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

An Internship by Any Other Name...

Ever wondered what the difference was between a practicum and a co-op? How about an apprenticeship, field experience or service learning? And what exactly is an externship anyways?

Don’t be overwhelmed. Generally speaking, all of the above can be categorized under the umbrella term of “internship” and aim to provide an ‘out of classroom’ experience that complements or adds to one’s studies.

To help get you on your way, here is a brief description of the different types of internships out there:

Apprenticeship
No, I’m not talking about the Donald, here. Apprenticeship, probably the earliest form of an internship, is a system developed in the Middle Ages where master craftsmen took in young helpers for cheap labor and trained their charges in return. When I think of apprentices, Michelangelo toiling away as a boy in Ghirlandaio’s workshop in Florence always comes to mind. Apprenticeship is still thriving today, most often in “hands-on” trades such as the culinary arts, carpentry, clothing design, etc.

Practicum
Latin for practice (that's 4 years of Latin for ya). Practica are often undertaken by students in consultation with their academic advisors in order to gain real-world experience for an academic project or major.

Cooperative Education (Co-op)
Co-ops usually involve a partnership between a student, an employer and a university and are often taken for academic credit. Many universities are starting to require semester long co-ops with local businesses near campus. Co-ops are great ways for businesses and students alike to ‘test drive’ each other before officially signing on.

Field Experience
No, you won’t necessarily find yourself out in some field on this type of internship, but out of all the categories, it’s the most likely as field experience is primarily associated with practical experience in the world of science and sociology. In most cases, interns undertaking ‘field experience’ are observing and collecting data for research purposes.

Externship
Not ready to commit to a specific career field just yet? Or maybe you don’t have a whole summer or semester to devote to an internship? An externship is ideal for you. Really just a short internship, externships are often taken during summer or winter breaks from school. My externship in college lasted one week (they usually max out at 3 weeks) and was a great way to shadow an office and get a feel for a typical day on the job. But don’t underestimate the value of this abbreviated experience. I still keep in touch with the office where I ‘externed’ years ago. Make a good impression and treat this as a job. While they may not hire you, they might know someone who will.

Service Learning
Just like it sounds, this type of internship involves serving individuals or groups in a local community. For instance, we offer a service learning project in Ecuador where we send groups of high school and college students to work with underprivileged children in Quito, the capital city. Our students also perform service learning projects side-by-side with conservation scientists in the Amazon rainforest – a great way to learn while serving (and preserving!) native plants. This is where service learning and field work meet in the middle. You can learn a lot about yourself while helping others.

No matter what you call it, an internship is an invaluable way to complement your studies, boost your résumé and just plain figure out what you want to do when you grow up.
Most university and college career departments have resources that can help you determine which of the above (and maybe even some not included above) types of internships are best for you. And don’t think you have to just be in school to take part in an internship. In fact, we have helped hundreds of students who have recently graduated and want to get some real world, international experience.

There’s something out there for you and we hope we can help. Be sure to check out “5 Points to Understanding Internships Abroad,” a helpful article published by IIE Passport and written by our very own Marc Cappelletti.

Posted by Mike

Global Experiences provides customized international internships, teaching English abroad certification courses, fashion experiences, high school service learning programs and other unique international experiences.