English for Work Plus Internship Programme for 8 weeks - 6 months

Course description

EC Cape Town is proud to offer a special internship program for students looking to gain invaluable business English experience at a South African company, school or NGO. EC offers this internship service to students who want to improve their CVs by gaining work experience in South Africa and/or want to practice their English skills in a professional environment. Internships do not only improve professional skills, but also language and communication skills because your colleagues will be English-speaking.

What can you expect on this course?

Practical work experience in companies and organisations
Increased employment opportunities by adding more experience to your C.V.
Increased awareness of international business culture, and improved business and interpersonal skills
Improved English language skills in a professional and real-life environment
Requirements:
Before starting the Internship/Volunteer Programme you have to take an English course with EC Cape Town for a minimum of 4 weeks on the course of your choice. In order to begin your placement, you must have reached at least an Intermediate level of English.

Placement Process:
Upon deciding to participate in the programme, you must supply EC with a C.V., a motivation letter, a completed questionnaire and a signed Statement of Understanding. Students should also submit any letters of recommendation. The submitted application information needs to be returned one month prior to course commencement and will be used to give you a placement.

Accommodation:
You can choose to stay at EC Cape Town's accommodation after your course, or you can find accommodation near your placement location.

Students may gain experience in the following areas:
Finance, international business, insurance, marketing, media, law, administration, secretarial work, industry, tourism, hotel industry, tourism, hotel industry, social work, ecology and environmental protection.

Internship Examples:
The internships showcased here are example internships facilitated for past participants of the EC Cape Town Internship Program. Please note that your personal placement will be determined by our applications staff in accordance with the information provided to us in your internship questionnaire and your CV. It is possible that your final placement will not be one of the example sites listed here, but rather will be carefully selected from our extensive database of sites to better fit your exact internship goals.

• Journalism and Media Internship
• South African Environment and Conservation Internship
• Film and Photography Industry Internship
• Social Work Internship
• Business and Finance Internship

Internship vs. Volunteering?
Any student who participates in the EC internship programme will be working as an intern at your host internship site. What is the difference between an intern and a volunteer? As an intern, you will be working in a professional environment and will be expected to work on a full-time basis (approximately 30-35 hours per week). As a full-time member of the team, you will be actively involved in the organisation’s projects. Volunteers only work several hours per week (5-10) and are only given a limited amount of responsibility. Because this is a professional experience, please not that we do NOT offer volunteer placements.

General Internship Aims:

To provide practical work experience in companies for students and professionals.
To enhance employment opportunities.
To provide a means of increasing student awareness of international business culture and to improve business and interpersonal skills.
To provide individuals with a means of improving existing language skills in a professional environment
Provide an individual with the means to improve upon business language and interpersonal communication skills and to meet individual requirements in terms of vocabulary extension within a specified vocational area.

Students are regularly monitored throughout the programme to ensure their satisfaction. Students are also encouraged to contact EC if they have any problems or need additional help.
Internships
Internships allow students to improve their English in a specific profession while gaining practical skills and increasing their awareness of international business practices. We provide the opportunity for students to gain unpaid internship experience in a wide range of industries and occupations including: finance, international business, insurance, marketing, media, law, administration, secretarial work, industry, tourism, hotel management, social work, ecology and environmental conservation. Any requests in other vocational areas will be always considered.