Micro business internship placements are with locally-owned business including small entrepreneurships, family-owned organizations, or social enterprises. Placements require at least an intermediate level (B1) of Spanish. Work may vary depending on current business projects and goals at your placement.
Possible tasks for Micro-Business Interns include:
- Provide online marketing support through website updates, social media management, adverting, etc.
- Update and develop promotional materials
- Assist with community outreach and promotion
- Improve existing internal and external communication, including training materials, FAQs, and canned responses
- Research competitors, potential partners, and promotional opportunities
- Assist with basic accounting, including expense reports and project budgets
- Assist with general day-to-day operations, office administration, client service, and sales
As part of the internship program, participants receive 1 hour of private Spanish lessons every day, Monday to Friday. The classes can be personalized to the level and work schedule, and focuses on vocabulary relevant to the internship placement.
Our Native Spanish Program is taught by experienced, certified, native Spanish instructors. Maximo Nivel uses the Communicative Method of language teaching, which is focused primarily on immersive, spoken interaction as a means of learning. For this reason, please note that teachers speak only in Spanish 100% of the time during class.
All interns are required to submit weekly journals and a final deliverable.
Internships os less than 8 weeks require either a 10-20 page written paper or a 1-hour PowerPoint presentation. Internships of 8 weeks or longer require both a 10-20 page written paper and a 1-hour PowerPoint presentation.
Final Deliverables are expected to cover the following:
- Overview of the company worked with and the intern's role
- Organization review
- Sector analysis in host or home country
- Analysis of obstacles incurred
- Outcomes/results
Interns are always supported by Maximo Nivel’s in-country coordinators, but they are not with them at the placement every day. Please be prepared for some independence and leadership.
The majority of internship placements are located in and around San José. Travel time varies widely from place to place and interns should expect to spend 20-90 minutes traveling each way. The city bus system is generally the most effective and cheapest way to get to and from the project, though taxis are widely available and are still an option. For the first visit to the placement, interns are taken by a Maximo Nivel representative using the local transport and given additional information about how to get to and from the work place. Local bus rides are very affordable and a one way trip will rarely cost more than ₡350 (about $0.75).
