Hi Paul, firstly its great to see that your son is willing to do this, it will be a fantastic development experience for him and if all goes to plan he will be a changed person by the time he makes his way home.
Youth Development is actually my area of expertise, although not in Argentina. I should also add that I cannot comment on internships as that is not our cohort, although it is important that if this is you sons aim you would still need to check the bona fides of any company. The organization I work for in Australia is partnered with Raleigh International in the UK. They have nearly 30 years experience in expeditions world wide. Bias aside, I have worked for them in Borneo, they are darn good. I note that you have already been direceted to a few Argentine specific sites on this thread, check them out and then compare them to Raleigh. Just google Raleigh International.
A few tips for you as the parent, be sure that any organization you deal with has the following;
- Full risk assessments for all sites/projects
- Medivac and casevac policies
- Repatriation policy
- Who they are insured by
- The level of expertise of staff members
- What are the hidden costs
A note of caution for you, youth development and gap years spent overseas represent a huge market, and serious money is to be made. There are a lot of sharks out there, so please do the above groundwork. Also, as with any person he will have to confirm with the laws of the country, sounds a crazy thing to say, but it's the lecture I have to give my clients each time they travel.
I agree with the other posters that you son needs to take the lead in research and planning, if fact for me it would be the acid test, this is his 'buy in' to his gap year. He will only get out of the experience what he puts in, and remember he's only 18 so question him as to his level of motivation and what projects/jobs he can handle.
If there is any more information you need feel free to message me, and good luck to your son on his journey
