Sustainable Business & Tourism Internships in Costa Rica

Internship details

Costa Rica has a rapidly developing economy, which strives to balance business priorities with environmental interests. Through this Sustainable Business & Tourism internship, interns can gain insight into how non profit organizations can build networks and strategies to further sustainable development, in collaboration with communities and business partners.

This is an in-country internship, with accommodation included. Click here to view remote Business Administration & Start Ups internships, which you can undertake from home.

To many people, the concept of “sustainability” is just associated with being environmentally-conscious. While this is certainly important, many establishments can be considered “green”, or even carbon neutral, without upholding socio-cultural and economic facets of sustainability as well. For this reason, Sustainable Business & Tourism interns collaborate with a Marine Conservation nonprofit organization, to explore holistic initiatives for business and growth strategies.

Interns have broad scope to make a difference in the field of marine conservation, while also gaining insight into NPO operations and general business sustainability principles. The day-to-day operations of this internship can be anticipated to involve a range of activities which are related to relationship building for public and private sector project support, corporate partnership development, networking for funding, corporate client outreach, public relations, awareness campaigns, and more.

In addition, marketing and communications efforts include ongoing updates across social media platforms, website editing, graphic design support and fresh copy writing for proposals, grants, blogs and other articles. If interested, there is an opportunity for interns to also incorporate tasks related to environmental education within the community and local schools.

Proactive interns with an interest in business and marketing strategy, corporate social responsibility, and passion for sustainable practice, have ample opportunity to expand their experience and skill sets. There is a high expectation for interns to exercise initiative and manage a flexible schedule during this internship. Progress reports are expected on an ongoing basis. Emphasis will always be focused on progressing actions and strategies that holistically address environmental, socio-cultural and economic priorities.

In all cases, interns should expect that the first week of your experience will focus on settling in and gaining some introductory knowledge, as you will not “hit the ground running”. Rather, you should start with learning about the placement to gain an understanding of what you can build upon, develop, learn, and contribute. Ensure that you ask questions and provide feedback during the introductory period, so that your supervisor understands how you’re progressing. This will help them to better understand important details, such as how quickly you learn, what you find challenging, what you find interesting, etc.

Understand and expect that individual internship experiences vary, as the specific placement that you’re assigned will depend on review of your resume and your current level of studies and experience. Therefore, if you’re at a more introductory level, you should reasonably expect a more introductory internship. Likewise, if you’re interning for a shorter duration, you will have a different experience from someone who is interning for a longer duration. Placement preferences are considered but always subject to availability.

Typical Schedule

• Approx. 8am to 4pm, Monday to Friday

Career Benefits