Picking a city for an engineering internship abroad is not just about where you want to spend a few months. It is about finding the right kind of engineering environment for what you are studying and where you want your career to go. Singapore, Toronto, and Dublin all offer strong engineering internship options through Asia Exchange, but the work on offer in each city is quite different, and so is what you will come back with.
This post breaks down each city honestly: what kind of engineering work you will actually do, what it costs to live there, and who each destination suits best.
Singapore
Why it works for engineers
Singapore is one of the most technically advanced cities in the world, and it shows in the kind of engineering work available there. The government’s Smart Nation program has pushed heavy investment into urban tech, digital infrastructure, and sustainability, which means real engineering projects, not just support roles. Companies like Siemens, Schneider Electric, Bosch, and Rolls-Royce all have regional headquarters in Singapore, alongside a growing scene of local tech firms.
The range of disciplines on offer is one of Singapore’s biggest strengths. Electrical and systems engineers work on automation and IoT projects. Software engineers join teams building products used across the whole Asia Pacific region. Mechanical engineers find roles in precision manufacturing and aerospace-adjacent industries. Civil and environmental engineers get involved in infrastructure planning for one of Asia’s most ambitious cities. And because English is the working language throughout, you are not spending half your time navigating a language barrier.
What the experience actually looks like
The Asia Exchange internship team handles every Singapore placement personally, matching each student to a host organization based on their specific background and goals. Interns typically work on real deliverables from day one, inside multinational companies or local tech firms. The work culture is fast-paced and international, which means the experience translates well to graduate roles whether you end up working in Asia or back in Europe.
For software and systems engineers in particular, Singapore is hard to beat. It is one of the few places where you can genuinely work on infrastructure at scale: transit systems, energy networks, smart city platforms, as an intern rather than just watching from the sidelines.
The cost of living
Singapore is the most expensive of the three cities. Shared accommodation runs from SGD 800 to 1,500 per month. Food and transport are manageable if you use the hawker centres and public transit rather than restaurants and taxis. For four to six month placements, you receive a stipend from the host organization, which makes it much more workable. Singapore also has low personal income tax rates, which helps on longer stays.
Who Singapore is for
Singapore makes the most sense if you work in software, systems, smart infrastructure, or sustainability engineering and you want your internship to open doors in the Asia Pacific market. It is also a strong option if you are thinking about building a career in Asia long-term, and a Singapore placement at this stage is a genuinely useful early foothold.
Toronto
Why it works for engineers
Toronto is one of North America’s busiest engineering markets right now, partly because the city is growing at a remarkable rate and needs engineers to keep up. The construction and infrastructure sector is booming, major engineering consultancies have a strong presence, and the tech sector creates consistent demand for software and AI engineers. That range of disciplines sitting side by side is one of Toronto’s defining strengths as an internship destination.
Software and AI engineers work in the same city as civil and infrastructure engineers, and the projects they work on often intersect: transit systems, data centres, climate resilience infrastructure. The engineering community is multicultural by default, which makes the workplace feel international even though you are in North America.
What the experience actually looks like
The Asia Exchange internship team matches each student to a host organization based on their specific discipline and goals. Toronto’s depth across engineering sectors means the placements cover a wide range: infrastructure and construction projects for civil and structural engineers, software and AI development teams for computer science and systems engineers, and consulting environments for those with a mix of technical and analytical skills. The city also has a well-established co-op culture, which means employers know how to structure a good placement and you are not figuring it out as you go.
The cost of living
Toronto has become an expensive city. Shared accommodation runs from CAD 900 to 1,600 per month, and food and transport add to that. For longer paid placements, the compensation levels in Toronto offset a good chunk of the cost. For shorter or unpaid placements, you will need to plan your budget more carefully.
Who Toronto is for
Toronto suits civil, structural, software, and AI engineers who want to work in a major North American market with a genuinely international feel. It is the right city if your long-term ambitions point toward Canada, the US, or international engineering consultancy, and it carries real weight on a CV in those directions.
Dublin
Why it works for engineers
Dublin has become one of Europe’s most important engineering cities, for two reasons that work well together. First, major global engineering consultancies including Jacobs have a strong presence there, offering civil, mechanical, electrical, and environmental engineering placements. Second, Dublin is where Google, Meta, and Microsoft have their European headquarters, which creates a consistent stream of software and infrastructure engineering opportunities. That combination of traditional engineering consultancy and big tech is fairly unusual and genuinely useful.
For European students in particular, Dublin has a practical advantage that often gets overlooked: it puts you inside the EU regulatory and professional framework, which matters if you plan to build a career in Europe. Ireland’s engineering market is English-language throughout, which removes one of the usual obstacles to working abroad.
What the experience actually looks like
The Asia Exchange internship team in Dublin has built relationships with host organizations across the city over many years. Each student is matched by discipline and goals before any outreach to a host, which means the placements tend to fit well. Engineering placements in Dublin have covered infrastructure design, environmental planning, software engineering at tech firms, mechanical engineering at consultancies, and project coordination at major construction companies. Students consistently find they get real project responsibility earlier than they expected. Dublin is not the kind of city where you spend three months making slides.
The cost of living
Dublin has got more expensive in recent years, and accommodation in particular is not cheap. Shared housing runs from €800 to €1,400 per month. That said, Dublin is still more affordable than Singapore on a net basis, and for European students, you save significantly on long-haul flights. The city is also compact and walkable, which keeps day-to-day transport costs low.
Who Dublin is for
Dublin is the right choice for civil, environmental, software, or infrastructure engineers who want to build a career in Europe. It is particularly good for EU students who want real international exposure while staying in a regulatory environment they already understand. And for anyone interested in the overlap between engineering and technology: infrastructure software, data centre engineering, environmental impact assessment: Dublin offers that mix in a way few cities do.
Side-by-side comparison
| Factor | 🇸🇬 Singapore | 🇨🇦 Toronto | 🇮🇪 Dublin |
|---|---|---|---|
| Engineering speciality | Software, systems, smart infrastructure, IoT, sustainability | Civil, structural, software, AI/ML, infrastructure consulting | Civil, environmental, software, infrastructure, EU tech |
| Industry environment | Multinationals, advanced tech firms, smart city projects | Engineering consultancies (Arup), IBM Consulting, tech companies, booming construction sector | Engineering consultancies (Jacobs), big tech EU HQs, infrastructure firms |
| CV weight | Top tier for Asia Pacific and global tech | Strong for North American engineering and tech markets | Strong in EU and European engineering markets |
| Cost of living | High | High | Moderate to high |
| Paid placement (4–6 months) | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Working language | English only | English only | English only |
| Best for | Software, systems, sustainability engineers targeting Asia | Civil, software, AI engineers targeting North America or consultancy | Civil, environmental, software engineers targeting Europe |
The verdict
Choose…
Singapore if you work in software, systems, or sustainability engineering and want the most technically advanced city in Asia on your CV.
Toronto if you are a civil, software, or AI engineer who wants North American market exposure and the credibility of one of the continent’s most active engineering cities.
Dublin if civil, environmental, or infrastructure engineering is your focus and you want to build your network in Europe’s most important English-speaking engineering market.
Not sure which city fits your discipline? The Asia Exchange team matches your engineering background, goals, and preferred destination to the right placement. Tell us what you want to build, and we find the right environment to build it in.
