<![CDATA[International teaching internship programs are increasingly organized by higher education institutions to prepare pre-service teachers for the demands of global education. This study aims to analyze the benefits and challenges experienced by pre-service teachers during an international teaching internship conducted through a partnership between Universitas Muria Kudus (UMK), Indonesia, and Nueva Ecija University of Science and Technology (NEUST), the Philippines. This study employed a qualitative approach with a comparative case study design. Data were collected through written semi-structured interviews with two pre-service teachers: one NEUST student who undertook an internship at a partner school in Kudus, Indonesia, and one UMK student who undertook an internship at a partner school in the Philippines. Data were analyzed using reflexive thematic analysis. The findings indicate that both participants gained benefits in the form of personal and professional development, increased cross-cultural awareness, expanded professional networks, and exposure to instructional approaches different from those in their home countries. Nevertheless, both participants also faced challenges in adjusting to a new school environment, communication barriers, and psychological pressures such as low self-confidence and homesickness. An interesting difference was found between the two participants regarding the depth of reflection and the level of reported global awareness, indicating that the impact of an international teaching internship is individual and influenced by participants' reflective readiness. This study recommends strengthening pre-departure briefing and continuous reflective mentoring, for example through structured reflective journaling, so that the benefits of the program can be more evenly experienced by all participants.]]>
