Why internships abroad should be a MUST for every student

Guest Post by Mandy Meeuwsen

At one point in your school career, the word ‘internship’ will pop up. And this means for the first time (or once more) you are going to be working in a company where you can use and improve your skills related to your future job.

When I started my marketing and communication studies I knew really well I wanted to go to Italy. Nothing could stop me from this idea I had and the school offered the possibility so I took it with both hands. Oh yeah, and I wanted to go alone.

Hey, I get it, it’s easy to just say you will stay nearby so you can get home quickly when you’re finished and for some, even travelling one hour to get to an internship can be quite adventurous BUT why don’t you challenge yourself? I do believe you can gain a lot more if you decide to go abroad.

Nowadays, A lot of schools offer the possibility to go on an internship abroad and if they don’t then it may be more work to do so but if you are determined then everything should be fine because
all ways that lead to Rome, Haha get it?

On the more serious side it’s an amazing opportunity and you gain a lot from the experience and I hear you think: ‘’ But what can I gain exactly?’’ well, that’s what im going to tell you right now.

You will meet new people

My decision to go alone was because I wanted to challenge myself. And also because I was the only one who wanted to go to Italy. But hey, this didn’t stop me from going even though I knew it was going to be challenging.

But in the end, you’re not alone. There are a lot of other students that are in the same position and even though you may not even speak the same language and have to use every part of your body to make clear you just want to know how the washing machine works, you will make friends. You get to know different cultures and learn new languages and you will forget that you’ve felt lonely. This is one of the best parts of internships abroad.

And the best thing about making international friends is that you will have an excuse to travel even more. For the sake of friendship, right?

Improved language skills

No matter where you will go, you will improve your language skills. Except if you go to a country where they speak the same language then good for you! But for those who don’t, sometimes it can be challenging to make clear what you want.

The only way is to learn the language of the country you’re in. The basics will be easy because you will be hearing these every day and if it doesn’t help, just point out what you mean and you’re good to go. Being in Italy and doing everyday things like groceries and sightseeing, I learned some Italian words. And by living with Spanish students I picked up some Spanish words. Muchas Gracias, Amigos!

And also you can impress people with your newly learned skills so that’s a bonus.

Independence

I’m not going to lie but yes, sometimes it was hard being alone. You need to rely on yourself and in those moments you see parts of yourself you’ve never seen before. But if I could do it all over again I would do it all the same. Well, maybe I would do some things differently but you’ll get the idea!
You learn so much about yourself and discover abilities you didn’t know you had. It’s also easier to socialize which leads to friendships as I stated before.

Work experience

Of course, this is also one of the reasons why you’re going, to improve your skills in the work field. You gain professional skills in a different working field and it stands out on your resume of course. gaining work experience abroad shows that you are open to new challenges and have developed a global perspective in your possible future working field. It allows you to gain valuable skills, such as the ability to work across cultural lines, which can only be gained in an international work environment. And you may even think: ‘’Well, I’m not going back I’m staying right here!’’

 

 

Still not convinced?

Well if you still think that it might not be worth it, you should take a look at the statistics and I’m sure you’ll want to go right away!
Mandy

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