Volunteering and internships abroad
Gain new skills and immerse yourself in other cultures with our summer volunteering programmes and internships abroad.
Volunteering
International volunteering offers you a chance to support a cause you feel passionate about and can be a highly rewarding experience.
Here are some volunteering experiences you can get involved with:
Think Pacific – Fiji
Think Pacific is a social enterprise and international charity that was born out of the University of Leeds in 2009 by alumni.
Through Think Pacific, you can join a volunteer expedition in Fiji to work on sustainable development projects in partnership with the Fijian Government. You will be working with local communities and organisations and can choose from projects across a range of sectors.
If you’re interested, visit the Think Pacific website or email the Volunteering team at volunteer@leeds.ac.uk to learn more.
Gryphons Abroad – South Africa
Gryphons Abroad is an international development project in South Africa delivered with Leeds Sport. The project engages young people in the province of Kwa-Zulu Natal in a programme of cycling, sport, leadership and education.
The project values aspiration, cultural and global awareness, and employability for both UK students and South African pupils. You’ll develop a range of skills that you can take with you throughout your studies and future career.
To take part, you need to fundraise to cover the project costs and the costs associated with the trip.
For more information, including how to apply, please visit the Gryphons Abroad programme website.
Internships
Summer internships abroad are a great way for you to gain practical work experience, immerse yourself in life in another country, and develop your professional skills.
Exclusive internships
For summer 2025, we have two fantastic internship opportunities that are open exclusively to Leeds students:
- Pagoda Projects internships – Madrid, Spain. A specially designed global industry internship, working on a group project with experienced industry mentors.
- Toyota Boshoku internships – Tokyo, Japan. The Japanese automotive parts manufacturer is offering a range of internships suitable for students of all disciplines.
MyCareer
In the past, there have been internships available all around the world with companies such as Texas Instruments in Germany, Heinz Kraft in Europe, Nomura US and Asia, Sony in Japan and many more.
You can also speak to your academic school’s Employability team to discuss your options. You can find your school’s Employability team on the Careers service page.
GoinGlobal
GoinGlobal is an excellent resource to help you learn about international internships, search for jobs at home and abroad, research countries and cities, and much more.
Visit GoinGlobal to create an account, watch videos on how to make the most of this resource, sign up to webinars about working abroad, read blogs and browse thousands of internships available on their website.
GetHighered
Access GetHighered by registering with your University email address to search for hundreds of overseas based internships, placements and jobs.
For more information about summer internship opportunities, please email the Work Based Learning and Partnerships team at workbasedpartnerships@leeds.ac.uk.