Considering A Graduate Program?

Graduate school can seem a little intimidating. You’ve just spent the guts of FOUR long years doing your undergrad. The thoughts of more all-nighters, increased student loans, and a pretty competitive jobs market- boo!

What if there was an option that was lower in cost, took less time and came with some pretty sweet perks…sounds too good to be true?! Well, it’s not. Here’s why you should consider a graduate program in Ireland.

 

(photo credit: unsplash)

Timeframe…

Time is money and money is being able to get that guacamole on your burrito, win/win! You’ve spent at least FOUR years as an undergraduate, the thoughts of two, three or even four more years to gain a masters degree is killer right?! Fear not- most graduate programs in Ireland take one or two years maximum. Short and sweet!

 

Cost…

Program costs can vary depending on the course and university, average costs are between $10,000- $20,000 per year which is significantly lower than in the US (medical based graduate programs can be higher). Sidenote: you will also have the ability to earn some cash while you study, more on that next. 

 

(photo credit: unsplash)

Opportunities…

Employment

You will also have the ability to work while you study! Those on graduate programs are permitted to work 20hrs (part-time) per week during university terms and up to 40hrs (full-time) during the holidays. Graduates can also avail of an extension of up to 24 months after their program finishes. Currently, graduates with skills in STEM, Accountancy, and Law are in high demand. 

Resumè boost

Your resumè will get a big ol’ boost too. Graduate school alone looks good on your resume, but graduate school abroad looks even better. This shows employers you’ve super skills in areas such as maturity, working/learning in a diverse setting, and much more.

Language barriers

Embarking on a graduate program in Spain or Italy sounds A-MAZ-ING, until you realize that language can be a huge barrier. Let’s not beat around the bush here, settling into a new city and school can be stressful enough. As English is the spoken language in Ireland, you won’t have to worry about a language barrier…just make sure you know all about having the “craic” and a cuppa “tae”.

 

(photo credit: unsplash)

Experience…

Away from the classroom, the experience will be awesome! Live in a new city, immerse yourself into local culture, connect with people from all walks of life and take the opportunity to travel across Europe too. Weekend hop to places like London, Edinburgh, Barcelona, and Paris with cheap flights from Dublin airport.

 

Bet you still have a million thoughts and questions!

If you’re worried about financing your studies, check out this helpful how to get scholarships to study abroad blog.

There are programs that can help with the application, arriving and settling in process. The Stint Ireland Graduate Program which is in partnership with UCD, one of Europe’s top universities, offers a program packed will all the support you will need to help you get set up and settled into life in Dublin.

Stint Ireland Adventures

Alumni Catch Up With Sarah Moffit

Last week caught up with Stinter & University of Utah graduate Sarah Moffit. Whilst in Dublin, Sarah interned with vStream Digital Media as a member of their production team. Sarah gained vast experience throughout her time with vStream. Whilst her hard work and passion did not go unnoticed! vStream rewarded Sarah’s efforts by allowing her to take the lead during the production of one project. Enough from us, let’s hear Sarah’s news…

 

Tell us why you chose to do an internship in Dublin?

I wanted to go to Ireland desperately, but I wanted to do more than just visit for two weeks. I wanted to know the locals and work with them. When my school connected me with Stint, I knew it was going to be the perfect set up.

 

(Sarah enjoying dinner with fellow Stinters!)
Did you enjoy your time in Ireland?

That’s a crazy question! I loved it!! I loved living in a house full of interns talking about our different work experiences and our family and friends back home. I loved traveling with these same strangers turned family. I loved our nights out on the town and our nights in with a glass of wine and a good movie. I loved working at my office and with my coworkers. I learned so much in those three months, about myself and what I want to do. I got the chance to be on set with a project I worked on all summer and play a necessary role as well! I saw each coast of Ireland and a few places in between 😉 I made lifelong friends and built quality relationships with my coworkers. I loved my time in Ireland.

 

I loved living in a house full of interns talking about our different work experiences and our family and friends back home. I loved traveling with these same strangers turned family.

What are you doing now?

I am actually continuing what I started in Dublin! I work for a post-production studio in LA and have recently been offered a role as a post-production assistant working hands-on with projects! It’s similar to what I did in Ireland and I’ll add that my experience during my Stint played a huge role in getting my foot in the door. I keep in touch with my coworkers, my supervisor, fellow Stinters, and my favorite admin at the Stint HQ 😉

(Sarah made the most of her time in Dublin)
Did your internship help you reach the job you’re at now?

100% You don’t get interviews unless you have relevant experience. That’s how it goes. The woman that interviewed me asked specifically about my Ireland experience and reflected that I would be a good fit because I had experience at a post-production company. That same experience also recommended me for the role I was just asked to fill as a post-production assistant. My internship through Stint gave me the confidence to pursue this career path. I gained so much experience at Visual that I felt comfortable applying to jobs I probably wouldn’t have post-grad! When I first arrived in Dublin, I was trying it out to see if it might be something I would want to pursue. Now, a year later, I have graduated from college and am about to transition to a full-time position as a post-production assistant working toward my dreams!

 

Any advice for future interns?

Take advantage of every opportunity! Get to know the people you live with and work with, they could be lasting friends.

 

We want to say congratulations to Sarah on her new job, you are awesome! Head over to our YouTube channel to see Sarah Moffit during her internship and many other intern stories.

Anis-Blog Main Pic

Irish Adventures: A Cultural Insight

Hi, my name is Anis Raihana. I’m from Malaysia. In January 2017 I became a Stinter and started an internship within the area of chemical engineering in Dublin. This blog outlines the cultural differences between my home country and Ireland. Whilst I also talk about how unique Ireland truly is. I hope you enjoy!

Moving to Ireland for an 11-week internship experience with lots of adventures around the island was the best decision I have ever made, despite feeling heavy hearted to leave my loved ones behind. I had tons of fun and gained heaps of knowledge. I knew I did not regret taking such a big decision almost a year ago when I rejected a local internship offer. Of course, this involved a rollercoaster of emotions and patience but most importantly, I had the opportunity to observe and learn about a new culture.

Due to the fact that it has a long history on monastery sites during the golden age, Ireland is known as the ‘land of saints and scholars.’ The Irish culture is unique in its own way.

 (Some of the Stinters I met) 

Irish Adventures: A Cultural Insight

 

The Irish Humor!

One of the first things I realized about the difference between Malaysian and Irish culture is wittiness and humor. Malaysians typically joke around with their closed ones, unlike Irish people who can joke around with strangers without anyone feeling offended. One day, I was buying a card from Spar at the place where I worked at, the cashier played around with me by not letting me take out my bank notes from my purse. I did not realize it was a joke until I looked at him and he was giggling. My top employer too, teased me when he thought I sailed from Indonesia instead of Malaysia.

Next, Irish or Dubliners, in general, prefer to take public transport rather than driving unless they live far from the city center. On the other hand, Malaysians prefer driving our own cars with public transport being the second option, regardless where we live.

(Walking means you can explore castles!!)

Irish Adventures: A Cultural Insight

Phrases

Malaysians would say ‘okay’ or ‘alright’ after they understand a topic, or ‘Everything will be alright,’ Irish would say ‘grand’ or ‘Everything will be grand.’

Malaysians address customers as ‘sir’ or ‘madam’, Irish addresses their customers as ‘love’ or ‘darling.’

In addition, Irish people are full of praises. Even when it is a small achievement, they would say, ‘Excellent!’ ‘Brilliant work!’ ‘Perfect!’ Unlike Malaysians, we only praise one another when it is a big achievement.

Malaysians say ‘thank you’ or ‘terima kasih’ in Bahasa – a lot but not ‘sorry’ and ‘please’ which are being said for almost everything and all the time in the Emerald Isle.

Your Health is Your Wealth in Ireland

In Malaysia, we work like there is no tomorrow or in other words, ‘work comes first before health’. In Ireland, it is the other way round, ‘health comes first before work.’ Even if it means you have a very light fever, you’ll be sent home immediately.

(Howth is a lovely place to unwind- plenty of fresh air!)

Irish Adventures: A Cultural Insight

Food and Social Time

Rice is our staple food in Malaysia whereas potatoes are the staple food of Irish. Hence, why you’ll be able to buy 1 kilogram of potatoes at €1.

Malaysians love spending weekends at shopping malls ( an exceptional case for myself :D) and our shopping malls close at 10pm every day. On top of that, one can also easily spot a person with sunglasses even at the malls! Shopping streets or malls in Ireland generally close between 6pm to 7pm and even though the Sun is shining brightly, it is pretty rare to spot someone with sunglasses.

Random Fact: There are only 11 toll roads or motorways in Ireland. In Malaysia, there are 33 highways or expressways with toll points. Even so, our government is planning for more toll roads!

Unique to Ireland

You can hear Irish music almost everywhere you go including souvenir shops and on tour coaches, whereas Malaysian music is only being played at certain places or occasions like museums, temples or during weddings and local concerts.

(The amazing Cliffs of Moher)

Irish Adventures: A Cultural Insight

 

At home, we love our beautiful sandy beaches, Petronas Twin Towers, and Mount Kinabalu. While the Irish love their green scenery, sheep, and Cliffs of Moher. We have 7Eleven and Mydin all over the country while there are Subway and Spar everywhere in Ireland. Pubs are the norms and hang out spots in Ireland while Indian restaurants or what we called as ‘Mamak’ are our normal hang out spots in Malaysia.

In terms of time keeping, both Malaysians and Irish are somewhat very relaxed about it. For example, when someone arranges a meeting to commence at 8am, this normally mean 8:15am or even an hour later for Malaysians.

Ireland: A Truly Amazing Experience

All in all, my time in Ireland was craic! I wouldn’t want to trade the experience with anything else. I have definitely missed hearing people say ‘grand’ at all times, on top of striking a conversation with strangers on the streets. If I were given a chance to return to Ireland for either a holiday or even a job offer, without any doubt I’d say YES.

Anis became a Stinter in January 2017 and really embraced her time in Ireland. Anis has many talents and being awesome is just one of them! You can catch more of her writings via her personal blog. Stint Ireland would like to thank Anis for her blog contribution. We look forward to her coming back to visit us in the near future. 

Going Against the Grain: Why I Chose to Intern Abroad

by Anna Schuttenhelm

 

 

From the posters in school, to my friends’ stories, to the pictures I pinned on Pinterest, studying abroad was on my mind for a long time.

 

To me, it seemed like everyone has studied abroad. Barcelona, London, Paris… I’ve heard all the stories. But as my college years progressed, the idea of studying abroad started to fade away. With each new semester, I became more and more invested in my major, my jobs, and the clubs I was a part of.

 

While I loved all of the amazing study abroad opportunities out there, I knew that a full semester away would not be possible unless I wanted to give up many of the things I worked so hard to achieve. That did not kill my want to travel and spend time abroad though.

 

There had to be another way.

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How To Fund Your Experience Abroad: Scholarships

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 

InternationalScholarships.com 

SoftOrbits Scholarship 2019

 

Note: The term “study abroad” includes a variety of international experiences including studying, interning, and volunteering abroad.

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Hanna at the Cliffs of Moher

Discovering Me: My Intern Abroad Experience

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.

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Why Living Abroad Is Worthwhile; And Why You Should Experience It For Yourself

Republished for Week 3 of our “I Dream Of Ireland” campaign.

 

I started a bucket list a few years ago back when I was in college. It was a typical school night, a night of reloading my Facebook newsfeed and neglecting my ten-page paper (probably due the next day). Bored of mindlessly scrolling through random statuses (what was the craze back then? FML? Double rainbow? Old Spice dude?), I decided to open up a word doc and create a bucket list. One minute, I was climbing Kilimanjaro, the next minute, I was gazing in awe at the Aurora Borealis.


It was one epic list.


Skydiving was one of the items on the list, something I wanted to do before I die… that is, when I’m 80 years old, having already lived a fulfilling life. But at the age of 20? I wasn’t so sure I was ready. I had my whole life ahead of me. I wanted to fall in love. I wanted to throw a baseball with my future children. I wanted to travel to different star systems and… anyway, I just didn’t want some freak accident to happen (although, I knew there was a better chance of getting into a car crash).

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