Stepping out into the world of business can be daunting for school or college leavers on the first steps of their career. You’ll soon find yourself in a highly competitive pool of talented individuals; success might not come as quickly as you would have hoped.
But there is an alternative: in fact, the single best way of boosting your prospects is through work experience. This is a way of signalling to employers that you’re serious about the job and you’ve got the skills to prove it.
You might wonder about the difference between interning at home and abroad. Or ask whether it’s necessary to travel to a foreign country when you can get your experience right here.
But there are some specific advantages to interning abroad. So here are the three best things about it!
The Work Experience You’ll Receive
Of course, the primary benefit of work experience is just that – the work experience. You’ll work shoulder-to-shoulder with professionals in your industry of choice, getting a real sense of just how your sector works. And through shadowing and then taking on duties yourself, you’ll have the chance to get some proper hands-on experience.
A theoretical understanding of your sector is all well and good; but genuine practical experience will make any candidate stand out from their peers. It will also give you the chance to decide whether your industry is truly for you; you might realize that you’re better-suited to a different area of your industry, or a different industry altogether. Having the space to make that realization will benefit you in the long run.
Taking your work experience abroad also has its advantages. Every country has its own unique business culture; learning to understand a different way of doing things is a skill within itself. You’ll also be able to bring any particular ways of working home with you; get it right and you might well increase productivity or morale at your next firm!
The Culture You’ll Experience
An internship abroad isn’t all about fantastic work experience. Your evenings and weekends are yours to soak up an entire new culture, so make the most of them. Embark upon trips and outings as you discover the cultural heritage of your host city. From slices of history to world-famous landmarks, you’ll always find something new to uncover.
Or you might want to focus on simpler pleasures; there’ll be a wide range of brand-new food, music and entertainment for you to sink your teeth into. Whatever you choose, you’ll walk away from your internship a changed person; from newfound professional confidence to feeling comfortable trying new things, this will be a change for the better.
And this has a professional advantage, too. Adaptability is a key transferable skill across every discipline. By thriving in your internship, you’ll demonstrate that you can thrive anywhere; and that you can work successfully alongside a diverse team drawn from different backgrounds and cultures.
The Network You’ll Create
In this case, the benefits of an internship abroad are twofold.
First, there’s nothing like the shared experience of exploring another city to build fast friendships. Whether you meet new people at work, in your shared accommodation, or through your Beyond Community, you’ll spend your free time getting to know each other. Your friends will likely hail from different countries and cultures; interning abroad and getting to know new people is a great way of opening up your horizons.
Second, you’ll also build up a network of professional contacts. This can go hand-in-hand with your friendships; in fact, some of your business connections will also become your close friends, and vice versa. Best of all, it doesn’t matter where these contacts are based; with the rise of remote working, firms are increasingly hiring from all across the world. Having impressed a manager or business leader in your host city, you’ll have a great chance of being considered for opportunities all over the world.
Summary
Interning abroad offers a unique set of benefits that can’t be replicated elsewhere. From practical work experience to cultural enrichment, you’ll develop and grow as you learn from your experiences. This will give you both the life skills to succeed in business; as well as the hands-on experience and skills that will help you thrive in your industry.
Beyond Academy offers work experience in eighteen different industries across fourteen different cities around the world. If you’d like to give your career a boost and stand out from your peers, why not contact us and begin planning your dream internship today?
