Tips and Tales From Around the Globe

The current pandemic pushed us all to adapt quickly -- how can we still provide life-changing international internships and cross-cultural experiences when we can’t travel?

On April 7th, 2020, we launched our very first virtual internship program in response to a need from our students, our university partners, and our employers.

Fast forward to the middle of summer and our first virtual internship program closing! Check out what these seven virtual interns had to say about their remote internship experience.

During a time of immense uncertainty, two things are for sure: COVID-19 has flipped the world on its head, and it’s not going to disappear anytime soon.

Thousands of students have cancelled travel plans, lost their internships, and tried to figure out what to do with themselves for the foreseeable future. We know it’s not easy, and our hearts go out to everyone who’s been affected over the past few months.

Although the virus has presented a ton of new challenges, we hope that Global Experiences can help you have a positive and productive internship experience during the upcoming year.

“Why am I paying for an unpaid internship?”

Over the years, this has always been one of our most frequently asked questions - and we understand! For starters, you are getting more than just an internship. Through Global Experiences, you are getting a complete and well-rounded internship and professional development program.

We understand that you might think or your parents might ask you, “why am I paying for you to do a virtual internship?” and we’re here to help! Here are some of the key benefits of our virtual internship program you may not have thought of:

For those of you who recently graduated from high school, you could be thinking, “I don’t know what to do with my life.” We get it!

If you’re a current university student who just went through having spring semester switch to virtual and fall semester in limbo, you may be thinking “why am I paying full price for tuition for an online education?”.

Or, you may be a student or young professional who really likes the concept of virtual learning and fully embraces the flexibility and new skills - like internet literacy, digital competency, adaptability, responsibility, and time management.

A gap year is a great option for you all, now more than ever.

With many universities planning to remain online in the fall or those who may be back on campus with more restrictions, it’s safe to say that the “normal” college life is on pause for now. Many students have been forced to look at alternatives like gap year programs.

According to recent surveys reported by Axios, “more than a quarter of college students are questioning whether to return to their current college or university in the fall due to uncertainty around plans to reopen… 35% of prospective college students said they’re planning to take a gap year.”

A gap year is a strong alternative for not only prospective college students but those currently enrolled who are uncertain about what the future of their education looks like.

In a trying time, it can be hard to concentrate on what to do next. While we may be social distancing and feeling (more than a little) distracted, there’s always a way to keep moving forward.

Internship experience during college is indispensable. The good news is that today’s technology makes remote work easier than ever before.

Due to the nature of businesses and work environments, there are career fields and industries that are more adaptable to remote work. Here are our recommended top 8 career fields for a virtual internship.

Excitement was flowing and wanderlust was in the air -- spring interns were enjoying their time abroad and others were getting ready for their summer adventures. That was before we heard the word “pandemic,” first used by the World Health Organization on March 11, 2020, in reference to the rapidly-spreading coronavirus.

The COVID-19 pandemic has put experiences on hold in a dramatic way. It has brought challenging and uncertain times to countries around the world and disrupted many plans.

We care about each and every one of our program participants, which is why we made the decision to end our spring programs early and proactively cancel our summer intern abroad on-location programs.

This disruption forced us to think about our mission in a different light -- How to adapt? How to continue providing life-changing experiences around the world if our participants are unable to board a plane and travel abroad?

We may be in isolation, but we are not alone. Let's put mobility challenges aside and do something impactful for the future of work and career paths of our participants.

Negotiating your starting salary doesn’t have to be a point of anxiety. Never be fooled into thinking the first offer is the best offer, or that negotiating isn’t the professional thing to do. In fact, over 70% of employers expect candidates to negotiate. 

In a competitive job market where recent graduates rush to find jobs as quickly as possible, liberal arts degrees have fallen by the wayside. There’s a misconception that students with liberal arts degrees don’t have the right in-demand skills, but nothing could be farther from the truth. 

Creativity, attention to detail, emotional intelligence, and many other skills that come with a liberal arts degree are some of the most valuable. These eleven CEOs prove that liberal arts degrees weren’t just important, but were crucial to rising to the top of their companies.

When it comes to getting into graduate school, two things are important – a high GPA and experience outside the classroom. With an international internship, you gain the skills and real-world experience that graduate admissions committees are looking for.

For these five alumni, their internship influenced and helped them follow their dreams of getting a master’s degree. Keep reading for our alums’ stories and their advice on using an internship abroad to get into grad school.

You might think a degree and some professional experience is enough to kickstart a great career, and you would be partially right - both of those things are invaluable to building a successful career. However, there is one more thing you’ll need to set yourself apart from the rest of the pack, a network of diverse professionals.

Although networking may seem daunting and time-consuming, successfully networking can lead to great opportunities and long-term career success. Read over our 7 tips on how to network.