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!

Interns Going Global

A recent survey of U.S. students revealed that 40 percent had participated in an internship overseas. The survey, conducted by Vault in May, 2007 collected responses from 339 college students. 58% of the students surveyed stated that international internships are 'extremely important' for future career success.

The survey also revealed that 60% decided to do an international internship to 'experience a new culture' while 33% stated they 'would like to move to a foreign country upon graduation.' Four percent headed abroad out of a 'desire to learn a new language.' The majority of interns abroad worked 30-40+ hours per week in their placements.

To view the full survey results, visit http://www.vault.com/.

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

- posted by Mike

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

Experience the Local Culture

My, my, last week was a busy week: Shrove Tuesday/Mardi Gras, Carnival, Ash Wednesday, and the Chinese New Year! That many major cultural events in such a short time period reminds me how important it is to take advantage of being truly involved in the local culture when you are overseas. Don’t just be a passive outsider watching everything that goes on around you, roll your sleeves up and get involved!

Whether you are doing an international internship, teaching abroad, or doing an immersion program to learn a foreign language, it is important to take advantage of every opportunity to learn about, and become a part of, the new culture you are experiencing.

Go to the festivals, religious services, parades, etc, be a part of them if you can. Eat the foods traditionally served on those days (pancakes and doughnuts on Mardi Gras/Shrove Tuesday anyone?) Take the time to talk with your new friends or host family and find out how they celebrate. Remember, you’re overseas to learn, but more often then not, the lessons that stick with you most are the ones you learn simply from experiencing the culture. Take the time to share with your new friends and family how you would celebrate these holidays at home. This is a great opportunity to share cultures and learn from each other.

Go out, explore, share, and learn! That's why you're abroad! You'll learn, make memories, and have a cultural experience you'll never forget!

Love Is In the Air

In honor of Valentine’s Day, I thought I’d post about one of the rarely mentioned benefits of “going global.” Whether you’re interning abroad, teaching English as a foreign language, or learning a foreign language yourself, you may just find that certain someone that you’ve been searching for.

I did, and I wasn’t even looking. I met my wife in Rome while interning at the U.S. Embassy to the Vatican. Our paths crossed for the first time just next to the fabled Spanish Steps. I was holding a gelato, she was pushing a stroller (she was an au pair, people). And the rest is, well…la storia.

(Semi-Legal Disclaimer: Global Experiences can not assist, guarantee, condone or otherwise predict the amorous outcomes that one may experience while abroad on a Global Experiences program.)

Happy Valentine’s Day!

~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

Getting the Most Out of Your Internship

If you are thinking of participating in an internship program, Global Experiences is here to answer all of your questions about our program locations, accommodations, requirements, even what time of year is best for certain placements. One question that we’re not asked often, but are ready and happy to answer is: “What can I do to get the most out of the experience?”

We have a few pointers to keep in mind for that first day of work:

Keep your Eyes and Ears Open: From day one be aware of the environment you are in. You will surely notice differences between the business culture you know from home and the one of the country you are now in. Pay attention to how things are run, dress code, etc. Remember, the business culture will be unfamiliar to you at first, and you will need time to adjust. Keep in mind that it is different, not wrong.

Be Positive and Proactive: Have a positive outlook on the placement you have obtained. Make the effort to learn about your company. Be proactive in creating projects for yourself. If you have finished a task that was given to you, find a new one to work on or show interest in other on-going projects.

Be Responsible: Arrive to work on-time, complete tasks in a timely manner, and always put 110% into all of the work you do.

Learn the Language: If you are interning in a country where English is not the first language, you should take the initiative to learn as much of the language as you can prior to starting the internship. This will show your new colleagues that you are interested in immersing yourself in the culture, becoming a part of the team and that you are ready to learn.

Get Excited!: You are in a new country, experiencing a new culture! Remind yourself of this everyday. You may never have the opportunity to experience the country in which you are interning in the same way again.

And always remember to have fun!

Posted by Sarah

Foreign Language?

I always knew I wanted to go abroad. However, I also knew that I was terrible with languages. Eventually, I settled on a program in Bath, England.

I remember thinking, “oh I’ll be in England, yeah it’s a different country, but hey, it’s still the same language….I mean yeah, the slang is probably a bit different, but it can’t be that different.”

It was only a matter of days before I realized that I could not have been more wrong. I constantly found myself either wondering what in the world someone had just said to me; or worse yet, confronting an angry/confused/embarrassed Brit over something I’d innocently said.

Aside from the basics, the language that I was so sure I knew, was definitely not the English I was used to. One of my most memorable speech flubs was informing a rather cute British boy I’d met that I’d love to “hang out” with him sometime. Seems innocent enough right? Well, after he blushed about 7 shades of red and choked out a laugh, he proceeded to stammer out that I had basically just informed him that I wanted to flash him. Needless to say, I was mortified and couldn’t pray hard enough for the ground to open up and swallow me whole. Unfortunately, it didn’t. Fortunately, he and I became great friends and we still talk to this day.

I’d like to say that that was my only verbal slip-up, but no, I seemed to make them daily. For instance, I was walking down the street with some British friends one day and made the mistake of complaining that I’d somehow gotten mud on my new pants. Well, after looking at me like I had 3 heads, one of the girls laughingly informed me that I meant my “trousers” as pants means underwear in England.

Thanks to my British friends, I quickly adjusted to the Queen’s English, and basic British slang. To this day, I still call take out “take-away”, occasionally refer to sneakers as trainers, find “bloody” to be the perfect explicative/description out there, and various other Britishisms.

I should have known better from the beginning. I was in a new country and everything was different, even the things I thought would be the same. As soon as I realized that, and opened myself up to absorbing that difference, I was fine. Bath, and England in general still owns a large piece of my heart and I can’t wait to go back. Next time I go abroad anywhere though, I’ll be sure to remember what I learned the first time, you can’t go abroad expecting it to be like home, even if there are similarities. As soon as you step off that plane, you’re in a new place and everything is different. You need to follow their rules and obey their customs. Enjoy it, you’ll learn more about yourself and the world around you by experiencing a new country then you will any other way.

Posted By: Kristen

GE Interns Make the News

Afraid of going abroad and fetching coffee (err, caffe' ) on your internship? See what some Global Experiences interns have been up to this year:

• Fashion Journalism intern, Anna, published her first article in Virtual Haircare Magazine in Sydney, Australia. [Click on What's New Section and article profiling the Joh Bailey launch.] And Anna tells us there's more to come.


• Cassandra, a Public Relations intern in Florence has been published in the Florentine online magazine, Florence For Fun, with her unique take on La Dolce Vita.


• Take a look at what Kristen, a Fashion intern in Florence, Italy has to say about Italian fashion in her article, Runway Rundown.

Are you making the news on your internship? Or maybe you're back home and doing something interesting with what you learned abroad? Drop us a line and let us know what you've been up to.

- 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.