College Internships Are Going Global
The world is becoming increasingly interconnected and more employers are looking for candidates with global experience. Now, college students are getting in on the action by gaining work experience in overseas internships.
SunheeCho who is me, a junior at Hanyang University majoring in public relations, got 2 internships in Toronto, Canada last year working for local companies that offer useful information for authors, journalists, and reporters etc. I worked full time to gain valuable experiences related to my interest, to participate in a place branding project that’s my first English project in the real field, and first of all, to be able to improve some English skills which most employers in Korea are craving for.
What is the Significance?
The total number of South Korean students traveling abroad for internships and receiving academic credit has been getting higher and higher. Especially, the various experiences in the real world and practical English skills are exactly what they want in order to hire qualified, talented, and proper candidates for their teams.
I strongly believe that if a student is interested in pursuing any sort of career outside of Korea, it’s a great idea to immerse myself in the environment. Therefore, I think the employers would put a very high value on that because of the growth we’re seeing there and because of the investment a lot of countries are making in abroad. If someone has both the language skills and the experience, it’s a lot of value for the company looking for the candidates.
Of course, getting set up with an internship overseas doesn't come cheap. However, with financial support from governmental institutes such as Korea council for university education that enabled me to receive a scholarship for Canadian internship opportunities, it’d be way easier for the students to gain the chances to work internships abroad.
In personal opinion, I’ve learned a lot from what I had been through in Canada during the internships. It’s because it was never easy for me to adapt to a new and unfamiliar environment, which was my first time to go abroad without any friends, families, or acquaintances. When I arrived at the Toronto international airport for the first time, I made a decision to change the feelings like fear, isolation, and loneliness to motivation to overcome and get fit into Canada better.
Knowing that I’ve always been eager to go abroad, I started making some friends and being ready for the job interviews. Fortunately, 2 employers caught my potential possibility to work well with my bright and positive personality.
I think it’s very important for all the students to take a chance to try new and challenging things regardless of age, cultural backgrounds, and countries when they face them. The more you hesitate, the less you gain.
Try Right Now! That's what I can tell you as a person who already has internship experiences!
