Gaining international work experience is an automatic resume booster and adds to your overall life experience. Picking the right country for your international internship is the first step when planning your work experience. This careful process requires foresight for the type of experience that you want to have as well as a diligence for researching the best opportunity.
With that in mind, here are 5 quick and dirty tips to pick the best country for you international internship:
1. Figure out what type of work experience you want.
Most international companies have satellite offices in various countries. Identify what company is best suited to build your work experience and find out which countries offer you the best internship opportunities for your field of study.
2. Identify what type of climate is best for you.
Choosing the right climate for your personality is essential for making your internship a happy one. Because you will be working in the country for an extended amount of time, it is imperative that you determine the climate that you feel most comfortable with. Figure out if you want to work in a temperate, warm, or cold climate and what season is best for you (i.e. Summer, Winter, Spring).
3. Determine which language you want to learn or improve.
Part of the benefit of doing an international internship is the ability to learn or improve your language skills of your host country. When choosing which country for your international internship, use language proficiency as a factor to decide where to go. Remember that as the world becomes flatter, the more languages you know, the more appealing you are to employers.
4. Talk to your family, friends, professors or search on forums.
While it is true that no two experiences living abroad will be the same, use the suggestions of these key people as a reference point for picking the country to work in. You may find that their networks are still prevalent in that country. An added bonus is that it will make the transition to work there much easier.
5. Use country guides to explore the cultural attributes of various countries.
Culture exceeds pretty costumes and nice music. Each country has their own sets of values and traditions for the working world, social etiquette, the perception of time, etc. While being punctual in Germany is extremely important to their way of life, in Colombia the concept of time is much more lenient and speculative. Understand what are the different cultural values and if it fits within your scope of comfort.
By understanding what you want to achieve through your international internship and how your personality fits into the culture of the host country, you will guarantee yourself a successful lifetime experience. Take the time to explore all your options and who knows, maybe the door to a lifelong international career is right around the corner.
For more information about international internships, please visit http://www.globalcareerservices.com/
This is a great post! I did an internship abroad in China and it was a great experience.
I recently wrote a blogpost whether an internship abroad or studying abroad is the right choice for you. Check it out here: http://mariaabroad.com/2009/08/internship-or-studies-abroad/
Hope you like it!
MariaAbroad
Thanks Maria for your comment. Great post. I’m glad that your international experience has taken you around the world. It is a wonderful and invaluable experience. We look forward to reading more of your posts.
Cheers!
The Goinglobal Team