Finding The Perfect Internship Abroad
It is certainly possible to arrange an international internship in most any field in most any region of the world, but if you are working on your own without a facilitating coordinator or program, be prepared to do a lot of legwork and get started well in advance.
Glenn Bronson and Ryan Walsh scuba dive off the Great Barrier Reef during their 10-week internship and making of "The Australia Project" five-part documentary.
Some academic programs incorporate internship opportunities or integrate them into the curriculum. Other programs place more initiative on the student. Either way, deciding an internship is on your academic bucket list is the first step.
In fact, maybe several internships are on that list during your college years.
If you are seeking out an overseas internship independently, it’s important to start planning at least nine months ahead so the process can go as smoothly as possible. It’s also important to tap into any and all resources, including your academic department, professors, study abroad office, and any business and alumni contacts that can provide leads on possible placements.
If you decide to work with an internship program, be sure to weigh more than just costs. You should also look closely at:
- Depth, variety and quality of internship offerings.
- Variety of international locations.
- Ability to customize internship dates to best fit your schedule and field of academic study.
- Track record of successful placements.
- Testimonial from past participants.
- Additional support services, such as:
- Visa and travel arrangements.
- Assistance with academic credit transfer.
- Housing.
- Financial aid assistance.
- Cultural introduction program.
Tailoring your internship for the perfect fit
GlobaLinks Learning Abroad is one of the leading international education organizations arranging internships abroad in all fields of study for U.S. and Canadian students.
The company regularly places interns with businesses and entities in Australia, New Zealand and Shanghai.
Students who want to intern abroad through GlobaLinks Learning Abroad can choose between two different internship programs:
- Professional Development for Academic Credit (PDAC) internships, which last 10 weeks and include pre-set dates and built-in academic credits from Chapman University.
(or)
- Custom Date Internships, which offer varying dates and are customized to meet a student’s individual needs in almost any academic major.
Students also have access to a variety of support services from program application to return home:
- Pre-departure assistance.
- Airport pickup.
- Bridging Cultures Program or on-site orientation.
- Housing.
- 24-hour in-country support from resident directors.
- Language education (for Shanghai internships) to assist students with cultural integration.
- Internship opportunities conducted in English.
- Academic credit through Chapman University or credit approval assistance through home university.
To connect students to these internships, GlobaLinks Learning Abroad works mostly with small businesses and nonprofits to find internship opportunities, says Barbara West, manager of internship programs.
Students have worked for CanTeen in Sydney, Australia, for example, putting together fundraising events to providing services to teens with cancer, for Toyota New Zealand in engineering capacities, and for the New Zealand Whale and Dolphin Trust to assist with research.
“We can do internships in virtually any industry or field,” West says. “The only area we can’t really do placements in is clinical health care.”
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