The benefits of doing an internship abroad are endless. We've put together a summary of what we believe to be the most valuable.
Interning abroad is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself into a completely new culture, and step out of your comfort zone whilst developing your personal and professional skills.
Stand out from the crowd
An internship abroad distinguishes yourself from the competition in an increasingly competitive global labour market. Only a minority of students undertake an internship abroad. It is great way to show employees your level of confidence, interpersonal skills, and initiative before they have even met you. These are three important attributes for employment in any career field.
Expand your global network
An international internship provides you with the opportunity to build a global network. This can introduce you to an entirely new network, and influential industry experts. They will be like-minded individuals, who will be undertaking the same experience as you, which can lead to friendships that will last a lifetime, something which is invaluable for your future.
Personal, academic, and professional growth
Transformative inter-cultural learning experiences through interning abroad will undoubtedly lead to personal, academic, and professional development. Jumping into a new culture is not easy, but a challenge well-worth undertaking. You will push the boundaries of what you are capable of and grow in independence, giving you confidence to take on challenges in the future.
Live like a local : discover a new country and culture
An international internship is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to immerse yourself into a completely new culture whilst at the same time developing your career orientated skills. You will be able to involve yourself with the local community and ingrain yourself with local people that live in your host country, resulting in a unique and authentic experience as a citizen rather than a visitor.
Make an impact
If you choose an international internship which is an essential part of short-term and medium-term projects, this provides you with the opportunity to leave a real and lasting impact, with concrete positive changes for the local economy and local communities.
Become a Global Citizen
Expand your cross-cultural understanding and increase your global awareness by doing an internship abroad, giving you the opportunity to better understand your cultural values and beliefs in a new context.
Earn academic credit & fulfill academic goals
If you’re still at university we encourage students to connect their internship experience to their academic life and goals. An internship abroad can provide you with academic credit, and can also form part of your thesis.
Improve your language skills or learn a new language
Interning abroad and full cultural immersion is the best way to become fluent in a second language. Most employers now favour employees who possess foreign language skills over those who don’t. Whether you become fluent or are just able to pick up the basics, your language skills will make you more marketable to future employers.
If you're interested in doing an internship in Colombia - the rising star of Latin America! Please contact a member of our team or complete our Application Form.
For a list of our most popular internship programs in Colombia - click here. For more information about our international virtual internships - click here.
This blog post was written & published by Intern Colombia on 15 February 2018.