When is the Best Time to Intern Abroad?

An internship abroad has a lot of benefits—even more than an internship back home. This life-changing experience can open many doors afterwards, both in your professional and personal life. Nowadays, it’s even easier to get an idea of what to expect from an internship, as you can find various programs and reviews online.

Ready to intern abroad? Find out the best time to go!

So maybe you already know that interning abroad is the right choice for you, but you’re stuck on when to intern abroad. Or maybe finding the right time is holding you back from being able to decide on a program. Unfortunately, knowing when to intern isn’t a clear-cut answer. In fact, the best time to intern abroad will change from person to person.

In general, you have three main options to intern abroad as a student: before college, during college, or after college. While the application procedures are quite similar for all of these, you’re at different stages of life during each one of these timeframes. So choosing the right time to do your internship will be a key factor in having the best experience possible.

Why intern abroad?

Like any major life experience, doing an internship abroad has many benefits. Each country has its own working culture, and working abroad lets you experience it firsthand.

You will get a more in-depth experience of living in that country by interning there, and it will be so much more immersive than traveling in that country for just a short period of time. You will get a feel for how “real life” is there and have many opportunities to immerse yourself in the language and the culture.

An internship abroad also means meeting people in a new context—you will not be a tourist, you will be their colleague, which means that you will grow your international network.

If you love cross cultural dialogue, there’s nothing better than an international internship.

Working with people from different countries also allows you to develop many soft skills such as flexibility, cultural sensitivity, and adaptability. All of these are critical in any workplace in the world.

Needless to say, interning abroad will also boost your resume in many ways. Besides gaining relevant work experience, you will also be able to add new languages and skills to your resume after an internship abroad.

When should you apply for internships?

If you have already decided that you want to do an internship abroad sometime in the future, congratulations! Now you have to prepare by choosing which country you want to go to, comparing internship programs in your destination, and deciding on when to intern abroad. The last step will be actually applying for your program.

Prior to applying for your internship, it’s important to know that the application process might take a while. Therefore, you need to give yourself time! To have the most stress-free experience possible, make sure that you have your documents ready (your resume and your passport, at least) and that you have checked the visa requirements.

If there are additional documents required for application, your program advisor or academic advisor will be able to help you identify and gather them.

Next, you need to check the deadlines of the internships you want to apply for. If there’s an advisor or coordinator to contact, they will know exactly when the best time to apply is. As a general rule of thumb though, you should apply for an internship at least 3-6 months before its start date.

Applying well before the deadline is often considered the best time to apply for internships, as sometimes there are other steps, such as an interview or a test.

Before, during, or after college—when is the best time to intern abroad?

Be sure to think about both WHERE and WHEN you want to intern abroad.

There are hundreds of different internship programs, so many amazing countries to visit, and a lot of different experiences waiting for you, right? Besides the right program and the right country, choosing the right timing is also important.

So, which one will be the best time to intern abroad for you—before, during, or after college?

1. Interning before college

Pros

By doing an internship before college, you get an amazing experience early on in life. This is invaluable because it can also help you decide what you want to study in college or reevaluate your decision if you’ve already chosen a major.

You would get a glimpse of how life would be doing a certain job and this will bring you closer to your dream career. If you are taking a gap year and wondering what to do during your gap year, keep in mind that an internship is one of your options.

Cons

Unfortunately, internships can be quite competitive. When applying for internships before college, it is likely that you are competing with those applying during or after college, which means you may fall short in terms of experience.

With little work experience at this stage, you might qualify for unpaid internships more frequently than paid internships. You can decide for yourself whether unpaid internships abroad are worth it, or search for funding options.

2. Interning during college

Get job ready with an internship during college.

Pros

Interning during college is the best of both worlds—you have the chance of getting college credit for your internship AND getting professional experience related to your degree. You also have a lot of options on when to start internships in college.

Most students opt for doing an internship in their junior or senior year right before graduation, but freshman and sophomore years are always on the table. It’s completely up to you when to start an internship during college.

Doing an internship before your graduation would boost your resume and help you during your job search later on. As a college student, you would be eligible for student exchange programs, so the funding might be less of an issue for you; some programs give students a monthly stipend to make working abroad possible for everyone.

Cons

When you apply for an internship for college credit, you need to make sure that your home university accepts an internship abroad for credit—the regulations might change from country to country and degree to degree.

During college, and only during college, you have the option to study abroad as a part of your degree. Choosing to do an internship abroad might mean that you have to give up studying abroad. This would of course depend on the program; you can find programs that offer a bit of both.

3. Interning after college

Pros

Nowadays, the job market is very competitive. In most cases, you need to have previous job experience even for an entry-level job. Volunteering experiences and internships count as work experience as well.

If you haven’t done an internship before or during college, don’t worry—it’s not too late. If you have a certain country in mind, the best time to apply for internships might actually be after college.

As you already have your degree, it’s more likely that you will be employed right after the internship. At this stage of life, you are also more likely to find more intellectually stimulating internships that pay as well.

Cons

Perhaps you chose to do an internship abroad after college and in the meantime, you got some job offers in your home country. This is always possible.

There are some people who want to jump into working life right after college and if you’re one of them, you may feel like your internship is holding you back. If you end up in a similar situation, think of the internship as a life experience where you have a lot to learn, not only work-wise.

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Boost your professional growth with an internship abroad!

Whenever you decide to go, don’t miss out on an internship abroad this year!

Before, during, or after college? When to intern abroad depends on what you want to get from the experience. You might experience homesickness and culture shock in all three of these options but it will all be worth it thanks to the new skills you will earn and the connections you will make.

Don’t forget—this is not only a professionally enriching experience but also a personally valuable one.

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