How can I intern abroad?

Internships overseas are an excellent opportunity to test the waters in your chosen career path while experiencing life in a culture that’s vastly different from the one you’ve been confined to for your entire life.

There are many ways to go about landing dream global internships. You’ve probably figured out there are some faster ways, slower ways, cheaper ways, and more expensive ways, but no matter what—they are all forward ways. You just have to choose which one best suits your needs. So without further ado, here are six of the best ways to get an internship abroad:

1. With a provider

A program provider is a great place to start when deciding which is the right way to your internship abroad. A provider can take all of your info (expertise, preferred countries, duration, etc.) and then spit out the best matches for you.

You can trust them to ensure that the companies in their network are legit and adhere to certain standards. In some cases, they’ll also assist with negotiating your contract, pair you up with an in-country coordinator, help you find accommodation, and provide general help to ease the process of settling into a new country and workplace. The services offered vary widely so be sure to do your research and read the program reviews.

2. Through your university

You may be surprised by how much your university can help you find global internships. Many universities organize global internships through their study abroad office, or work with organizations that do.

They will likely be impressed by your ambition, and they might be able to pull some strings and help you out, or at least point you in the right direction. You never know, maybe there’s an alumnus of your university living in your host city who can arrange an internship for you, or a known company that has a history of hosting interns in the past.

3. Direct application to work with an international company

This is the DIY route to finding an internship abroad. If you embark on the DIY route, the hardest part is, well, doing it yourself. The first step is to brainstorm some companies. When you’re doing research, try to stick with looking into smaller companies, as your chances of getting an internship are much higher. There are lots of small companies who are looking for talented, motivated young interns, and often they will tend to be more generous both in terms of payment and in the attention they give you.

4. Get an internship with a multinational corporation

Multinational companies have internships available in offices worldwide and they often like to have a good mix of local and international hires to maintain an international work environment.

Whether it’s in conventional business-related fields such as marketing, retail, finance, or sales, or working for NGOs and nonprofits in areas like community development, you might find an opportunity with an organization that has international operations. The simplest way to do this is to make a list of companies you’re interested in and fill out online applications so that all of your information is in their database. When a suitable opportunity arises, recruitment managers first look at the candidates in their system.

5. Volunteer

There are many cases where global internships can really be more like volunteer work or volunteer work can be more of an internship. Either way, talk about a humbling opportunity to serve and learn at the same time. Ways to these global internships that harness your desire to help others will still help you gain those valuable skills and spiffy lines for your resume, but the primary motivator is to make the world a better place.

6. While doing another program

If you’re already living abroad as a student, teacher, expat, etc., you can find ways to intern in your international community. Talk about two birds with one stone. The best way to go about this is keep your ear to the ground. Ask your coworkers, students, friends, or anyone who might constitute a relevant contact or who will listen to your plea to be an overachiever to see if they have any leads for you. Reach out and let them know what you are looking for and ask for help. If you don’t have any useful contacts for the industry you’ve got your eye on, create some.