Costa Rica Internships
Intern in Costa Rica with Intern Abroad HQ and discover beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and wildlife. Choose from a wide range of short-term internship programs in Costa Rica, including Marine Biology, Environmental Conservation, Women’s Education, Special Education, Healthcare, Physiotherapy, Veterinary, Media & Advertising, and Microfinance. With affordable fees and top rated programs, Intern Abroad HQ offers the best internship opportunities in Costa Rica for students, graduates, career changers, and gap year travelers!
- Program Fees from $1609 for 2 weeks
- Includes arrangement of your placement, airport pick-up, orientation, accommodation, and 24/7 in-country support
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Accommodation in homestays
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Internships are based in Manuel Antonio and San Ramon de Alajuela
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Internships begin on the first and third Monday of each month
Internship opportunities
Intern with a local Marine Conservation organization in Manuel Antonio. Upskill as a conservationist and contribute toward the preservation of precious ecosystems.
Contribute your skills in digital marketing to the efforts of NGO or commercial tourism providers, gaining practical experience for development.
Support local conservationists on sustainability projects in Costa Rica’s unique cloud rainforests and reserves. Basic Spanish language skills required.
Environmental Education interns are involved with projects, lessons and workshops that collaborate with schools, communities and tourism companies.
Healthcare internships in Costa Rica are suitable for healthcare students from pre-med level and up. This is a Spanish-speaking internship.
Gain Marine Biology experience alongside a Marine Conservation NPO in Costa Rica. Enhance your PADI skills and support the preservation of marine ecosystems.
Assist local entrepreneurs in fields including lending, marketing, financial literacy, planning, accounting and more! This is a Spanish-speaking internship.
Gain a deeper understanding of specific environmental challenges and contribute to the efforts of an NGO working to address them.
An ideal internship to gain experience, supporting patients with treatments under the guidance of professionals. This is a Spanish-speaking internship.
Special education interns provide hands-on care and teaching assistance in centers for disabled students. Basic Spanish language skills required.
Intern with a nonprofit to assist with business and growth strategy, while learning about the key pillars of sustainable development.
Veterinary internships provide placements with vet clinics, assisting local vets and supporting treatment. Basic Spanish language skills required.
Bring your passion for animal care and contribute to the rescue and rehabilitation of wildlife animals in this impactful internship abroad.
Support women’s empowerment by hosting classes, teaching job skills, and assisting with awareness campaigns. This is a Spanish-speaking internship.
Free-time experiences & tours in Costa Rica
Take your internship to the next level with Intern Abroad HQ's affordable activity and tour add-ons in Costa Rica! Explore your options below and learn how to book them once you've been accepted onto an internship program.
All participants on our Marine Conservation and Coral Restoration programs must be scuba certified to minimum PADI Adventurer with buoyancy experience. If not, it’s ok - you are still welcome to proceed - but you’ll need to achieve the required level of PADI proficiency before the start date. Just sign up for our “intro week” package.
Hike through the Costa Rican rainforest and discover a large variety of flora and fauna in Manuel Antonio Park’s 683 hectares.
If you are already Open Water certified you just need to complete this PADI Advanced Diver Course, which can be integrated into the regular internship schedule (so there is no need to arrive an extra week in advance). This course is facilitated through the Dive Center and must be confirmed and paid for in advance.
All participants on our Marine Conservation and Coral Restoration programs must be scuba certified to minimum PADI Adventurer with buoyancy experience. If not, it’s ok - you are still welcome to proceed - but you’ll need to achieve the required level of PADI proficiency before the start date. Just sign up for our “intro week” package.
Hike through the Costa Rican rainforest and discover a large variety of flora and fauna in Manuel Antonio Park’s 683 hectares.
If you are already Open Water certified you just need to complete this PADI Advanced Diver Course, which can be integrated into the regular internship schedule (so there is no need to arrive an extra week in advance). This course is facilitated through the Dive Center and must be confirmed and paid for in advance.
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What recent interns said about their experience
I loved my internship in Costa Rica, and the impact the students I worked with had on me was incredible. I learned so much from the teachers and a lot about my major and the culture. I feel much more ready to go into the real world; they gave me a lot of opportunities to get a lot of hands-on experience and interact a lot with a new population, a population of adults from 18-65, which I had never worked with before. It was an amazing experience with a lot of learning.
I met some wonderful people that I will stay in touch with and have learned and participated in things I did not think I'd do. They let me snorkel when the others where diving, coral fragmenting, and learning about whales, sharks and lots of different marine life.
Great experience from the beginning to end.
The thing I enjoyed most during the internship was the feeling of being immersed in a different culture and learning new things about something I very much enjoy. The internship has contributed towards my personal development by allowing me to interact with different people and understand more of a culture that I wouldn´t have understood as much by simply travelling there for a holiday. I was able to develop my social skills and intrapersonal skills. It also contributed to my professional development by teaching me how organizations are built on teamwork, how meaningful projects come together over time, and how there are a lot of people who share my passion for the conservation of our natural environments.
To read all reviews, visit our reviews page.
