You know you need an internship. You know you want to study abroad. So it comes down to how long can you intern abroad to maximize your experience?
A summer internship abroad is a flexible option that doesn’t conflict with your school schedule, but a semester internship can provide added personal and career benefits for a longer period of time. Yes, it’s a greater time commitment—at least five weeks more than in the summer—but those extra weeks can be invaluable. You’ll be able to work on longer-term projects, see them through, and form stronger bonds with your colleagues.
Below are our top five reasons to intern abroad during the fall or spring semester.
Build a Network
You’ll also build a stronger and larger network during your semester interning abroad. This means more professional contacts and resources once your international internship is complete, which is especially great if you want to go back to work or intern abroad (again).
Fulfill School Requirements
If you need to fulfill an internship, work experience, or study abroad requirement for your major, chances are a semester-long program is optimal. Plus, a semester internship abroad might actually fulfill a couple of requirements.
Gain Communication Skills
If you plan to intern in Barcelona, Milan, Rome, or Santiago, you’ll improve upon or learn new Spanish or Italian language skills. You’ll pick up new words and phrases simply by commuting to and conversing with colleagues at your internship, not to mention what you’ll gain if you opt for a homestay or live with a local student in your IES Abroad housing. And remember, even in our English-speaking locations, like Dublin and London, you’ll acquire and practice cross-cultural communication skills in the workplace.
Bond with Your Peers
Just as summer interns get to participate in IES Abroad-organized field trips and cultural events (as their work schedules allow) you will, too—and there’s more of them to attend! Get to know other IES Abroad students, including those you'll have your internship seminar with, and explore your new host city and country with them.
- Get a Second Chance to Go Abroad
No time to intern abroad for a semester during college? No problem. In five of our six full-time semester internship locations, you can intern up to five years after college. So whether you couldn’t fit study abroad in with your rigorous course load, were a college athlete who needed to train year round, want to take a gap year before you go on to grad school or work full-time, or are already interested in a career change, the time is now!
Don’t just take our word for it, hear what Carter Rice, a Fall 2017 intern in Dublin, has to say! In addition to sharing her intern experiences in Ireland on her personal blog, we caught up with her to see what she had to say a
bout why she chose a semester-long program:
“I am a Senior Arts Management major at College of Charleston, and I realized I had enough credits to graduate early. Or I could finally do what I really wanted: study abroad.
Then after some research, I found the Full-Time Semester Internship Program in Dublin. I have to complete an internship as a requirement for the Arts Management major at my school so it was the perfect situation. And due to my love for Irish culture, the only place I wanted to study abroad in was Dublin, which coincidentally was an IES Internships location. It just seemed to work out too well. So I applied and went through paperwork and meetings at my home school, and it was all set.
IES Internships placed me at an incredible internship with the Gaiety School of Acting, the National Theatre School of Ireland working in the Arts Administration office. I have only been working there for a week but I already love what I am doing so much! I definitely think I made the best choice for my situation by interning for a semester abroad and cannot wait to see what the rest of this fall has to offer!”Ready to start your semester-long adventure? Apply now!
