Being an intern can be stressful, time consuming, and demotivating. That’s because most internships consist of long hours, often unrewarding work and are unpaid. For this reason, many people try and seek internships where they are doing actual work instead of just what their boss doesn’t want to do. In many cities abroad they don’t understand the concept of an intern. The idea of someone coming to work for them for free is an idea that they have never heard of before, and they are extremely enthusiastic about it, which is why interning abroad is the best experience you can get. Here are the best reasons to intern abroad:
1. Hands on Work Experience:
Because most places abroad have never had an intern before, they treat you exactly how they would treat any other employee. You get to get your hands dirty in the intense day to day work that everyone in the office is going through. It’s the perfect way to gain skills in a field of work you could see yourself pursuing in the future.
2. Rewarding Work
Because you’re doing hands on work experience. It is actually extremely rewarding when you see that the work that you’re doing actually contributes to the company’s success.
3. Experience, Experience, Experience
In today’s society you are expected to be graduated from university with 20 years of experience to get a job, even though you’ve only been alive for 22. Companies abroad usually require no experience to be an intern, which is the perfect way to get your experience for other jobs.
4. Travelling
Not only is an internship abroad beneficial for your experience, it also gives you the opportunity to travel and explore somewhere new. Usually if you’re an intern abroad you’re going to be there for at least a month, if not more, to really get the true job experience. This gives you a lot of time to really get to know a city like a local.
5. Meeting New People/Networking
Networking and meeting new people is the best way to make connections and get to know other people in your field of interest. Networking is important to set yourself up for connections and job opportunities in the future.
My own experience:
I recently just interned in Tel Aviv for an online magazine called The Culture Trip. This internship was probably one of the best experiences I’ve had to date. First, I got to live in the non-stop city of Tel Aviv; everything was within walking distance, the weather was beautiful and I got to experience the city like a local. Tel Aviv is home to a number of start-up companies resulting in limited office space, and for many start-ups the cafes in Tel Aviv are their modern offices. So my internship consisted of working at different cafes all across Tel Aviv. This was the perfect way to really feel like a local and participate in day to day life of a Tel Aviv-ian.