For students currently in grades 9–12
Special programs & collaborations
Custom Programs

Looking to create a custom program or collaboration?

Travel programs with the Smithsonian Institution for grades 8–12

Challenge yourself academically at the world's most prestigious universities

Non-profit organization offering student travel scholarships

High school youth summit focused on public health, climate change, and equity

columbia-climate-school-icon

Campus-based climate change program for grades 9–12

Hands-On Experiences

Career Programs

Pursue Your Passion

Inspire Your Future

Join Putney Student Travel for summer career exploration, and pursue your passion around the globe, working alongside practicing professionals who have turned their passions into a career. With a group of like-minded peers, learn what it takes to be successful and gain insight into the perks and challenges of a particular career path. Explore your interests in a global context and find inspiration for your future.

Career Pathways
Explore Career Pathways in a Relevant Location

Travel abroad to where your interests come alive. Work alongside chefs and culinary experts in Italy, where food culture is central to national identity. Push your boundaries as a creative writer in Ireland, a UNESCO City of Literature and inspiration for many of the literary greats. Dig into the business of sports in Barcelona, home to the F.C. Barcelona soccer club and the largest stadium in Europe. 

Career Options to Explore

  • Sports Management
  • The Auto Industry
  • Science & Technology
  • Writing
  • Farming, Food Production, and Cuisine
  • Photography & Film
  • Sustainability and Climate Change
  • Wildlife Conservation
Inspirational Experience
Learn Through Hands-On Experiences and Be Inspired

Take your career aspirations beyond what you learned in the high school classroom, and shadow professionals—from writers to biologists to coaches to wildlife experts—to gain insight into their daily lives and the skills needed to succeed in their fields:

  • Meet with engineers in Sweden who designed Volvo’s first self-driving cars
  • Expand and refine your literary skills as you write your way through Dublin
  • Visit CERN, home of the Large Hadron Collider particle accelerator
  • Meet Italian chefs and restaurateurs, and prepare a feast for your new Italian friends
  • Volunteer at the Belize Zoo and work alongside the staff
Independent Projects
Learn More Through an Independent Project

A career-focused summer program with Putney Student Travel helps refine potential career pathways through an independent project that enables students to delve deeper into a particular topic that interests them.

Examples of Independent Projects

  • Design a sports marketing campaign
  • Apprentice with a gelato maker in Italy, or create a food criticism blog
  • Give a presentation on the state of autonomous cars
  • Explore the ethical implications of artificial intelligence research
Our Leaders
Putney Career Program Leaders

Our highly credentialed and accomplished leaders hold degrees that have prepared them to guide our Career programs, including Creative Writing, Sports Business, Conservation, Environmental Science, Photography, Robotics, and other relevant areas of study. Our leaders reside in the group’s housing accommodations with the students, and a low leader-to-student ratio allows for individual attention and an optimal travel experience. All of our leaders are seasoned international travelers, poised to help you glean the most from your career-focused summer travel. Click here to meet our leaders.

students-looking-at-notebook

Be Inspired

Pursue your passion as you work alongside practicing professionals in a variety of fields. Get hands-on experience and gain insight into possible career paths and opportunities that await you.
students-interacting-with-tapir-in-belize

Relevant Destinations

Travel to where your interests come alive and get inspired by the people you meet. Dig into food and culture in Italy, the business of sports in Barcelona, the future of cars in Germany and Sweden, and more.

under-water-studying-fish

New Perspectives

Draw inspiration from the people you meet on a Putney Career program—hear about the myriad paths they took to where they are today, and return home ready to blaze your own.

“Academically and socially inspiring, supportive, advancing to our daughter.”

— Lisa K., San Diego, CA

Summer 2025

Career Programs

Looking for something specific?

Eligible for 8th grade*
*These programs are typically for students in grades 9–12, however motivated rising 9th graders will be considered