Summer Internships in South Africa

Internships with Ikamva Labantwana Bethu

Ikamva  Labantwana Bethu (ILB) is a non-profit organisation based in Cape Town, South Africa working with at-risk youth and disadvantaged families in hard-to-reach communities.

ILB offers four-week internships to current Goldsmiths students in:

• Education and Youth Development 
• Mental Health and Nutrition 
• Social Work 
• Community Outreach and Engagement 

Find more information about the types of internships available.

These internships are four-weeks long from 1 – 28 June 2026. Students should only apply if they are available to go be in South Africa these dates.

These internships are an exciting and unique opportunity to gain practical experience assisting the most vulnerable youth in real time while working with trained staff who will provide support every step of the way.

Interns will live in secure accommodation with student safety being of utmost importance to ILB. Successful applicants will be informed of available accommodation options to choose from and ILB will kindly vet them in-person, too. Students will also have the opportunity to take part in excursions and fun activities every weekend of the internship.

These will be organised by ILB who will also provide transport, but students will need to pay entry fees where necessary. Working hours are Monday-Friday 9-5 with weekends free to explore.

Who can apply?

Applications are open to all current undergraduate and postgraduate students (including those completing their degree summer 2026).

ILB has hosted many interns in the past that have been involved in the delivery of education and youth development programmes, as well as served as facilitators in many local school programmes. 

Goldsmiths students have also interned with ILB in the past; if you’d like to speak to students who have gone before, please do ask goabroad (@gold.ac.uk).

ILB is looking for interns who:

• Are willing to work in the most challenging communities under the support and supervision of our staff
• Possess good communication and leadership skills
• Flexible and hard-working
• Sensitive and compassionate
• Innovative and self-driven
• Adaptive

Find specific intern profiles for each internship.

How to apply

This will be a strict deadline to be fair to all applicants. Applications will be collated after the deadline and considered together, they will not be considered on a first come first served basis. 

You may only apply to one internship

Only the strongest applicants will be considered. 

In your application, you should demonstrate:

• How you meet ILB’s desired intern criteria
• Why you have chosen the internship you are applying for
• What skills and experience you will bring, as well as what you hope to gain from the internship
• Your motivation to travel and intern in South Africa

Successful students will be informed directly by the Global Opportunities team who will work on funding together. ILB will coordinate on accommodation and individual meetings to set expectations and goals before you travel to South Africa.

If you have any questions about your application, please email goabroad (@gold.ac.uk)

Funding information

This internship is unpaid, however application and programme fees will be waived for Goldsmiths applicants.

Interns will receive a cost of living grant for the duration of their placement which can be used to cover the costs of accommodation, travel and living costs. You can read more about funding here.

If you meet Turing Widening Access criteria you will receive an enhanced grant rate Widening Access students also have visa costs covered (if applicable).

Accommodation and travel options

Accommodation options will be offered in Cape Town which is a lovely place to live. Interns will commute every day to Crossroads with ILB’s trusted driver; students can pool the cost which is 300 South African Rand a day (including return journey home at the end of the day).

This converts to approximately £13 a day which is very affordable. This option is best as Ubers are not always available/do not always travel in to Crossroads. This cost will need to be paid upfront by students successfully chosen as interns after onboarding/before travel to South Africa.

All options Accomomdation is are self-catering.

More about ILB

ILB's vision is to provide young people with the support to break free from the cycle of poverty and violence to reach their full potential.

ILB does this by addressing educational gaps, violence, and skills shortages through educational programmes, personal development, and skills training.

Through its skills development programmes, ILB reaches 225 unemployed young people a year, and through its community development work, has created more than 600 employment opportunities around Cape Town and Tarkastad in the Eastern Cape.

Despite operating in the most severely impacted communities, ILB is founded on the principle that resilience is everything.

For more information on the organisation, please visit ikamvalabantwana.org/.