Arcadia Ireland
Arcadia Internship Continues to Impress
Date
July 27, 2015
We have been offering academically directed internships in Dublin for quite some time. One of our longest running internships have been done in partnership with the Institute of Public Administration. Students on this Arcadia programme intern with an Irish politician in Ireland’s national parliament called Dail Eireann.
The amount of personal interaction that student’s get with Irish politicians amazes me. Take for example a student from last Spring who commented on the incredible access to their TD, or Irish equivalent of Representative:
"This afternoon my TD Liam Twomey wanted me to do a presentation on what I’ve learned about the European Union so far. It’s not a lot but I gave it a shot, and he was super helpful and explained a lot of things. I also asked him if I could do something regarding health so I can get credit for my minor, and he was very supportive and thought of a project I can do."
Our students are able to meet and talk from their supervisors on a regular basis, and since the office is not that large, they often find themselves working right next to the desk of their immediate supervisor, observing the Irish political process along the way. No better opportunity for this than from inside the Houses of Irish Parliament as an Arcadia intern.
Another good example of one of our internship placements is with a local boutique financial service organization. When I recently met with the students, he told me that he had an ongoing project that kept him busy for the week and occasionally he would attend meetings with clients, make some site visits to local businesses in Dublin. His introduction to finance class back in the states really helped him to contextualize the learning already undertaken. He shared office space with a colleague from Spain, and later that night they were joining some other colleagues from Brazil in a nearby pub.
These are just two examples of internships done through Arcadia in Dublin. Students leave the programme with stories to tell that set them apart from other students on the international job market.