Internship abroad opportunities at the Global Careers Month!

This year the University of Leeds Career Center organised the Global Careers Month. This is an incredible opportunity open to British and international students, to learn about opportunities available abroad and taking advantage of the connections that the University has with different organisations across the world.

In particular, I participated in the “Internship Around the World” event, led by the Intern Group, a high profiled company. They are partners with the University, and their role is to manage and find the most suitable internship experience that will meet your own expectations! I was astonished by their professionality and the admirable business that they are carrying out. 

APPLY →  INTERVIEW →  TRAVEL

What exactly do the Intern Group do? They attempt to match you with an organisation that asks for a similar skill set to you, while considering the requests that you may have in order to get the most out of your internship experience. This organisation could be one of many firms, start-ups, inter-governmental (IGO), non-governmental organizations (NGOs) but all high quality with a good reputation around the world. The sectors are diverse in order to meet the demand of students from completely different courses. Certainly, every country or city has its most common feild or in demand skill set, which makes it easier to find an internship related to that sector. For example, New York (USA) for Fashion and Business students, Medellin (Colombia) for Politics as well as Engineering and Computer Science, Hong Kong for Business and Finance, Bangkok (Thailand) for Environmental Science and Sustainability...

A collaborative process between the future intern and the Group:

The internship could vary between 6 (sometimes 4) to 24 weeks, according to your preferences. In addition, the Intern Group does not just work as an internship provider, but it also organises the logistic of the whole experience, including accommodation, visa assisstance, as well as training to improve your professional development. At this point, the Intern Group sets up an interview with the organisation. At the end of the process, the internship is guaranteed, but you can also ask to change the company you are matched with, if you are not satisfied with it before beginning the programme. The important thing to remember is that you are not allowed to choose the company as they do it for you, based on both your necessities and theirs. Not all the internships are paid, but it obviously depends on the companies’ application policies.

Regarding the costs, these vary according to the geographical area you are applying too, because of the different cost of living between countries. The accommodation is included in the package, as well as all the other services previously mentioned. University discounts and scholarship are also available!

I think it is very important to know that according to the Intern Group statistics, 88% of the interns find a job right after the internship period. This highlights the quality and professionality of the company, as well as the profitability of the investment that a person could make applying with the Intern Group.

WHY INTERN ABROAD

I would recommend the experience to a student who has recently finished their undergraduate or postgraduate program and is perhaps thinking about having a gap year before a Masters or a job. You would gain valuable and certainly useful skills that only going abroad, and through a professional experience like an internship, can be developed.

I strongly believe that an experience of this kind would be nothing but positive and fruitful. Working abroad you would gain knowledge and professionality under multiple aspects, such as initiative spirit and adaptability to different and possibly uncomfortable situations, and living far from home and in another country with a completely different culture from yours. In my opinion, it would be different than a period of studying abroad, and even more challenging and valuable, I would say a step further to become the perfect candidate for any job you are looking for.

Thank you very much to the Intern Group and the University of Leeds Career Center for the information and the great talk! I really hope you look forward to these opportunities when you're a student at the University of Leeds!