Internships – Not Just for Business Majors Anymore

Wondering what you’re going to do with that liberal arts degree after graduation? Well, you’re not alone. There is good news for students of the humanities: International Internships. Indeed, budding psychologists, international relations professionals, graphic designers, fashion merchandisers and many others are turning to international internships to give their résumé a boost and set themselves apart from their classmates when the ‘real world’ starts.

Foreign language majors are also finding great ways to utilize their budding language skills outside of the classroom during the course of an international internship. Speaking from first-hand experience, the linguistic and cultural immersion that an internship in a foreign language provides makes all those grammar and conversation lessons *click*. To say nothing of how it looks to potential employers, regardless of your prospective career area. So think about putting that foreign lit book down for a summer or semester and look into an internship abroad.

Why Intern Abroad?

So you want to do an internship? Congratulations. You’ve made the choice to get hands on experience in the field you’re planning to make a career out of. Not only will you get experience you can’t find in a classroom, but you’ll learn valuable life lessons such as business etiquette, people skills, time management, etc.

Now, take it a step further. Do your internship over-seas! Why you ask? Here are just a few reasons.

1. Take the opportunity to learn a new language. By living and working in a foreign country, you’ll learn and retain far more of the language then you will from class. In an ever increasing global world, many companies are looking for employees with foreign language skills.

2. Show employers that you are adaptable and able to succeed outside your comfort zone. Yes, you can intern at home, but by going overseas and leaving your comfort zone, you show potential employers that you are willing to go above and beyond to gain new skills and improve yourself. Living in a foreign country is hard, interning in one simply adds new chances and opportunities. Your ability to adapt to a new country, new business practices, possibly a new language, and new customs shows that you are able to grow and adapt to your job and the needs of your company.

3. Broaden your network! Having the ability to network with people in your field outside your home country can help improve your ability to obtain a job in your field. Not only do you have a web of people to advise you in your job search, but amazing references for future jobs. Having an international network can help you obtain a job both over-seas and at home. In an ever globalizing world, many businesses either already have contacts over-seas and/or are looking to create more. Thus, hiring someone who knows how to interact with locals in a business setting will only help them, and possibly help you advance in the long run.

Yes you can intern at home. But can you learn international business etiquette and practices, establish life-long friendships, develop an international network, immerse yourself in a foreign culture, and see some of the most famous places in the world at home? Probably not. So get out there and learn, grow, and develop, you won’t regret it!

What am I going to Wear??

So you’re doing an international internship, congrats! What a great experience to put on your resume and make you stand apart from the crowd. Now comes the hard part: how to pack for your trip. We’ve all been there, wondering how to cram everything you need into 1 or 2 suitcases and not forget anything. Then there’s always the question of what to where to your internship. What’s appropriate in the country you’re going to be in? As a female, can you wear pants in a business setting? (Remember, in some countries it’s still not ok for women to wear pants)

Here are a few quick tips to help you figure out what to pack.

1. Pack suits/pants/jackets/skirts in basic solid colors that can be mixed and matched with many tops. Dress shirts/blouses/sweaters in solid colors will mix with many bottoms.
2. Remember to dress modest – bare skin is for the beach, not the office. Most Europeans dress more conservatively then Americans.
3. Punch up an outfit with accessories, a nice bag, purse, tie, scarf, or jewelry can make or break an outfit. Those black pants with a solid colored blouse will look even better with a nice silk scarf tied around your neck ladies.
4. Jewelry and makeup should be tasteful and subtle, save the layers of bracelets and the dark eye line for your evenings out.
5. Pack a good pair of dress shoes that will go with multiple outfits (usually black). Make sure they are polished and well-kept. If your outfit is professional but your shoes are scuffed and dirty you will automatically look less polished.

Please remember, you will be able to do laundry. You do not have to pack everything you own. Word of advice, pack items that don’t need to be ironed if at all possible as that way you won’t have to spend your first few days ironing everything in your suitcase after it’s been bounced half-way across the world. Also, basic pieces can be worn more often with more items making you feel like you have more options. Europeans dress conservatively, usually classic items in solid dark colors.

Your supervisor realizes you are a student or recent graduate, they don’t expect you to be in the top designer fashions. Nor do they expect you to be in a business suite 5 days a week. They simply expect you to be polished, respectable, and presentable.

Be sure to pack some casual clothes for your free time and exploring your host city. Just remember: jeans, tee-shirts, shorts, flip-flops, sneakers, and sweatpants/shirts are not appropriate business attire. Also, while exploring, remember that most churches around the world will not allow you inside if you are showing too much skin (this includes bear shoulders, knees, and sometimes heads). Keep a light weight sweater or shawl on you to avoid being turned away.

~ post by: kristen

The World is Flat

Recently Global Experiences exhibited for the first time at the Annual NAFSA (Association of International Educators) Conference in Minneapolis Minnesota. Over 7,500 people attended from 104 countries. There was an energy in the massive conference room enhanced by this coming together of one industry from so many distinct cultures.

Why does this matter in the grand scheme of things, you ask? How will working or teaching abroad effect my life or the broader world? As we enter into an age of “Globalization” which has been dissected in such books as Thomas L. Friedman's The World is Flat, we find that our world, while full of distinct cultures, is becoming more and more accessible and meshed. It is now commonplace to have a conversation with someone in Dubai on the same day as you surf the beach in California and listen to the BBC in the UK. In this increasingly “flat” world, where our boundaries are less separated by oceans and mountains, but rather connected through ever more intelligent technology, it is becoming essential to have first hand knowledge of other cultures, especially in a work environment.

Colin Powell, the plenary speaker at NAFSA, held the floor with a powerful speech about the importance of international education, not only in the education industry but to politics, the environment and our every day social lives. He once said:

"We live in a truly global age…. To solve most of the major problems facing our country today—from wiping out terrorism to minimizing global environmental problems to eliminating the scourge of AIDS—will require every young person to learn more about other regions, cultures, and languages." What better way to do this than to work in a foreign country, immersing yourself in the culture and learning first hand just how flat the world can be.

Photo from Thomas Friedman

Posted by Susannah

Things to Keep in Mind as you Prepare to Start your International Internship

So you’re getting ready to start an international internship, congratulations! You’ve made the decision to make your resume stand out from the crowd by gaining international experience. Maybe you’ve had an internship at home, maybe this is your first internship, either way, as with any new experience, you’ve probably got some questions running around your head. “How should I act?”, “How should I dress?” and other such questions.

Here are a few tips to get you started:

1. Always dress professionally:
* Clothing should be clean, neat, modest, and of good quality. Never wear jeans, sneakers, or dirty/wrinkled clothes to your internship.
* a suit and tie may not be necessary, but dress slacks (for men and women) and a button up shirt/blouse, or skirt/dress and nice shoes (closed toe) are good things to keep in mind while packing
* Good rule of thumb: if you’d wear it to church or to a nice dinner with your 85 year old grandmother it’s probably ok, if you’d wear it to a nightclub, the beach, or the gym, it’s probably not.

2. Make sure you arrive to your internship on time and stay until your work-day is over
* you are there to gain valuable work experience, this includes building good work ethic
* the more seriously you take this internship, the more seriously your supervisor will take you, thus the better chance you have of being given more responsibility

3. Be positive and pro-active
* Have a positive out look and work hard at the tasks given to you
* If you finish the task given to you, ask for another or create one for your self

4. Network!
* Take advantage of the opportunity to make international contacts, they make great references for future job applications and are a wealth of knowledge in your career field – you can learn more from a conversation with someone then you can from your text books
* Take an interest in the company you work for and the people you work with, the more interest you show the more willing people will be to show you things and give you special projects/more responsibility

Most importantly, have fun and take advantage of every opportunity presented to you. This is a once in a lifetime chance and the more you put into it the more you will get out of it.

Post By: kristen@globalexperiences.com

Quick Tips for Your Travels Abroad

1. EXPLORE!!!

Of course you need to see the major attractions; you can’t exactly be in Paris and never see the Eiffel Tower. But once you’ve done the “tourist” stuff, get off the beaten path and explore the city that is your new home. Learn the side streets, neighborhood café’s, and local markets and boutiques. Truly immerse your self in the culture. Not only will you see a side of your host city usually only seen by the locals, but you’ll have a chance to make new friends! Some of my best friends are people I met in small local markets or pubs during my semester abroad in England. My abroad program may have ended 2 years ago, but I’m still in constant contact with them.

One of my favorite experiences abroad was a 3 day weekend in Paris by myself. My first night there I chose to explore the neighborhood near my hotel in Montmartre. Wandering along, I found the most amazing little café I’ve ever been to This small, dim café, lit mostly by candelight full of hard wood and soft leather, and excelent jazz, was the exact match to the picture I had in my mind of a “traditional French café”. I spent my evening chatting with the owner/host/waiter/chef who kindly supplied me with a free glass of wine to go with the steak he recommended. I can honestly say, it was one of the best meals, and best evenings of my life, and I’d never have found it if I hadn’t gotten away from the tourist traps!

2. Learn the Language

You’re in another country, be respectful of that and learn the basics before you get there. You’ll be surprised how far “please”, “thank you”, “Hello”, “goodbye”, and simple phrases such as “where is the bathroom?” and “my name is….” will get you. Never taken a foreign language or in a country different from the language you studied? Grab some language CD’s from the local library before you go and learn some of the basics. Not only will it make a good first impression on the locals (Hey, being able to approach someone in their own language is simply the polite thing to do), but it will make your first few days a little less intimidating. Being familiar with the language spoken around you, even if you’re not fluent, will be comforting while you’re experiencing the stress, frustration, and adjustment of jet lag, culture shock, and homesickness.

*** Note: POCKET DICTIONARIES!!! I had one for both French and Italian and lived out of them during my travels! They’re easy to find at any bookstore. (They may not fit in your pocket girls, but you can find them small enough to fit in a purse/tote/backpack which you’ll probably be carrying anyway!)

3. Relax and be open to new things!

You’re going to mess up and say or do something considered “stupid” or “wrong” by your host country. Just accept it, use it as a learning experience, and move on; no sense in crying over spilled milk. You’re not the only person to go abroad and make a mistake, see my post “Experience the Local Culture” for examples of my own embarrassing mistakes. Going abroad gives you the opportunity of a life time: the chance to live and work/study in a new culture….take advantage of it! When else are you going to get to learn how to prepare and serve a proper English Tea, get to run with Kangaroos in Australia, or learn Italian while in Italy? You are the guest in your host culture, be understanding that things will be different from home. This does not make them wrong, or you wrong, just different. That’s part of the excitement! How boring a world would it be if we were all the same?

I can promise you, that if you take the time to explore and be open to your new surroundings and take advantage of every new opportunity presented to you, you will learn more about yourself, the world around you, and your place in it, then you can ever learn in the classroom.

~ post by Kristen

Advice: Working hard or hardly working?

It doesn't matter what your reasons are for going abroad - an international internship, foreign language training, a vacation, or a crop circle convention in Wiltshire County, England - you're going to have certain expectations going into it.

For those of you interested in interning abroad, my best advice is to expect to work hard. International Internships are designed to give you the career exposure you need to differentiate yourself in the global marketplace. You will enjoy your experience, and there's no question that cities like Rome, Florence, Sydney, Melbourne, Paris and London are an absolute blast, but in order to get the most out of your time abroad, you will have to put in some hard work.

Of course since you'll be interning in a field that you love it won't always feel like work, but you need to remember that just like everyone who starts a new job, you'll have to cover the basics first. Take this time to learn how the company works and how they fit into the marketplace. Eventually, as you prove yourself to your bosses, you will be able to tackle bigger tasks and integrate yourself better into the company.

Posted by ~ Marc

The Price is Right

One of the most exciting and enriching parts about living abroad is having the opportunity to travel while you are there. On a budget? Don’t worry! If you can afford dinner, you can afford a flight from London to Rome. With airlines such as Ryan Air and Easy Jet offering flights for as little as about $1 USD before taxes one way flights within Europe (total flight cost can often be as low as $20 USD), how can you afford not to go? So hop online and then hop on a plane. You never know how close (and affordable!) your next Grecian vacation may be.

Posted by Susannah

Bazaar Bargaining

I’m not sure what it is, but the folds in my wallet seem to stiffen when I'm abroad, and the once stingy contraption remains open for the entirety of my trip, ready at the first hint of anything cool to cough up all its possessions on the spot. To combat the problem of overspending, I've written down a few ideas and tactics that help me keep my wallet relatively full, even if I am finding it open more than usual.

1. Don’t buy anything right away! Even it you “just gotta have,” you can most likely “just gotta have it” somewhere else, and it might be cheaper. Take a walk through the entire market to see prices from a few vendors. Chances are that they sell similar things and have different feelings about offering you a lower price.
2. Once you pick out the item and the place to buy it try to engage the owner in a general conversation. Shopping is more a social event than business transaction. If you can speak the same language ask how long he or she has been selling the goods and other questions about his business or the area. If you are unable to have short conversations then ask the price of a few items. Don’t look overly eager to buy any one thing or they will hike the price up.
3. After you ask the price don’t be afraid to shake it off with a laugh or look of disbelief. Make a face like you just ate a batch of sour grapes. Ask the price of something else before returning your interest in the original item. If you’ve gauged the market price and know what you are willing to pay for the item, it’s perfectly fine to let the vendor know that you think he’s boosted his prices.
   
4. Venders will not show you any respect or offer their best price if you respond to his initial offer with a ridiculously low number. Remember, you’re not trying to rip anyone off, just get a fair price. Keep your lowball offers at about 50%, maybe 25% if you're going to buy a few items.
   
5. Lastly, don’t be afraid to walk out. But be sure not to just rush out in a huff. Take it slowly. Gived the vendor a chance to stop you or at least offer a lower price. Even hesitating just before you walk away to briefly inspect a different item works wonders. Always thank the vendor for his time and remember that you can always return if you realize that whatever the price, you “just gotta have it.”

Posted by: Marc