There are many benefits associated with overseas internships. This includes the fact that you will gain real-life working experience in your chosen field while you will also become more independent and enhance your cross-cultural skills and sensitivity. An international internship also gives you the platform to improve your language proficiency while you will be able to build a global network of contacts too.
Plus, business is increasingly being conducted on a global basis, so having international experience makes a lot of sense. And, who doesn’t want to see more of the world and broaden their horizons? It is an amazing opportunity, right?
Nevertheless, before you can experience all of these benefits, you need to choose the right internship. One key decision is whether to go for a paid or unpaid intern program. In this blog post, we will take a look at the various reasons why it pays to be an unpaid intern. So, continue reading to discover more.
The advantages of unpaid internships:
- Gain valuable insight that you would not be able to obtain in a classroom or lecture hall – An internship and a lecture hall are worlds apart. With an internship, you are going to benefit from the real-life working experience – something you can never get in a classroom environment. This is something that employers will look on favourably when the time comes for you to apply for a job.
- You can give back to communities that need it the most – Unpaid experience spreads a lot further than doing an internship. Why not volunteer in places that need it the most? You can find volunteer work in Bali and in other places in Asia, as well as there being great opportunities in many different countries across Africa. Not only does this give you the opportunity to broaden your experience and see more of the world but you are also going to be able to help those most in need, and this is something to be proud of. After all, we should all give back to the world and help those who are not as fortunate as us, right?
- Take advantage of exceptional networking opportunities – With an unpaid internship or an overseas volunteer program, you will be able to meet people who could progress your career in the future by putting in a good word for you. You will meet people who you would never usually meet in your normal day-to-day life.
- Discover your true potential in an environment with less pressure – Whether you are a fashion, finance or marketing intern, one of the key benefits of choosing an unpaid internship is the fact that you will have less pressure from the company in question, and so you have the perfect platform to discover your true potential. If the business was paying you for the internship, you would feel under immense pressure to perform. However, as an unpaid intern, you can really embrace the experience and take the time to hone your skills without such a weight on your shoulders.
- A wider assortment of businesses to choose from – Not all companies can afford to take on an intern, especially small companies and start-ups. Therefore, if you choose an unpaid internship, there is no limit to the type of opportunities that are available to you. An intern in start-ups often has more responsibility, as there are fewer people at the business.
- College credit and working experience – In order to graduate, you are going to need college credits. What better way to obtain these credits than while you are also gaining valuable working experience?
- You could find yourself being offered a job at the end of it – If your boss has been impressed by the work you have put in, it is likely that you could be offered a job at the end of it. After all, if you are willing to work this hard without payment, imagine what you could do once you are being paid a regular monthly salary.
So there you have it: some of the different reasons why it makes sense to consider unpaid internships and volunteer programs when you are looking to gain overseas experience. The experience you will benefit from is worth more than money when it comes to opportunities like this, and so you should not rule out options just because there is no pay at the end. If you can afford to go down the unpaid route, you should definitely consider it.
