10 Reasons Why You Need to Intern Abroad

 

Is one of your New Year’s resolutions to travel more? Did you make a goal to improve your resume or learn a new skill? If so, why not do an internship abroad this year to meet your travel dreams and gain new professional skills?

We think the reasons to intern abroad are endless, but we’ve narrowed it down to the top 10 reasons why you should put an international internship at the top of your New Year’s resolutions list.

1. Professional Experience

Group working in office

Like any positive internship experience, an internship abroad will help you enhance your professional skills and improve your resume. You can even complete an internship with an international company for similar experience by applying for our virtual internship program, GE Virtuoso. An international internship will differentiate your resume, and you, from others who you will be competing with in the workforce.

2. Confidence

Doing an internship in another country, or even a new city, is a big challenge. It can be scary, but all the frustrations and challenges you’ll face abroad and within your international internship will help you gain confidence in your own abilities.

3. Travel

This one is pretty self-explanatory. You should do an internship abroad because you want to travel and see new cultures, beautiful sights, and meet new people.

4. Cultural Awareness

We are living in an international job market and having a world perspective will help you relate to people in and outside of the workplace. Having global awareness will strengthen your soft skills like communication and positive attitude.

 5. Adaptability

Anyone who has lived or interned abroad will tell you that nothing makes you learn faster than by immersing yourself in a new country. You will quickly adapt to understand the nuances of a new culture, language, and even workplace behavior.

6. Independence

Deciding to go and live abroad for a few months can be a daunting, but exciting, decision. However, once you are there and interning on your own it gives you a very real sense of independence and empowerment.

Christina, alumna of the Paris program said,“Getting out there is a challenge. Putting yourself out there and signing up to go on your own is scary. It hits you when you get off the plane and you think, ‘I can do anything!’ ”

7. Trial Run a Career Field

It’s hard to tell if you really love your chosen career field until you experience what it’s like working in it on a day-to-day basis.  An internship allows you to do a ‘test run’ while getting experience to get an idea what you like and what you don’t like about your industry. If it ends up that you need to reevaluate what you want to focus on after graduation, that’s okay! You still gained some great transferable skill and you got to travel.

8. Improve Language Skills

Immersing yourself in a country that speaks another language is the fastest, and best, way to improve your language skills. If you decide to an internship in an non-English speaking destination you will definitely have to face the challenge of a language barrier, but you will dramatically increase your fluency within that language.

9. Create an International Network 

Networking cheat sheet

You can never have too many people in your network. During your internship abroad you will make connections with your host employer, other interns, and other leaders within your industry overseas. At Global Experiences we even offer networking events to let students practice their networking and conversations skills while make making connections with professionals within their industry.

Angela, an alumna of Milan internship program said,“It’s great having that door open for me if I ever decided to return to Italy. So many doors have been opened to me and I know I’m more confident. This experience on my resume is priceless.”

10.  Fun

An internship abroad can be described as a lot of things such as: demanding, life changing, thrilling, nerve-wracking, but it will also always be fun. An internship abroad is a fun adventure filled with new skills, breathtaking views, lasting friendships, and tons of memories.

Still not convinced? Inquire on our website and we’d be glad to talk with you more about why we love international internships and how we can help you get started on your very own.

Find a career you will love

Featured Categories

...
Snapchat Stories
Share Your Travel Story

Subscribe To The Global Experiences Blog

Subscribe to Email Updates