3 ways to gain experience abroad in your twenties

1.     An exchange semester at a university

Most universities offer an exchange semester giving their students the chance to study at a different university for a semester. This a great opportunity to go to the country you always wanted to visit, to leave your comfort zone and to give exploring the world a shot. I, personally, chose a program in France so I could spend 4 four semesters as an exchange student in Canada during my bachelor. I knew one was not going to be enough for me. Thus, I chose to go to the University of Ottawa to see if the cold was really like people said (it is even worse that what I thought).  

Going on exchange means: 

·      Travelling and seeing the world

·      Meeting local people and international students 

·      Seeing new things, tasting new food, trying new activities 

·      Experiencing a different school system (I am 99% sure it will be easier for you) 

But one thing is sure: wherever you go you will come back with unforgettable memories! 

2.     An internship abroad 

Finding an internship abroad can actually be easier than finding one in your home country. Why? Because you can search in more than 190 countries; today we live in a multicultural and international world, so even if you are not speaking another language well, you can still add value to a company by speaking your native language. 

When I was looking for my internship, I used few websites like careerbuilder.com, jobteaser.com and welcometothejungle.com. There are great websites that propose internships in a lot of different countries. Linkedin is a great tool to apply to internships too and it is important that your profile is updated because recruiters will check your profile.

At the end, I find a 6-month internship in at Joe O’Reilly Ireland DMC, an event-tourism company in Dublin thanks to Facebook!! when they contact me, I was as surprised as you must be now. I just posted my CV on the group “Internship abroad, job abroad”, a description of what I am looking for and it worked.

 Therefore, doing an internship abroad gives you the chance to: 

·      Improving your language skills or learn a new foreign language

·      Enhancing your intercultural skills 

·      Working in a different environment 

Another thing is sure: wherever you go, you will come back more grown up and open-minded. 

3.     International volunteering

The easiest way for young people to gain international experience is to volunteer abroad in an organization. It is free, it’s easy (no working visa required) and It is practical. 

There are a lot of organization proposing student volunteering experience, from my own experience, I suggest Aiesec, an international non-profit organization which is affiliated to most Universities. It has three different programs: Global Volunteer (a cross-cultural experience to gain personal development and leave an impact on the world), Global Entrepreneur (help a startup and discover more about the entrepreneurial world) and Global Talent (a paid internship in a company to boost your professional career development). For my summer program abroad, I chose to be a Global Volunteer so I went to Taipei to teach English in an elementary-school with Aiesec Taiwan.

 You usually pay the administration fees and the plane tickets but once there, when you are volunteering, it is free food and accommodation. In my experience, it is a great chance to meet people, to explore the country and go hiking in the mountains. 

Last thing sure: wherever you go, you will experience a lot and this volunteer experience can be a great benefit to your CV. 

If you have any questions, don’t hesitate to send me a message, I would be glad to help you in your research. I also would love to hear from your own experience, I am sure with a plenty of common things.