by Kelly-Ann Desouza
Interning abroad was something that I never thought I would do.
Actually, it never occurred to me that it was something I could do. The whole process happened so fast that I remember thinking to myself as I boarded the plane: Is this real life? Is this really happening?
Yes, it was real, it happened, and my world got immensely bigger.
An international internship experience is an investment. Like all investments, there are costs and benefits. It’s your job to figure out if an intern abroad experience is worth it for you.
To help inform your decision, here are some things you should consider before committing to an internship…
Scholarships and resources listed in the article:
Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship Program
Foundation for Global Scholars’ GRIT Program
Go Overseas Study & Intern Scholarship
IIEPassport Study Abroad Funding
Note: The term “study abroad” includes a variety of international experiences including studying, interning, and volunteering abroad.
My name is Peri Bowman. I’m 21, from Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. I’m currently midway between my Bachelor of Architecture and Masters of Architecture degrees and I’m here doing an internship with Paul Keogh Architects.
So, why Ireland?
I didn’t have a particular place I wanted to go. I’d finished my degree but I felt I didn’t really know what to do with my three years of learning. I didn’t know if it was actually enough to be able to work. So I wanted to get out there and see what I could do with what I learned. As part of our masters program, we have to write a thesis. I had no idea what I want to write about so I hoped working would help point me in the right direction. My friend Mia decided she was going to Ireland and asked me to come. So, here I am!
You are old and grey, sitting on a leather couch by the fireplace, sipping on a steaming cup of Barry’s tea, when a little child crawls around the corner of the armrest.
“Grandma, can you tell me a story?”
You pick him up and sit him down on your lap while sifting through your memories, fragments triggered with every wisp and crackle of the flames. There was that time you and your friends went on a West Coast road trip. There were those annual family ski trips in Colorado (oh, how you tumbled down the slopes!). Then, you look down at your cup of Barry’s and smile.
“Well, once, a long time ago, way before you were born, I worked as a barista in Dublin.”
“Wow!” he exclaims. “What’s a Dublin?”
Amy Beam (University of Tennessee at Chattanooga) is a communications student. She was a PR intern with Rachel Dalton Communications in Summer 2015.
My name is Kelly-Ann and I am an art student hailing from the glorious and almighty frozen tundra known as Canada. I did an internship in Ireland this spring with an animation distribution company called Monster Entertainment.
by Hanna Sise. Photo courtesy of Avenley Horner.
On June 19, 2010, my life changed forever. As I boarded the Iberia airbus from Chicago O’Hare to Madrid Barajas, I took a deep breath knowing adventure awaited. Sevilla was my final destination. After arriving in the breathtaking Spanish city, I knocked on the door of a stranger. This woman, Esperanza, was to be my host mother for the next two weeks.
As I navigated my way through the foreign streets, jet lag, and much different food than I was used to, my eyes opened to the wonder of this amazing country. For the first time in my seventeen years, I was seeing something other than myself. Being used to living in this bubble that others created for me, I was finally able to see that there was life outside of Bartlesville, Oklahoma. And that was it: I was officially hooked.
Please note that this tale recounts my working holiday without Stint as this was before Stint existed… Boy would that have made a difference in the first few weeks!
Three weeks into my working holiday in Dublin, I was still living in a 48-bed hostel room, homeless and jobless after 20 apartment viewings and countless online and on-site job applications.
I was living the dream.
by Perrin Thompson
When I considered writing a reflection on my time as an intern in Dublin, I thought it would be easy. However, when I sat down (multiple times) to gather my thoughts and begin telling my story, I realized how difficult it was to put what I had experienced into words. How could I convey what a life changing experience I had? How many amazing friendships I had formed? How much I had grown personally and professionally? And how much I had learned about myself being immersed in a foreign culture?