GETTING YOUR IDEAL INTERNSHIP - Universum

Getting Your Ideal Internship
CHAPTER 1
Internships:
The Big Picture
CHAPTER 2
The Search
CHAPTER 3
Getting Hired
CHAPTER 4
Navigating
Your Internship
CHAPTER 5
real intern
profiles
CHAPTER 5
For Your
Reference
friends or family living abroad? Do you have background
knowledge of a specific country through your
studies? Is there a special skill you can hone only in one
particular country or region?
Use your school’s career center to narrow down
your overseas choices. Find out what prerequisites the
internships demand. Are there any applicable grants
or school-sponsored placement programs? Your school
may subscribe to valuable Web-based references such
as Going Global (www.goinglobal.com) or Uniworld
(www.uniworldbp.com), offering comprehensive job
listings and guides to individual countries, along with
lists of top employers and visa regulations.
Don’t hesitate to tap into the powerful networking
potential of your academic community. Contact
professors who have worked or done research in your
target country. Identify alumni who live there, and
see if the career center can provide names of students
who have recently interned there.
In many cases, the right contact is within reach
but out of sight. For example, there’s a good chance
the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has an association
devoted to the economic interests of your target
country. For instance, the American Chamber of
Commerce of Argentina provides job listings and a
place to post your resume or CV. Also, the American-
Argentine Chamber of Commerce, located in the
U.S., provides similar listings, including committee
members (perfect points of contact) and country
data. Because organizations like these make it their
missions to promote trade and investment, you’ll find
they’re eager to help.
You might consider using a for-profit placement
program to help you find your overseas internship.
Sure, you’ll be spending money, but considering
the time you’ll save in research and arrangements,
the fee may be worth it. Still, find out something
about the outfit’s reputation before laying down
your hard-earned cash. And make sure it’s offering
the kind of experience you’re aiming for—not a glorified
field trip.
International Students
If you’re a foreign
national studying in
the U.S., your internship
possibilities may
be limited. Of course,
you will need the
proper work permits.
(Information on
different types of
educational and work
visas is available at
J-1 Visa Exchange
Visitor Program, a
government website:
http://j1visa.state.
gov/) Be aware that
some employers
have a policy against
sponsoring international
students
for permanent work
authorization, so
those employers are
unlikely to hire international
students as
interns. If your university
arranges co-op
programs, you may
be in luck: Because
co-ops are part of
the curriculum, the
school might handle
the task of obtaining
the necessary papers
for foreign students.
Make it Count
Foreign firms may have a different idea of what the
word intern means than a domestic employer would.
To ensure an enriching experience, you should get
the job description, development plan, and the
employer’s expectations on paper before you set sail.
INSIDEr SCOOP
“When I spent a semester interning in Greece, they
honestly didn’t know what to do with me. They
were almost afraid to delegate their work.”
If you work for an American firm abroad, you’re
more likely to go through a classic internship. You’ll
also find yourself on a clearer path to a full-time job
with the company. On the downside, you may get
less experience of the country itself than if you were
working for a foreign firm—you’ll be more immersed
in corporate culture than local culture. A careerservices
pro says, “You can live and work in another
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