Student-Athletes Abroad is committed to actively promoting respect for the culture and values of our host communities.
The work completed through our internships directly impacts at the local level. Students leave their experience with an understanding of the mutually beneficial relationships we have with our local partners. See examples below.
Australia: We partner with Disability Sports Australia (DSA) and work with disabled athletes in a variety of capacities at the local, regional, national, and international level. We work together to promote the Australian culture and helping to further the opportunities for their disabled athletes. DSA also welcomes U.S. disabled college athletes to participate in this internship program.
Australia Internship Page
Costa Rica: We work with organizations such as Special Olympics Costa Rica, where we integrate fully with this unique community and the children they serve. Five of our full-time staff in Costa Rica are native Costa Ricans who competed in Division 1 athletics. Most also played on the Costa Rica national teams and have strong local ties to the communities with which we work.
San Jose Internship Page / Flamingo Internship Page
South Africa: These are grassroots organizations that use sport as the carrot to draw youth and local community members away from drugs and violence. They also teach the values of teamwork, following the rules of the game, and highlight opportunities for their lives outside of what they may be able to imagine.Our Resident Director in Cape Town previously worked for the Laureus Sport for Good Foundation (based out of the Sport Science Institute of South Africa) and leverages her experiences and expertise as a local to provide cultural support, community understanding, and program improvements on a regular basis.
South Africa Internship Page
Spain: We coordinate with local organizations who either host the interns directly or work to place the interns in businesses and nonprofit agencies.They provide continual support throughout the program, sharing their expertise to educate our students on what it means to be an intern. They also guide them through studying, living, and working in another country.
Spain Internship Page
Thailand: We partner with Sports Camps Australia (SCA) to work with athletes coming together from all over East Asia for a high-level multi-sport competition in Phuket. Students learn from the Australian team about event planning and operations, while also working alongside youth and coaching staff from elite schools around Asia. This is a great opportunity for students to learn about sports management and event planning by working on the ground at a local level, while simultaneously serving as ambassadors of their university to high school athletes from all over Asia, who may have aspirations of attending college in the United States.
Thailand Internship Page
Internships for Academic Credit
All internship locations utilize our internship syllabus, created by our Director of Academics, Dr. Marissa Floyd
Our internship syllabus focuses on both the academic and professional development of students, with weekly reflective journaling, weekly meetings to monitor student progress, a mid-term paper, final presentation, final reflection paper, and general expectations laid out for the students.
For more information, go to ?https://www.saabroad.com/internships
To apply, click on 'Apply' above.
