Landing an internship in college is a great way to gain hands-on career experience before you graduate. When you apply for jobs after graduation, internship experience will help you stand out from the competition and impress future employers. And the earlier you get an internship, the better—which is why a sophomore year internship is such a great idea.
Doing an international internship as a sophomore will set you up for success early on in your college career and give you unique benefits you can’t get with an internship in your home country. While you live like a local overseas, you can develop a global professional network and connect with new cultures—something you only get when you choose an international internship.
So, if you’re considering an internship abroad as a second-year college student, you may wonder: Can sophomores intern abroad? The short answer is YES, sophomores can intern abroad, depending on some key factors.
AIFS Abroad offers many internship opportunities for second-year college students and underclassmen. Read on to learn how and why sophomores should intern abroad!
Why Intern Abroad as an Underclassman?
An international internship during your sophomore year of college will provide you with many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Some of the benefits to interning abroad as a second-year college student include:
- Unlock career opportunities early on: The early bird gets the worm! Getting an internship as an underclassman will set you up for early career success. You may be able to land more advanced internships or job positions that wouldn’t be available to you if you hadn’t interned abroad as a sophomore.
- Test out various careers: Figuring out which direction to take your career is a challenge for many college students, especially sophomores. A sophomore year internship abroad will allow you to try out different fields, thereby helping you discover your potential career path early on.
- Apply real-world experiences to your studies: An internship as a sophomore will give you real-world experience that will inform your studies when you return home. Plus, it’ll give you a wider, global perspective to provide additional context to your courses.
- Intern or study abroad more than once: Interning abroad as an underclassman gives you more time to intern or study abroad later on during your college career. Plus, after interning abroad once, you’ll have built your resume and will be more qualified for competitive internships after your junior year.
- Develop a global network: Many of our internship destinations are in international cities where you’ll meet colleagues, superiors, and peers from all around the world, allowing you to make international connections to build a global professional network.
- Increase independence: An internship abroad will provide you with tons of independence, encouraging you to grow personally and professionally.
- Stand out to employers: By interning abroad as a sophomore, you’ll also prove to future employers that you are serious about your career, highly adaptable, and passionate about your field—setting you apart from the competition.
Intern Abroad Requirements
Yes, sophomores can intern abroad. AIFS Abroad provides a wide variety of internship opportunities across many career fields and international destinations for underclassmen. However, you should check with your home university or college to see if they allow sophomores to intern abroad. It shouldn’t be a problem at the majority of schools, but it’s always good to check with your advisor beforehand!
Some schools require students to earn credits during their international internships. Fortunately, AIFS Abroad offers optional credit-bearing courses that can be taken with your internship. Credits are issued through Fairfield University, our school of record in the U.S., allowing students to easily earn transferrable credits while they intern abroad.
If you’re a sophomore student who can’t decide between a study abroad and an intern abroad program, you’re in luck! We offer unique Study + Internship programs that combine the study abroad experience with a part-time internship.
How to Intern Abroad as a Sophomore
The first thing you should do if you’re interested in interning abroad as a second-year college student is to check with your home university. Review your school policies or speak with your college advisor about whether sophomore college students are able to intern abroad. The majority of underclassmen prefer summer internship programs rather than semester ones, and schools are much more likely to allow a summer internship for sophomores. If your college allows sophomores to intern abroad during the academic year, you should apply immediately to ensure you don’t miss program deadlines. If you’re serious about doing an internship abroad as an underclassman, take the advice of AIFS Abroad alum, Laura, who went to Barcelona during her sophomore year:
“I want to remind you to plan ahead—it can take about a year or so to finalize your program, so start as early as possible! When I first arrived at my home university, UC Irvine, as a freshman, I immediately visited my study abroad center on campus and started planning my [program] so that I could [go] abroad as a sophomore.”
If for some reason your school doesn’t allow sophomores to intern abroad during the fall or spring semesters, or you need to take courses on campus during your sophomore year, consider a summer internship instead! A summer internship abroad offers valuable career experience outside of the regular school year, allowing you to be home in time for the start of your fall semester.
TLDR: The short answer to “How to intern abroad as a sophomore” is to speak to your advisor and then apply here!
AIFS Abroad Internship Advantages
An AIFS Abroad international internship program includes, but is not limited to, the following benefits:
- Guaranteed internship placement in an approved career field once you’re accepted to the program.
- Integrated career readiness, including the CliftonStrengths assessment to help you leverage your Strengths for career success, personalized coaching throughout your program, and professional document review like cover letter assistance.
- Safe & central housing in a shared student residence.
- On-site support to help you at your program location and address any questions or issues you might have.
AIFS Abroad internship program inclusions don’t end there! Learn more about our internship programs.
Advance your career and explore new cultures as a sophomore with an AIFS Abroad international internship!
Interning abroad as a sophomore lets you experience all the amazing benefits of an international internship early on in your college career. You can boost your resume, gain hands-on experience, and travel the world, all as an underclassman. Combine these benefits with AIFS Abroad’s valuable internship program inclusions, and you have a recipe for career success and personal growth that you won’t want to miss. Launch your career as an underclassman with an AIFS Abroad international internship!
