Internship Fields
Gain Arts Experience in Some of the World’s Most Creative Cities
Art looks and feels different depending on where you are in the world. The galleries, the street culture, the artistic traditions, and the communities that support them all vary in ways that are difficult to understand without being there. An art internship abroad immerses you in a creative environment that challenges and expands your practice in ways that simply cannot happen at home.
The scope of art placements is as varied as the field itself. Some experience in art is required, and a low-intermediate level of Spanish or higher is needed for most placements. Any art platform will be enhanced when the artist creating it has international experiences. Intern at both independent and larger galleries, serving as a docent if your Spanish is good enough.
Art internships with Adelante Abroad are available in almost all of the cities where we operate, including Spain, Chile, and Mexico, with programs running throughout the year.
An international art internship does more than add a line to your resume. It shapes the way you see and create. Here is why students are choosing art internships with Adelante abroad:
Experiencing art in another country exposes you to traditions, techniques, and approaches that feed directly into your own practice.
Time spent working in galleries, studios, or arts education programs abroad adds a distinct and compelling dimension to your portfolio.
Past interns have built lasting relationships with artists, gallery owners, and arts educators that have opened doors long after their program ended.
Arts education placements give you the opportunity to teach and create alongside local communities, including youth and underserved populations.
Most Adelante interns receive academic credit through their home university, with full documentation support from our team.
Art is a broad field, and our placements reflect that. Here is a look at the types of work our arts interns have taken on across their placements:
Get placed in cutting-edge contemporary art galleries where you assist with exhibitions, engage with visitors, and support the day-to-day operations of a working gallery. For those with a strong enough level of Spanish, some placements include serving as a docent and guiding visitors through exhibitions.
Some placements involve working directly alongside a practicing artist, including photographers, sculptors, and textile workers in Spain and Latin America. This type of placement gives you a close-up look at how a working artist manages their creative practice and their professional life.
Arts education placements give you the opportunity to both create and teach, working with children in after-school settings or within organizations that offer arts programming to underserved communities. One intern in Chile painted a mural on a city alley wall alongside a group of teenagers as a final project. That mural is still there today.
In Oaxaca, Mexico, past interns have worked within art cooperatives and creative studios that are deeply embedded in the local community and cultural tradition. These placements are some of the most immersive and creatively rich experiences Adelante offers.
Destinations
Spain
Barcelona is one of Europe's most vibrant creative cities, with a rich contemporary art scene, a strong gallery culture, and a deep artistic tradition that makes it an inspiring place to develop as an artist or arts professional.
Spain
Madrid is home to some of the world's most celebrated art institutions and a thriving contemporary art community, offering arts interns a professionally rich and culturally stimulating environment.
Latin America
Chile's central coast has an active arts and cultural scene, with community-based art projects and creative organizations that offer interns a meaningful, hands-on experience in a distinct Latin American setting.
Latin America
Oaxaca is one of Mexico's most culturally rich regions, with a long and celebrated artistic tradition. The city is home to art cooperatives, studios, and community arts organizations that offer some of Adelante's most immersive and creatively distinctive placements.
Programs
Barcelona
Intern in Barcelona with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Madrid
Intern in Madrid with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Viña del Mar – Valparaíso
Intern in Chile with housing, placement, and language classes included. Guaranteed placements across 30+ fields, programs starting monthly.
Oaxaca
Volunteer or intern in Oaxaca, Mexico across a range of fields. Affordable programs with housing included and flexible durations from 2 to 6+ months.
What’s included
Both our Internship Abroad and Study Abroad Programs are among the most affordable you’ll find. Explore a new country and gain meaningful internship experience that makes a difference, without being limited by your budget.
Enjoy your own private room in a shared city-center apartment, conveniently located near your placement, local life, and weekend adventures.
You’ll receive a signed contract from your host organization before you arrive. We have placed 100% of our candidates in one of their requested fields and stand behind that with a guarantee.
Your Adelante director builds your placement around your background, interests, Spanish proficiency level, and areas of interest. No cookie-cutter placements.
We help you identify and articulate the skills you’ve built abroad, an essential step in translating impactful international work into language that resonates on your resume, in interviews, and on graduate school applications.
Nearly every Adelante intern who needed academic credit has received it. We provide full documentation and can work with your home institution to meet their requirements.
How to apply
Fill out our simple online application. There is no fee to apply, and it takes only a few minutes to get started.
Eligible candidates receive a link to schedule a free, first assessment interview by phone or Google Meet.
We’ll learn about your background, areas of interest, Spanish level, and goals so we can start building the right placement for you.
In real time or within 1–2 business days, you will receive your interview results by email. Successful candidates receive an acceptance letter with clear next steps.
Confirm your spot within one week of acceptance with a $325 confirmation fee. This means there is no tire-kicking, and you are committed to going abroad. A second interview and full placement details follow soon after.
Once confirmed, you will receive a comprehensive Pre-Departure Information Packet with everything you need to prepare for your time abroad, including visa guidance if required, along with cultural prep.
Reviews
Read what past interns, students and volunteers say about their time abroad with Adelante.
Centenary College of Louisiana
Arts · Barcelona, Spain
I enjoyed my time in Barcelona very much. I was ecstatic to get there and start. When I first started it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every minute of it. I have made some dear friends. I can say I will be back in Barcelona. I would recommend…
I enjoyed my time in Barcelona very much. I was ecstatic to get there and start. When I first started it wasn’t exactly what I was expecting. Nonetheless, I enjoyed every minute of it. I have made some dear friends. I can say I will be back in Barcelona. I would recommend Adelante. Without them, none of this would have been possible. Spain in general is beautiful, but Barcelona has to be my favorite. It has everything. From mountains, oceans, beaches, forests, etc. They have the cold, breezy weather and the hot, humid weather.
Bennington College, Portland, OR, USA
Arts · Mexico
This program was perfect for me, and it was a great way to get to know a new city. It made the transition to living in another place as easy as it really could be — finding me housing, an internship, and contacts within the city that could answer any questions or help show me…
This program was perfect for me, and it was a great way to get to know a new city. It made the transition to living in another place as easy as it really could be — finding me housing, an internship, and contacts within the city that could answer any questions or help show me around. The internship was a fantastic fit, which really showed how much Adelante listened to what I wanted from the experience, as well as they attention they payed to what skills I already had. I learned a lot, met many new people, and got to know the amazing city. I even decided to move back to Oaxaca for the rest of the year to work at the art studio where I was previously interning!
University of Hawaii at Manoa
Arts · Madrid, Spain
I’ve been so busy! But in a good way 🙂 My first internship week was filled with events. I haven’t really made any new friends with coworkers since the internship is online but I like my boss Javier and I enjoy interacting with people at the events, and I’ve been able to socialize with other students from Eureka.
During an art internship abroad in Spain or Latin America, you’ll have the opportunity to work alongside local artists, galleries, museums, or art studios. Interns can assist with exhibition planning, restoration projects, community art programs, or creative production. Whether you’re placed in Madrid, Seville, Barcelona, or Oaxaca, each destination offers a unique art scene that helps you expand your cultural and professional perspective.
Pricing for an Arts internship depends on where you will be participating in the internship and how long you will be abroad. Pricing for our programs differs from country to country. Do you want to travel for 2 months or 6 months? This will change the internship program price as well. You can learn more about our pricing.
Yes, housing is included in all of our art internship programs abroad. Interns typically stay with a local host family or in a shared apartment. This arrangement allows you to experience authentic local culture and practice Spanish in your daily life—an important part of interning abroad in Spain or Latin America.
Adelante Abroad provides full support before and during your art internship abroad, including pre-departure orientation, housing, in-country support, and some cultural activities. Our local team in Spain and Latin America ensures a smooth transition and helps you feel at home in your new country.
An art internship abroad gives you international experience that can strengthen your portfolio and expand your creative perspective. You’ll gain insight into how art and culture intersect in different countries, and learn to adapt to new creative environments. Completing an art internship in Spain or Latin America can set you apart when applying to graduate programs or art-related careers.
After you’ve been accepted into the program, our team carefully matches you with a host company based on your background, goals, and interests. Your internship placement will be finalized 1 month before your departure date, giving you plenty of time to prepare for your experience abroad.
Adelante Abroad has earned the trust of thousands of candidates worldwide through 25 years of guaranteed placements and life-changing experiences. Since 1999, we’ve specialized in providing affordable, customized internship and study abroad programs across Spain, Latin America, and Scotland, and we’re not a large, impersonal agency. We’re a team of seasoned travelers and international education professionals who’ve lived abroad ourselves and know what it takes to make your experience a success.
Every program is built around you: your goals, your values, your background. With in-country directors operating full-time in every city where we have programs, you’re never on your own. No matter where in the world you are.
The artists and arts professionals who stand out are the ones who have seen and experienced the world beyond their own backyard. An art internship abroad with Adelante gives you the creative exposure, the professional experience, and the cultural immersion to take your practice somewhere new. Apply today.
