Internship orientation is an exciting time in every student’s life. You are entering a true workplace where you can put all of the skills that you learned into practice. But you also want to ask yourself: What benefits can I expect from an internship?
You might even be able to land a dual study/internship, which is even more beneficial.
What Is a Dual Study/Internship Abroad Program?
If you want to study and intern at the same time, you’ll want to enter into a dual study-intern program. You won’t find as many of these opportunities as you would with just a traditional internship.
Over 50% of interns end up interning more than once, but this is an opportunity that allows you to:
- Intern in the host country
- Study in the host country
You’ll need to be good at multi-tasking if you enter into one of these programs because your days will be busy. Interning can take up the majority of your day, and you also need to maintain high academic marks, too.
If you don’t want to pursue a dual study program, you can consider an internship that offers transferrable credits.
Weigh the pros and cons to find the best option for you.
Gain A Different Perspective on Your Host Country
You know what life is like in your home country. Being born and raised in one location gives you a very good perspective on work and life in one location, but your host country may have a completely different perspective on:
- Work-life balance
- Work ethic
- Teamwork
If you live in the host country, you’ll also learn about more than just the work-related aspects of the country. For example, you may learn how to relax and take life in stride instead of taking it too seriously.
Every culture has its own perspectives, and they can help you look at life and work in new, exciting ways.
Apply Academic Learning Immediately
Internship orientation will be an eye-opening experience. You’ll quickly notice that you’re entering the field in a professional capacity, which means that you’re responsible for putting your education into practice.
Academic learning provides a foundation for a career, but application is often different.
Capital Placement helps students enter internship abroad programs, and it’s not uncommon for there to be major differences between:
- Academic environments
- Work environments
Students have a lot of “book knowledge,” and once they begin to apply it in the workforce, it will be much different. Often, you’re given the foundations for your career that you’ll need to adapt and hone while in the workplace.
Make Valuable Professional Connections
Having the opportunity to study and intern in your host country gives you a chance to develop valuable personal connections. Those connections may help you land a full-time job after your internship is over, and in many cases, they lead to new introductions and more connections.
Interning abroad will give you the chance to build up your network in ways that may not have been possible in your home country.
Become A Person Abroad Instead of a Student Abroad
When you can study and work abroad, you get to experience what life is really like for the locals. You become a person abroad and not just a student.
The work environment is often very different from the university environment. If you were purely studying abroad, you wouldn’t have the opportunity to see that side of living in your new country, and vice versa.
Together, studying and working abroad gives you a complete picture of the local culture and allows you to experience real life in your new country.
Gain Deeper Cultural Immersion
One of the biggest advantages of entering a study and work abroad program is that you get an opportunity for deeper cultural immersion. You get to experience things from different lenses, depending on whether you’re studying or working as part of your internship.
Your internship will give you insights into the work culture, and your studies will help you form valuable connections with your peers. At the same time, you’ll be living in your new city and country. The day-to-day living and interactions with locals will help you truly get to know the local culture.
Cultural immersion will benefit you professionally and personally in many ways.
Exposure to different cultures, languages and ways of living will help you see things from a new perspective and help you adopt a more open mindset. These are both valuable things to bring into the workplace because they make you a team player.
In Conclusion
A study and work abroad program will provide you with a unique opportunity to intern and continue your academic studies. The experience will allow you to get a better understanding of your host country, immerse yourself in the culture and build relationships that will enrich your professional and personal life.
David Prior
David Prior is the editor of Today News, responsible for the overall editorial strategy. He is an NCTJ-qualified journalist with over 20 years’ experience, and is also editor of the award-winning hyperlocal news title Altrincham Today. His LinkedIn profile is here.
