“go out!” study worldwide” is a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The aim is to motivate pupils and students to spend part of their studies abroad. You can find tips on studying and internships abroad, experience reports and information about scholarships at www.go-out.de .
Internship abroad: From the first idea to the first day of work
Get to know a Chinese company from the inside? Standing in front of Spanish students as a foreign language assistant? An internship abroad makes this possible! There are many ways to find an exciting job.
Melanie wanted to go to Australia anyway. And during her bachelor's degree in cultural studies she had to do an internship. So why not combine the two and do an internship abroad Down Under? Melanie found out what an application in English looks like at her university's career center. And then she got started: She looked in the Australian Yellow Pages for companies that had some connection to her field of study: PR offices, event management agencies, museums, publishers... She found out more on the Internet and then sent applications to twelve different employers. There were a lot of rejections, but an event management agency showed interest. Eight strenuous months followed, during which Melanie organized flights and visas, accommodation and financing and finally introduced herself personally on site. Then everything was dry and Melanie could start her internship.
If you, like Melanie, have very specific ideas about which target country and which industries are suitable for the internship abroad, you can take the organization of the internship completely into your own hands. The advantage: You show your own initiative and practice perseverance, practice your foreign language skills during the preparations and also learn a lot about the job market in the target country. It can also be worth taking a look at international job exchanges, as some employers advertise their internship positions there. Many of these portals focus on specific subjects or industries, target countries or target regions.
International internship programs and private intermediaries
Another way to get your dream internship is through international internship programs and placement agencies. Programs that come with a scholarship are particularly attractive: the Carlo Schmid program, for example, is all about internships in international organizations, while students with the ASA program can do a development internship in Africa, Asia, Latin America or Southeast Europe. The Heinz Nixdorf program is aimed at students of technical and economic courses who want to work in Asia. If you ultimately want to teach abroad, you are in good hands with the Pedagogical Exchange Service programs.
There are also agencies that charge fees for arranging internships abroad: They can be an interesting option if time is of the essence or if students simply do not have the confidence to organize an internship abroad independently. However, students should find out very carefully about the offer in advance, i.e. check the website and the contracts carefully and, if necessary, obtain further information by telephone or email. Because there are also black sheep on the market for private internship providers. “In practice, unfortunately, it often happens that interns are not employed in the desired industry or are under-challenged at work. And if hidden costs arise or the provider does not feel responsible for problems that arise, that is very annoying,” says Regina Schmieg from the European consulting network Eurodesk.
Check early: are the contents and general conditions correct?
Students should also look closely when searching independently or when looking for publicly funded programs: On the one hand, it is important whether the content of the internship corresponds to their own expectations: For example, some simply want to find out whether a certain professional field suits them, others want to find out more about working life Get to know the target country, some want to get to know different areas of activity in an organization, others want to get a deeper insight into a specific professional field. On the other hand, the general conditions should of course also be right: This includes a fair internship contract, good and reliable support, and an appropriate and detailed internship certificate. In order not to leave students alone when choosing an internship provider or agent, Eurodesk has put together a quality check for internships abroad in collaboration with various partners, which can be downloaded free of charge at www.wege-ins-ausland.org . There is a list of criteria that students should pay attention to when making their assessment. Eurodesk also offers free advice on the hotline 0228 / 9506 250.
By the way, everything went according to plan for Melanie: flying to Australia was a risk because she didn't yet have a firm commitment to the internship. But in an emergency, she still had the option of volunteering at a museum. And in the end, her already good impression of the employer was fortunately confirmed during the on-site interview. Shortly afterwards she was able to start her internship: her supervisor initially introduced her to all areas of work and was always available to answer questions afterwards. Melanie enjoyed her diverse tasks and was also able to get a taste of the different areas of activity of her colleagues. And in the end she got a great job reference. She is now planning to do her master's degree in Ireland and is convinced: "I definitely wouldn't have had this courage without the internship in Australia."
Link tips
www.daad.de , www.go-out.de
Information and tips about internships abroad
www.wege-ins-ausland.org
Brochures on how to do an internship abroad and quality check for an internship abroad
www.rausvonzuhaus.de
Program database and free advice
About the author
Janna Degener completed two long stays abroad during her studies: the internship at the Goethe Institute in Damascus was self-organized, and the foreign language assistance in Paris was arranged by the Pedagogical Exchange Service. Today she works as a freelance journalist for various media, including www.go-out.de .
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“go out!” study worldwide” is a joint initiative of the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) and the German Academic Exchange Service (DAAD). The aim is to motivate pupils and students to spend part of their studies abroad. You can find tips on studying and internships abroad, experience reports and information about scholarships at www.go-out.de. Internship abroad: From
