Name: Delaney Cairns
Class Year: 2026
Major: Psychology, Education

Internship Organization: AMADEUS International School Vienna, IES Abroad 

Internship Title:  AMADEUS Music and Arts Academy Intern
Location: Vienna, Austria

What’s happening at your internship? We would love to hear what kind of work you are doing!  

The Amadeus International School Vienna is a Private PreK-12 school focused on IB curriculum with an integrated Music and Arts Academy (AMAA). I was working in the front office, most specifically with the AMAA administrators, dealing with and helping with the scheduling and planning required to run the academy. I was even able to sit in on some dance and music classes, and it was super interesting to learn about the dance and music education scene in Vienna. Additionally, I was involved in the planning of the Amadeus Festival hosted by the school at the end of each year. During the festival, the other interns and I helped serve the guests and assist with the other logistical needs of the festival as part of the stage crew. We were also tasked with making a performance to open up one of the acts in the festival and we choreographed a dance together! I also was able to incorporate some of my dance interests when I led an Irish dance workshop on the “Family and Fun Day” of the festival. Finally, I moderated one day of the festival, going on stage to introduce the different groups and talk a little bit about their performances. 

Why did you apply for this internship?  

As an education major, I was really interested to see what goes on behind the scenes at a school. Through the Bryn Mawr education department I have had the opportunity to see the inside of many classrooms in Philadelphia schools, but I have never been able to see the behind the scenes of a front office in the way that I was able to at Amadeus. I really enjoyed learning how to look at registration lists, plan out classroom space schedules, and help make certificates. I also have been focusing a lot on arts (most specifically dance) education and the impact it has on students in my studies at Bryn Mawr, and wanted to see how it was being incorporated into this school. I was also interested in seeing how a school/workplace functions in a different country such as Austria in order to explore how it differed from my experience in US schools. 

Was there anything special about how you found this internship? 

I was a part of a group of Bryn Mawr students who got the opportunity to be a part of the IES Vienna Internship program for the summer. This gave me the opportunity to meet so many other people from different schools across the country and hear all about the work they were doing at their internships and how it related to their studies. 

What has been your favorite part of this internship? 

My favorite part of my experience at this internship was being able to get so close with the other interns at Amadeus. I really learned how to work well with a team and we all learned how to advocate for ourselves and each other. It was so nice to have a group that supported each other with any help we needed every day. We also all learned how to communicate effectively with one another and our supervisors in a workplace environment (in another country!).