Question
Anyone done the Iceland conservation programme? Do they actually cover the flight or just the stay?
(01) The dare
25 countries
before you
turn 25.
Not a savings plan. A work plan. Funded internships, research placements and exchanges that pay for the flight, the room and the coffee.
Right now
Students your age are being paid to live in Lisbon, Seoul, Nairobi and Reykjavík.
- Countries to collect
- 25
- Ages we build for
- 16–27
- Cost of your travel
- $0
(02) Why it works
The world already pays students to show up.
Labs, NGOs, startups, ministries and universities run thousands of funded placements every year — and most of them go unfilled because nobody told you they existed.
Stipends that cover rent, food and weekend trains
Programmes written specifically for 16–27 year olds
No agency fees, no placement fees, ever
$1,400
Median monthly stipend across the placements on this site.
6 weeks
Shortest programme — fits inside one summer break.
(03) The feeling
One day you'll be the person in the photo, on a street you can't pronounce, on payroll.
(04) How it works
Four steps. Then your first country.
(01)
Build your profile
Age, field, languages, skills. Two minutes. It decides everything you get shown.
(02)
Filter to what fits
Sort by stipend, length, region and funding type. Only what you can actually get.
(03)
Apply and land
Direct links to the real application. Community threads on what worked.
(04)
Log your first country
Every country you finish a placement in counts toward your 25 and unlocks the next badge.
(05) Your mission
A mission that fills itself as you go.
Log every country you complete a placement in. Badges unlock at 1, 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 and 25 — the last one is the whole point.
First countryTriple threatRegionalDouble digitsSeasoned intern25before25
Open my mission 
(06) Community
Ask the student who already got in.
Win
Country 11. Got a paid research assistant spot in Tallinn — €1,200/month and a room included.
Tip
Apply 9 months out for Japan. Visa paperwork is the slow part, not the interview.
(07) Your turn
Start with country one.
No agency fees. Just the list, the community and a mission waiting to be filled.
Create my free profileCommunity, mission and progress are free. Searching the Opportunity Database is part of a subscription — see plans.