Microfinance Remote Internships

Internship: Remote

Country: Tanzania

Eligibility requirement: At least one year of relevant college/university study in business management, finance, accounting, entrepreneurship, or a related field. High School Students aged 16+ may be accepted, depending on the strength of their application.

Associated career paths: Finance analyst, banker, finance specialist, accountant, business manager, entrepreneur, startup incubator, business angel, investor, financial clerk, business teacher, international relations, development issues specialist

Internship details

Use your finance, accounting and business management experience to support disadvantaged communities in Tanzania through this virtual internship in microfinance.

Village community banks, known as Vicobas, provide valuable financial services to disadvantaged rural communities in Tanzania. Remote finance internships assist Vicobas as they help locals with basics such as financing their projects, educating their children, and gaining insurance.

Vicobas are self-managed groups within a village or neighborhood, where members pay relatively low monthly saving amounts into the community bank, which can then distribute funds in the form of microcredits and insurance cover. They are supervised and supported by NGOs with microfinance specialists.

On this virtual internship in microfinance you can get involved in assisting the multi-faceted work of these NGOs. You can help to check financial data, evaluate Vicoba’s performance, and help locals with business plans or product development. Microfinance interns can also help to prepare educational workshops to educate locals about financial matters, meaning you’re interning with real-life financial situations and contributing to the local community.

Remote internships in Tanzania are conducted in English.

Microfinance interns learn from a qualified and experienced supervisor, and can be involved in:

Evaluate the performance of community banks
Helping to finance new and existing business ventures
Distributing microcredits and insurance cover
Helping local entrepreneurs with business plans
Product development
Preparing workshops on finance, business or administrative matters

Professional development opportunities:

Learn about how Vicoba groups are run as an efficient microfinance and development tool in Tanzania
Experience small-scale entrepreneurship in a developing country
Learn how to efficiently manage local savings groups
Provide financial consultancy and mentoring services
Learn how to evaluate business projects

Typical schedule:

Monday - Friday. Details will be discussed with your supervisor.

Internship highlights:

Get supervision from experienced financial professionals
Support rural people by evaluating and improving business concepts, strategies and products
Experience a new and unique African microfinance model
Get insights into the social reality of people who have little access to other financial means, and help to improve their livelihood through business development

Types of host organizations:

Microfinance NGOs

Intern review: Mary Scott Douglas

Tanzania - Legal Support for Human Rights Advocacy

"My internship experience was interesting and enlightening. Originally, I thought I would be assigned things to do over email, however I spoke on the phone with one of the lawyers at the firm I was interning with and was provided direct questions to research and answer before our next call. I liked this approach, as it enabled me the opportunity to relate and get to know the lawyers. The tasks were suited to my experience level and I was able to communicate when I had questions or concerns. The internship contributed toward the achievement of my long-term goals, as I gained experience in the law field. This experience helped me to decide whether or not I want to attend law school in the future. Before the internship, I wasn’t sure if I wanted to but now, I’m positive that I want to pursue this career field. I wanted to learn about what a career would be like in law, especially on the international scale, and that is exactly what I was able to experience through this remote internship. The skills I learnt were a great introduction and will directly apply to my further education and an eventual career in law. During the law internship, based out of Tanzania, I shadowed lawyers in their office, researched cases, read over documents, and learned about how the culture of Tanzania affects law. I was very happy with my growth during this internship! My most significant learning point was to always research as much as possible. My supervisor kept saying that doing good research is the key to being a good lawyer and I truly think that advice will stick with me forever."

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Program fees

Internship Duration	Program Fee (USD)
100 hour options	$948
250 hour options	$1348
350 hour options	$1648

When you are ready to confirm your place on a Remote Internship, you just pay a deposit (US$449 for 100-hour options, US$649 for 250-hour options or US$769 for 350-hour options). This deposit is included in your Program Fee.