subject: The Valuable Experience Of An Internship Abroad [print this page] Students and recent graduates looking for the chance to travel internationally and gain valuable experience in their chosen field should consider an internships abroad. An internship is basically employment where the worker, the intern, is typically not paid a wage. However, though an internship abroad does not offer immediate financial gain, there are a host of other major benefits.
For example, one important benefit of an internship abroad is that it is a way for interns to gain valuable work experience in their chosen field. The hands-on, practical experience that the real work provides cannot be duplicated in a classroom.
In addition, working with people who are employed in the interns chosen field provides an excellent opportunity for an intern to make valuable contacts. These contacts may be helpful in gaining future employment and in learning about employment opportunities. They can also be an important source of advice and encouragement.
Furthermore, students participating in an internship abroad typically earn credits at their home school or university. An internship abroad allows students to experience the real-life work environment while working toward earning their degree.
An internship abroad has other advantages that an internship at home does not offer. For instance, participating in an internship abroad gives an intern the chance to travel to and live in a foreign destination. Interns have the unique opportunity to live and work among the people of that nation. They can immerse themselves in the culture of that nation and learn about a different way of life. An internship abroad also offers the intern a chance to familiarize himself with the work practices of the host nation. It is an opportunity to live and work as the people of the host nation do.
Increased foreign language skills are another benefit of an internship abroad. Employers are increasingly desirous of employees who can speak more than one language. An internship abroad offers interns the chance to hone their conversational and written foreign language skills by working and living with native speakers. Completing an internship abroad not only allows interns to increase their fluency, it also signals to a potential employer that an interns language skills are at a level advanced enough that he or she can function in a land where that language is the dominant tongue.
Participating in an internship abroad may also help an intern in gaining employment. More and more major employers are focused on increased globalization. These employers are looking toward foreign markets as a means of expansion, and that means that they need employees familiar with these foreign markets. Completing an internship abroad demonstrates to a potential employer that the intern has such familiarity.
An internship abroad offers the chance to travel and live abroad and to gain valuable knowledge and experience at the same time.
