To get your first job you’re most likely to need experience; internships and work experience are a great way to get to know how media works in the real world.

These placements can be hard to get in the UK however, with many people having the same idea and competition for any work these days being tough. If you’ve just finished studying abroad, loved it and want to know more about opportunities to continue learning all over the world, why not consider an internship abroad?

Journalism

Going through university to achieve this goal is not always the best route to get into journalism. You’ll need to pick up the skills and experience that will help you secure your dream job; but when it comes to job sectors such as journalism these are skills often best learnt on the job. Working on an English language publication abroad during a journalism internship gives you a much greater challenge as you’ll have to adapt to the working world at the same time as learning about a new country. Or if you can speak another language why not try out your skills on a native newspaper. This will make the experience all the more valuable when it comes to adding it to your CV.

You’ll be able to bring your own interests to the placement, working on the things you want to, at the same time as getting a general overview of the whole journalism process. Try your hand at carrying out interviews, conducting research, writing articles and taking photographs to name just a few. Working on national, local or campaign outlets, you can gain journalism practice that will help you on your way to your dream career at home or abroad.  Even if you decide after your placement that journalism wasn’t for you, you’ll have had a memorable experience volunteering in another country and will have gained transferrable skills which will help with university, apprenticeship or job applications.

Conservation

Taking part in a conservation internship is the perfect way to gain field experience for a future career in the environment or development sector. Even if it isn’t your dream to conduct extensive field work, having a first-hand understanding of what’s happening in the field is going to help you stand-out from other candidates upon your return home. An internship abroad, even for those not interested in pursuing a career in conservation, is an exciting opportunity to learn more about the world we live in and discover more about overcoming the issues we face globally. Studying on internship abroad in this sense is a chance to widen your horizons, see cultures that differ from your own and meet a huge range of new people.

Internships are a great way also to develop from your role as a volunteer. Whilst still contributing to conservation research and living life as a volunteer abroad, an internship goes one-step further in learning more about the work being carried out. Interns on conservation projects not only help carry out surveys and with recording data, but they have an opportunity to find out more about how international conservation and development NGOs run, the issues they face and the challenges they overcome. Interns will be more closely involved in the running of field projects, and contribute to behind the scene activities such as social media and marketing, working on reports to be published and liaising with headquarters. An internship can act as bridge between being a volunteer and staff member, which for the intern is ultimately the best learning experience they can have.

Teaching & Community

Much like conservation or journalism internships, teaching and community internships abroad are a chance for those wanting to work in human rights or global development to gain some field experience. If it’s your dream to work in the charity or NGO sector campaigning for equality, then taking part in an internship abroad helps you to understand the complexity of development issues. It also gives you the opportunity to directly meet and help those most in need, whether that comes in the form of teaching English as a foreign language or working closely with a local community with educational and outreach projects.

The administrative side of an internship in the field that involves planning or compiling data reports, also gives volunteers the transferable skills and experience they need to get a foot in the door back home. An internship involves you acting in a professional capacity and taking on responsibility which is not only going to help improve your résumé, but more importantly give you the opportunity to make a real difference in the lives of others.

Medicine

For those who are looking to start a career in medicine, gaining experience is a necessity. A medicine or healthcare internship abroad doesn’t just have to be for future healthcare professionals however, it can be a valuable experience for anyone looking to gain transferrable skills. Medical and healthcare projects are often quite literally lifesaving, so for those contributing the rewards are greater than what can be listed on your CV.

If you’ve experienced life studying abroad and are wondering what to do next, or are looking to start your study abroad experience, considering an internship abroad could be what you’ve searching for.