In an age when hundreds of thousands of people enjoy wonderful volunteering trips every year, it’s strange that internships don’t enjoy similar popularity. Demand for meaningful travel fuelled the growth of volunteer projects, and given the increasing need to gain an advantage in the jobs market, the number of internships could well be about to grow too. No longer are they seen as simply unpaid work, but rather a great opportunity to learn the ropes. In fact, sometimes they are the only opportunity to learn the ropes.

It’s worth considering internships from all angles though because they aren’t for everyone and there are other options which offer similar advantages. For example, most are unpaid and if you can’t afford to work for free you may want to consider getting experience though paid teaching placements or interning at home. That said, if you do your research and are pretty sure it’s the sort of area you want to work in, internships can be an incredibly positive experience. Here are our top reasons to intern abroad and some handy tips on making the most of the experience:

Improve your CV
Employers love hands-on experience and in today’s difficult job market it may be difficult to compete if you don’t have it. With everyone at the interview saying how much they love the profession, being able to actually demonstrate that you do will impress them. As well as indicating your commitment to your career, an internship is also a great opportunity to hone those skills you can only really learn ‘on the job’.

Test-drive a career!
Would you want to marry someone before you’d been on a date with them, or buy a house before looking round? A career is something else you might spend your whole life with. Sometimes careers can be very different in the real world and there is no way of knowing what’s involved until you do it yourself and talk to people who have experience in the area. You may find that the good bits of a job are buried under paperwork or that it involves less opportunities to be creative than you had hoped for. Either way it’s best to find out now.

Networking
If you want to know the best ways to be successful in an industry there’s no-one better to talk to than those already working in it. Forming relationships with people with years of experience means getting access to valuable information about what to do and what not to do. They can suggest areas of your work that need improving and help you become more confident of success.

Improve your academic performance
If you’re planning to go to university or intend to train for your chosen career professionally, then an internship will give you a wider perspective that can improve your studies. Your discussions and essays will reflect real-world experience and a greater understanding of how theories apply to a real-world context, while being able to use examples of time spent working in the industry will really help your work stand out.

Getting your foot in the door
Many companies view internships as extra long interviews, so if you impress enough you may even get a job. As the number of people going for jobs increases, some companies hire graduates exclusively from their group of interns. This applies more to larger companies than smaller ones, so if getting a job through interning is your aim, make sure you do your research and find out if it’s likely. Even if the company itself is not hiring, internships are bound to open doors and bring you into contact with other people in the industry. Plus, if working abroad is something that interests you, internships can be a great first step to get ahead of other candidates.

Three top tips on how to get even more out of your internship abroad

•Try to find out as much as you can about the sorts of things you’ll be doing. Don’t just pick the one which will look best on your CV – go for the one which sounds like it will benefit you most.
•While you’re there find out everything you can about the industry by asking questions and reading industry magazines. Companies usually have lots of information lying around waiting to be devoured.
•Write a diary of your time as an intern. Not only will it prove a useful reference for you but it will help you remember things about the job that may fade in your memory. It’s also a good chance to write down lessons you learn and helps you not make the same mistake twice.

Useful links

For more information on internships click here: http://www.i-to-i.com/campfire/travel-guides/categories/12-Internships-overseas
i-to-i offer paid teaching internships. For more information, click here: http://www.onlinetefl.com/teflchina

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