Yalies will be able to apply for Bulldogs programs in new international destinations for the summers of 2006 and 2007, as the University expands available internship locations for undergraduates to Brussels, Athens, Hong Kong, Tokyo, and possibly additional cities in the coming years.

With the addition of new programs, there will be about 160 international internships in total available to Yale students in 2006, double the number offered last summer, said Undergraduate Career Services Director Philip Jones. About 400 Yalies applied for 50 slots in this summer’s British Bulldogs and Bulldogs in Beijing programs, Jones said, and cities including Cape Town, Buenos Aires and Prague are being considered for internship programs for the summer of 2007. Some of the internship programs are open to all returning students, though others require applicants to demonstrate proficiency in the language of that region.

This summer, the Brussels program, in its first season, will consist of about 14 or 15 placements, Jones said. Many positions will be politically oriented, because of the proximity of the European Union headquarters, he said.

“Brussels is always going to offer excellent political internships,” Jones said. “Though for most of them, a pretty high level of French is necessary.”

Yalies can select from internships in the Belgian Senate, at the Musee de Beaux Arts and with an EU commission on development, among others. The program will also offer two medical science internships for which no background in French is required.

The Athens internships, which do not come with a language requirement, are in significantly different fields than those in Belgium, Jones said, and the 13 offerings will include three placements with a Greek archeological group, one with a high-end tourism agency, and an opportunity for a student to work with Aegean Airlines.

Samantha Wilson ’07, a history major, said the Athens internships are attractive for their applicability to her academic interests.

“It’s difficult to find as many internships for people interested in history,” Wilson said. “I’m definitely interested in the Athens program and plan on applying.”

The new internships in Asia will offer Yalies a chance to experience the work environment in the fastest developing sector of the world, Jones said.

The Hong Kong internships are generally in business-related fields, Jones said, and students will fill positions with companies including Citibank and several real estate development firms. Positions at Asian art archives and English-teaching organizations will also be available, he said, and none of the internships require students to speak Chinese.

Alex Yamashita ’07, who has lived in Hong Kong for 16 years, said Yalies in the Hong Kong program can expect intense learning on the job, given China’s dynamic economic development.

“For business, it’s the place to be for anyone interested in Asia,” he said.

But Ryan McFarlane ’07, a second-year Chinese language student at Yale, said the Hong Kong internships were not as appealing to him, since they would not challenge his language skills.

“In Hong Kong, most people speak English,” he said. “In mainland China, speaking Chinese is more prevalent.”

The Tokyo program, set to launch in summer 2007, includes several journalism jobs with organizations including The New York Times, Bloomberg and Dow Jones Newswires, Jones said, and require students to have advanced proficiency in the language.

Will Tsui ’08, who has taken two years of Japanese at Yale, said the internships’ high-level language requirement would likely limit the applicant pool.

“It would probably be intimidating for some people,” he said. “It doesn’t sound like something a second-year student would be prepared for.”

As the four new programs are being announced relatively late in the season, Jones said, the deadline for each job’s application will be set for roughly two weeks after its corresponding job description is posted.