Travel and tourism internships involve a wide variety of tasks related to the tourism industry, one of Australia’s most dynamic. You might be placed in any part of a tourism business, including customer service, sales and marketing, human resources (HR), finance, operations, and management.
Travel and tourism internships are perfect for students currently studying tourism, hospitality, or customer service. However, an internship in this area develops a wide array of transferable skills that any employer would be impressed to see on your CV.
Typical internships may involve working in one of the following: travel agencies, accommodation providers, transportation and rental companies, or activity providers.
Placements are primarily made in Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane and Adelaide but are possible in other cities when requested or when opportunities do not exist in these locations. Placements range from 4 – 40 weeks depending on your visa and university requirements. If you require a shorter or a longer internship please make a special request in your application form. Internships may be either part time (starting at 16 hours per week) or full time (up to 40 hours per week). We can negotiate a set number of hours per week in advance that satisfies your schedule or University requirements. Most internship placements are Monday to Friday however some hosts may requires some assistance on evenings and weekends.
What’s Included?
Online interview
Placement Supervisor
Placement agreement
Orientation
Travel & local advice
Social community
24-hour support service
Certificate of completion
Gain practical work skills in a business setting
Putting education into practice
Meet people who will help to advance your career
Learn new ways of critical thinking
Intercultural communication
Get job ready!
Travel and Tourism Internship Tasks May Include
Interacting with clients via phone, email, social media, and in-person
General marketing related activities
Business communications and finance
Updating files and databases
Updating passenger manifests and tours
Assisting with or guiding on tours
Liaising with tour operators
Processing sales and refunds
Social media posting, journalism and content delivery
Improving guest experience
Using company customer relationship management (CRM) software
Updating websites, product manuals, and processes
Scheduling appointments and meetings
Accommodation services such as check in, check out or room service
General administration
Travel and Tourism Internship Requirements
Current undergraduate degree student/holder in a related field
Aged 18 – 30
Upper intermediate level of English or higher
University papers to show that the internship is a part of your program of study
Excellent organisational and problem-solving skills
Ability to prioritise workload
Logical with an eye for details
Proficient with relevant business applications (e.g. MS Office)
- 4 weeks minimum, 24 weeks maximum
Up to 12 weeks on a tourist visa, up to 24 weeks on a student trainee visa, and up to one year on a working holiday visa (ask us for more details)
Criminal background check
Completed online application form and uploaded documents
(resume, motivation letter, references)
You will need either a working holiday (subclass 417) visa or a work and holiday (subclass 462) visa.
In short, yes. We can make all internship placements are made in accordance with any requirements your university has. You should check with your university or faculty head that your placement can receive course credit and whether your university has any requirements you must meet – e.g. number of hours worked; length of placement etc. We’ll take these into account when we make your placement.
Usually, internships do not have a built-in holiday break. However, we can arrange these on a case-by-case basis. If you have a set holiday date (as many local university and study abroad students do) or you have family visiting, for example, please let us know during the interview process and we’ll arrange this time off with your host organisation when we negotiate your placement. Remember also that once your placement agreement is in place, you’ll know your expected hours of work and can plan your time away around this.
Please note that if you’ve booked accommodation you won’t get refunds on your accommodation fees if you take time off during your internship. For this reason, we recommend you take holidays either before your internship starts or after it ends. We’re partnered with several local travel organisations so you can book a travel package within Australia – or beyond – before you depart your home country. You can book these here.
We can also provide advice about how long you’ll need to see the country or any particular region before you depart. Additionally, we can advise you about any local tours or weekly/monthly events arranged by our partners that you may be interested in.
Your activities and/or projects during your internship will all be clearly outlined in your placement agreement. These will be in accordance with your preferences, your host organisation’s projects at the time, and any requirements your university may have. In general, you’ll have a range of tasks. You’ll start with fairly simple things, but as your internship progresses and your confidence in the role develops, you’ll be given more responsibilities and complex tasks.
We offer both full-time (up to 40 hours per week) and part-time internships (as few as 15 hours per week), so you can manage your internship around your studies and other commitments. Your weekly hours will depend on your preferences, the needs of your host organisation, and any requirements your university might have.
If you’re not undertaking your internship as part of your program of study, the maximum number of hours you can work per week is 18.
We do our best to make sure your travel time is as short as possible. Your maximum commute time on public transport will be up to 60 minutes each way.
Our internships generally last between 4 and 24 weeks, although longer placements can be made if you have particular requirements.
An internship of 4-10 weeks is usually long enough to observe and participate in an organisation’s basic processes, learn about its business philosophy, and begin helping out on various projects.
An internship of 10-20 weeks is usually enough time to participate in and start to master basic business processes, to become an integral part of the team, and to start managing your own projects and becoming involved with larger team projects.
An internship of 20+ weeks allows you to master business processes and even start improving those processes, to become a fundamental part of the team, and to take on more complex projects both independently and as part of a team.
We offer internships in private, public, government, non-government, charity, and not-for-profit organisations.
Each of our placements has specific requirements, and we’ll place you depending on your individual background, experience, level of English, and length of stay. In most cases, you’ll need to have an interview or two with your prospective host organisation.
If you’re a current student and the internship forms part of your studies, you can undertake an internship for the duration required by your institution. However, if your internship will NOT form part of your studies, you may only intern for up to 18 hours per week with an NGO, not-for-profit, or charity organisation.
An internship is a period of supervised, unpaid, practical training or experience for qualified students and professionals. It can take place remotely or onsite within an organisation and is a time-limited, not permanent, role.
What’s in it for you? A taste of real-world experience in your chosen academic or professional field, giving you a leg up on your peers.
The team at Internex have worked in the youth education and travel industry for over 20 years, so we know how to make your overseas experience as seamless and enjoyable as possible. Our team have all lived, worked, and studied overseas and know firsthand the challenges of moving to a new country and will be there to support you every step of the way.
We’ll make sure you know what to expect and how to prepare, we’ll take care of any practical difficulties you may have, and our local representatives will ensure you are happy and looked after while you’re away.
Internex is also dedicated to providing the best quality programs at affordable prices. Accommodation and meals (where included) make up the bulk of a program’s cost. Remaining fees are for our local representatives who ensure you’re taken care of in every country we represent.
We meet all our participants on Zoom or in person to learn more about them. We personally visit our hosts to ensure the highest standards and when you live with one of our hosts in homestays or farmstay we collect criminal records and have them complete an application form to ensure they understand the expectations of our participants.
We are not a search engine, we are real people that ensure this real experience is as good as it can be and all stakeholders are satisfied with the outcome.
We want you to be safe and happy while you learn and have fun abroad!
Click here for more information about our application and placement process
Internex provides the following additional services;
- Pre-departure support
- Flights and visa assistance
- Insurance booking
- 3 night Arrival Package
- Airport transfer
- Homestay accommodation
- Hostel accommodation
- Multiple placement bookings
Additional services can be added to your booking during the application process.
“I am doing great! Everything has been good so far. I was on one of the tours last weekend (Rotorua/Taupo/Waitomo) and it was really fun. I will be going to Hobbiton next weekend with my friend from Finland who is in New Zealand for a couple of weeks!”
Julia, Finland – Tourism internship, July 2019
If you are interested in finding out more about travel and tourism internships in Australia contact our team here, or apply today and start the process!