Global Team Internship - Aims & Initiatives
At Think Pacific, we believe that an internship abroad should not only enhance your CV – It should develop your global perspectives, increase your skills and confidence, be accessible, and help you discover your passions through exciting real world experience.
Our Global Team Internship (GTI) has been designed to help you bridge the gap between university and graduate employment in a globalized workforce by combining unique work-experience with cultural immersion and a team-based adventure.
During the project, you will have the opportunity to live in a traditional Balinese village with a team of fellow students, whilst supporting our hand-picked network of Bali-based social enterprises to develop practical and sustainable solutions to current challenges. This is not a consultancy project – to ensure the highest level of ethical projects we believe that it is through discussion with international participants our partners can gain exposure to new markets and see their organisations in a new like. We are not here to tell them how to run their enterprise but provide innovative advice to allow for future self-led developments.
Our partners are varied in missions, work-styles, and backgrounds but all are passionate about their area of expertise. Our partnerships and collaborations are focussed on capacity-building initiatives including the delivery of action projects, international engagement & exposure and financial contribution.
On a Think Pacific Global Team Internship in Bali, this is your opportunity to:
- Experience; Gain unique experience of living and working in Indonesia
- Contribution; Make a tangible impact and find solutions to real world problems
- Challenge; Expand your comfort zone, throw yourself into diverse projects and themes
- Learn; Learn about a new culture by living in a traditional Balinese community
- Skills; Develop professional skills and gain experience employers are looking for
You will need a positive mindset and a professional approach because you are working on real-life business projects for clients that invest time and mentoring for students. Our guarantee is that this internship will boost your softs skills and confidence, whilst providing the chance to make a meaningful contribution to exciting partners.
After your first week of cultural discovery, orientation, preparation and team building with your fellow participant, it’s now time to start working on inspiring projects for fantastic social enterprises in Bali.
Each week you will choose a programme partner to work for and project brief that inspires you. The week begins with a site visit to learn about the organisations vision, goals and challenges. Your task then is to work within a small group of 3-5 participants to tackle the brief and present back your ‘action project’ and ideas to the organisation at the end of the week.
For host organisations, this is an opportunity to gain unique international insights from creative thinking students, to prototype new concepts, begin new projects that have been limited by staff resources or gain fresh perspectives on their strategies and operations.
Our partners include local enterprises, community-based businesses, start ups, social enterprises and university incubation programs. Organisations are from diverse areas of arts, tourism, and technology or mission focused in areas of environment, youth empowerment or cultural preservation. All organisations are chosen for their ethics and sustainability. They are also fabulous mentors, who value student perspectives, are eager to collaborate to grow their vision. Like us, they see external participation as a means to boost internal opportunity.
Each week you will be set an Action Project – A specific challenge faced by the organisation. Your role in your team is to find the best solution. Often ‘big picture’, always interesting, sometimes challenging. Projects focus upon research, development and solving issues. You’ll need to work collaboratively, consider cultural difference and learn quickly. Creative and critical thinking are the secret ingredients to producing the most effective outcomes. Each week culminates in you presenting your concepts to the partner for feedback and review.
Across the project, you will have the opportunity to work for three different partners on three different ‘action projects’. Each week there will be a new social enterprise for you to engage with and complete an ‘action project’ for. When it comes to doing this, we have designed the ‘5 D process’ that you and your fellow participants will follow:
- Discovery: you will visit the organisation and engage in activities to learn about the product or services
- Discussion: engage in discussion with the organisation’s team and your fellow interns to deepen your understanding and explore ‘action projects’
- Decide: alongside your group, you will decide which project you will focus on
- Design: working in co-working spaces & cafes around the community, you will create your project with your small team
- Deliver: present your group project to the attached partner organisation
“78% of employers believe graduates do not arrive in the work-place equipped with the skills they need to be work-ready – Chartered Management Institute ‘Work Ready Graduates Study’
The world of work is rapidly changing. Employers are seeking graduates ready to work in global, hybrid environments, who are flexible, resilient, collaborative and problem-solvers. But students have limited opportunity to get real-world experience, to hone their skills or develop their professional abilities.
Our Global Team Internship is designed to develop a range of core skills employers look for, whilst at the same time, adding capacity and growth to a small, handpicked enterprises in Bali, who really value your commitment, ideas and innovation – a true win-win situation!
Take this opportunity for professional growth, throw yourself into every aspect and you will gain demonstrable skills to boost your future.
What does an average day look like on this project?
No day on this project is the same, you will gain experience of working on consultancy challenges with 3 of our partner organisations, to learn from local professionals and develop your professional and personal skills. Week 1 is dedicated to your project briefing, and your days include discussions and activities with your team, and fun team building and cultural activities.
Following this, during your project weeks (2, 3 & 4), you can expect to wake up around 7am and have breakfast in your homestay. You will then take pre-organised transport with your project group to visit the business you will be working with that week, for a tour and presentation about the organisation. You will then be set a your action project proposals which you will work on with your group from different locations in the village throughout the week in the morning or afternoon. You will then return to the homestay, where you can relax in the evening with your peers, in a local cafe, or join a team social activity before you have dinner in your homestay at 7pm. We ask you to be back in your homestay by 9:30pm so you can get some well deserved rest.
What does an average project week look like on this project?:
Monday – Partner Site Visit & Project Group Work
Tuesday – Project Group Work & Community Wellbeing Activity
Wednesday – Sustainability Activity, Project Group Work & Partner Q&A
Thursday – Peer Review Session, Project Group Work, & Team Social
Friday – Presentation & Feedback Session, Free Weekend Begins!
Will I work alone or in a team?
You will work with a team for your 3 action projects, we aim for this to be a different team for each week.
What projects will I work on?
You will work with 3 social enterprises over the duration of your project. The 3 organisations will be introduced to you during your briefing week. These will be pre-allocated based on partner availability.
How will I travel to projects?
All transport involved in the project will pre arranged by the Think Pacific team. For the days you need to travel out of the village, you will travel in cars with your group. Think Pacific employ at trusted team local drivers from the homestay community.
Will I get to visit different organisations in Bali?
Yes, we aim to give you a varied experience of working with different organisations in different fields. You will visit 3 social enterprises over the duration of your project.
Will I be working directly with staff and customers?
You will visit the organisation at the start of the week and interact with staff members. You will have a Q&A with a representative from the organisation during the week, and you will present your action project back to them at the end of the week.
How will I communicate with organisation without knowing the language?
Think Pacific local staff will support the communication with the business staff if required.
Will I work in the community?
You will spend Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday working from cafes in your homestay village.
Will I be supervised by professional staff at the projects?
You will receive guidance and support from the organisation representatives, then you will work independently with your group on the challenge set for you. Think Pacific staff will support you as required.
What should I do if I have a safeguarding concern about a project partner?
We encourage you to speak with a Think Pacific Manager as soon as possible about your concern. We ask that you do not speak directly with the project/partner staff about your concern, as this could put the individual/s at risk of harm. Think Pacific will listen to your concern and take the relevant action if required, in line with our safeguarding policy.
What does Community Wellbeing involve?
Community Wellbeing focuses on engaging with our host community through fun and engaging sessions with the local youth community group and community members. This will include some evening activities to ensure we don’t encroach on the communities business lives.
These sessions could include social activities, games nights, sports sessions, litter picks, language lessons, traditional (and non-traditional) music sessions, conversations about youth issues or workshops on professional development.
Where will Community Wellbeing take place?
Community Wellbeing will be based… in the community! Within our home of Mas Village you will engage with the community in the Banjar Hall, local communal areas or even in your homestays.
What is the purpose of Community Wellbeing?
Community Wellbeing is a new addition to the GTI and we are so excited to provide structured and impactful opportunities for you to engage with our host community. We believe that through deeper connection to our hosts you will leave project feeling part of this amazing community we are lucky to call home.
What are Sustainability Activities?
Every Wednesday, you will have the chance to get out of the village and see more of what Bali has to offer. Across Bali, there are a range of initiatives that focus on protecting Bali from the culturally, economically, and environmentally erosive forces that pose a threat to the island.
This will also be a chance for you to engage with something different and see some famous sites of Bali and engage with its rich heritage. All activities are included in your project fee.
What kind of Activities can I engage with?
Our activities will focus on the 3 key elements of sustainability: Environmental, Economic, and Social/Cultural.
These could a litter pick within a new area of Bali followed some time to relax and explore. A guided tour of Bali’s traditional villages or historic temples. Or a chance to engage with responsible tourism initiatives across the islands.
What is the purpose of these activities?
Through engagement in these activities you not only learn about Bali’s rich social make-up but support initiatives that seek to address the key challenges faced by the island in the 21st century including over tourism, exploitation of traditional cultures, and resource scarcity.
What are Peer Feedback Sessions?
Every Thursday morning your team will come together to practice their action projects presentations for the following day’s partner visit. This will be a great chance to trial your project with your peers and receive feedback on your ideas. Please remember to be fair and constructive in your feedback.
It is also an opportunity to find common links between the projects and find areas for collaborations. Our team will also provide an opportunity for you to update LinkedIn and network with fellow interns.