We were perusing the articles over at Life After Study Abroad and we really liked one about the benefits of interning abroad. Why should you go?
1. Cross-cultural skills and sensitivity
Because you will be working with local employees (and quite possibly employees who don’t speak English), you have the opportunity to learn from the people you meet in the workplace and outside of it. Almost every job posting, regardless of industry, highlights cross-cultural skills and sensitivity as a key requirement.
2. Increased language proficiency
Even if you have been studying a language for years, interning abroad will teach you a whole a new set of vocabulary. Whether it’s learning the right words to communicate with customers, discussing work specifics with your colleagues, or learning technical vocabulary related to your industry, you will only increase your language proficiency!
3. Gaining new skills
If you’re unsure about what you want to do after graduation, interning abroad gives you the opportunity to test something out. You may decide it’s the perfect career path for you. But you might also decide you would rather pursue something else, and that’s okay too. But, you will be glad you had the opportunity to try it out first.
4. Standing out
According to Open Doors data from the Institute of International Education, only 273,996 students studied abroad in the 2010-2011 academic year. Even fewer students complete international internships every year. This means you will stand out to future employers, especially if you convey what a meaningful experience your international internship was, both personally and professionally.
We have alumni working at Ralph Lauren and NBC because of their internships so what are you waiting for? F
