A credit-eligible sports internship on Curaçao with our own coordinator. From 4 weeks, $1,145 for 4 weeks.
Sports internship · Curaçao
Coach hockey, rugby, soccer, swimming, gymnastics or track at schools, clubs and youth programs on Curaçao while you earn credit. From 4 weeks, no application fee.
Apply for this internship See the priceAbout Curaçao
Curaçao sits in the southern Caribbean, just off the coast of Venezuela, and is part of the Kingdom of the Netherlands. Willemstad, its colorful capital, is a UNESCO World Heritage site where pastel buildings line the harbor like a painting. The culture mixes European, African and Caribbean influences; English, Spanish, Dutch and Papiamentu are all spoken. Volunteers feel at home here fast.
At the same time, for many kids on the island organized sports are not yet within reach. Structured sports are exactly what helps them grow, and that is what we provide together.
Baseball is, surprisingly for some, the island’s number one sport, with a long line of players who made it to the major leagues. Soccer is a close second; the national team has done well in regional competitions. Hockey, windsurfing, diving, sailing and cycling round out the picture.
The project
You coach at schools, in after-school programs and at local clubs, and at places you would not expect: a youth residential home, a juvenile detention center, an addiction clinic and special-needs schools. Varied work that matters.
Our programs give kids and teens on the island structured sports every week. It is about fun, but also about growth: through sports we work on life skills such as teamwork, confidence, dealing with setbacks and respect. Because the island is small, talented kids sometimes move on to national teams.
You help prepare and deliver sports lessons and get your weekly schedule in advance. On a typical day you are involved in several projects and work with other volunteers, moving between locations with the equipment available. Note that equipment is limited and many sessions are outdoors, on turf, asphalt, the street or a sandy field.
Between activities there is time to relax or explore; many volunteers rent a car together. Once a week the whole team meets, usually over dinner, to share experiences and plan ahead. Weekends are free.
Sports you can coach
Pick one sport or combine two. Every sport below has a local coach you work alongside.
Hockey is growing on Curaçao but is still mostly played by Dutch expats with little connection to the local population. The goal of the hockey project is to make the sport attractive and accessible to local kids: you promote it at schools, and kids who like it join our free after-school hockey practices, with the island’s well-established clubs as the next step.
Sports as a bridge: the project brings two communities together and lets local kids play a sport that is often seen as too expensive.
Run school sessions and after-school practices, coach beginners through to club level, and help talented kids make the step to a club.
Rugby has carved out its place among the more traditional Caribbean sports, with a growing community, regular matches and tournaments that attract international teams. You work with the Rugby Federation Curaçao alongside experienced players, coaches and match officials, and you train kids from local neighborhoods with the emphasis on participation and fun.
No certificates needed. Depending on your experience you lead sessions or support specific activities, and you can act as talent spotter for future national players.
Coach youth sessions built around games and activities, and help the men’s and women’s national teams develop drills and improve their world ranking.
Soccer is deeply rooted on Curaçao, with passionate players, fans and communities. The soccer project works on the foundations of the game: you coach kids and teens in the neighborhoods and at schools, giving them a fun, structured place to play and grow. You also work closely with popular clubs on the island, helping players prepare for league matches.
Many of the kids have natural talent; what is underdeveloped is their understanding of rules, tactics and strategy. That is your job.
Run after-school practices with local coaches and other volunteers, teach the rules and tactical insight, and develop skills, as part of the island’s coaching staff.
On Curaçao the sea is everywhere, so learning to swim is a life skill, not a luxury. Yet there is a serious shortage of swim instructors. Fourth graders get government-funded swimming lessons, and every morning you help them become safe and confident in and around the water.
Afternoons are free for other sports projects, local clubs and youth programs.
Teach kids to swim step by step in the mornings, and join other projects in the afternoons.
Gymnastics is a developing sport on Curaçao. The program runs at Kolorido with a structured training plan in which kids and teens progress at their own level, from beginners to advanced.
Coach gymnastics to different ages and levels, lead parts of practice or support the regular coaches, and help kids build strength, balance, coordination and body control within Kolorido’s existing program.
Track and field is on the rise on Curaçao, partly inspired by top athletes with Curaçaoan roots. The program was co-developed by a former intern and is now a fixed part of our organization. Regular practices and small meets on local fields bring fun and bring neighborhoods together, for kids from every part of the island.
No official coaching diploma needed; you work with local coaches, sports coordinators and clubs.
Lead or assist sessions in sprint, long jump and relay, through playful drills that teach the basics while building resilience, discipline and teamwork.
Where you live
You live in Villa Bon Bini, a spacious, bright blue villa in the quiet neighborhood of Mon Repos. The property has two fully furnished homes on a large lot with room for about 20 residents, which makes for a friendly, international house of volunteers and students.
Both floors have four bedrooms, two bathrooms, a big living room and an open kitchen, plus hot water, security, a private well and a backup generator. Upstairs there is a TV corner, a balcony and a roof terrace with a view. Outside: a tropical garden with a palapa and lounge set. You share a room with up to four people; men and women sleep separately.
For students
A natural fit for kinesiology, exercise science, sport management, physical education, coaching, recreation and leisure studies, event management, marketing, education, social work and international development. Whatever your major, you are placed as a sports coach first; your assignments are built around that.
Besides coaching you can spend part of your week on your academic assignment. Past interns have set up a large sports event, built a new sport into the curriculum, run a research project with the kids and organized a fundraiser. Office days are possible if your school requires them.
We sign internship agreements, provide a named supervisor on site, fill in your school’s evaluation forms and write a final report. Many US and Canadian students earn credit through their department or study abroad office; ask them early about funding such as study abroad scholarships.
Internships run 8 to 24 weeks and can be aligned with your semester, summer or J-term. We can always tailor the internship to your learning goals in a personal call.
Pricing
One price covers your program. No application fee, no deposit, no surprises.
$0 application fee · $0 deposit
Not included: flights, travel insurance, visa fees and personal spending. Only one shared dinner a week is included; you cook or eat out the other days.
Apply for this internshipGood to know
No certificates or sports degree required. You support local coaches and are never on your own. What matters is basic knowledge of the rules of your sport and lots of enthusiasm.
On a weekend day, when most volunteers and interns arrive together, so you meet the group and get the orientation at once. Arriving midweek is possible if flights are much cheaper, but we recommend the weekend. In 2026 the summer break runs from July 13 to August 22, in 2027 from July 10 to August 20.
Possible, but we advise against it: you miss the orientation and join an existing, often close-knit group. If you must, consider a hostel for the first nights. Tell us and we will help.
Papiamentu and Dutch are official, and English and Spanish are widely spoken, so you can get around easily.
Usually between 5 and 12 volunteers and interns. Ask us how many are booked for your dates, and we add you to a group chat before you leave.
After the intro call you decide whether this is for you. If you go, a second call walks you through your personal dashboard: the permit you need as a volunteer, vaccinations, insurance, flights and packing.
Your team on the ground
Baowei studied Sport Management and Entrepreneurship and did his first internship abroad with us, setting up a program for seniors. During a gap year he built our kids’ project in Semarang, Indonesia, with a great team. With his master’s in Sport Business and Leadership complete, he now coordinates the projects on Curaçao.
Sports as a tool to help others is, in his words, a super strong instrument. Together we are strong.
Ready?
Tell us your sport and your dates. We tell you honestly whether Curaçao is the right fit, and connect you with your coordinator before you commit to anything.
Apply for this internship Prefer to volunteer?