much time and money there as possible.
You’ll have the opportunity to make some interesting business contacts from around the globe.
The official staff is a small group of the nicest people; they’ll help you with anything you need!
