Business Internships in South Africa

Business meeting

International Business Internships in South Africa

For interns who are on a gap year and looking to be accepted into a business course at university or those looking for employment in a particular sector, an international business internship in South Africa offers access to work experience that will make you stand out from the crowd.

Cape Town is a buzzing city where you can base your business work experience with Projects Abroad. With plenty of English language media, a very liberal outlook, modern reputation, and up to date technology, South Africa is the perfect place to gain relevant business skills. Here, you can boost your resume, test out a possible future profession, and make you more employable back home.

Cape Town represents the great dichotomy of South Africa - a country where there is a well-developed infrastructure and legal system, yet where crime is rife; Where there are world class businesses and the currency is the most actively traded in an emerging market, yet HIV/AIDS remains a problem and corruption is common.

Cape Town waterfront

Outside of Cape Town and the three other major industrial centers, development is stunted and poverty widespread. In this unique situation, we are able to offer interns the opportunity to work with organizations that compete in the international arena. Or, you can choose to gain experience at an organization that does worthwhile and necessary development work.

All Business interns live with host families in Cape Town, traveling to work each day on public transportation.

Interning on a Business Internship in South Africa

We organize work experience internships in a number of business sectors. These currently include chartered accounting, business consulting, marketing and branding, media/PR, and international development projects.

Interns working on an accounting internship will join a firm of accountants and work on a variety of tasks. Your responsibilities will normally include book keeping, forensic and management accounting, advisory roles including corporate recovery and restructuring, audits, tax assessments, and trustee services.

Interns working in marketing, media, or PR work on marketing strategies, marketing campaigns, branding, various sponsorship deals, events, networking, public speaking, and writing for the press.

We also offer several specific business internships in International Development and Business Enterprise.

Volunteers at parliament

As an intern working on one of our Business internships, the actual work you do will depend on the internship and will vary. You could find yourself gaining exposure to board meetings to observe business development plans, attending client meetings, working on set briefs, putting together portfolios, helping with events, and much more. As with all internships, you should be prepared to undertake some tasks such as proofreading, filing, and answering the phone, but provided you show enthusiasm and willingness, your English speaking colleagues will be happy to give you insight into their area of expertise. You'll go home with a new set of skills and a good understanding of how the business world works.

During the internship, interns are expected to be punctual, professional and hard working. You will be required to work an average of 35 hours per week, usually Monday-Friday. When you arrive at work on your first day, you will be assigned a supervisor who will be able to advise and support you during your internship, and of course our Projects Abroad staff are always available to help.

Developing internships in other business areas is always possible - just ask!