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Taking advantage of internship opportunities is an excellent way to get a head start in your career. Graduating from college with an internship on your resume will help you stand out from the competition, and landing an internship early on in your college career is even better.
Interning abroad provides benefits you can’t get in your home country. Connecting with new cultures and developing a global professional network while you live like a local in a city overseas is something you only get when you choose an international internship.
So, if you’re considering an internship abroad as a first-year college student, you may wonder: Can freshmen intern abroad? The short answer is YES, freshmen can intern abroad, depending on a couple of important factors.
AIFS Abroad offers many internship opportunities for first-year college students. Read on to learn how and why freshmen should intern abroad!
Why Intern Abroad as a College Freshman?
An international internship during your freshman year of college will provide you with many opportunities for personal and professional growth. Some of the benefits to interning abroad as a first-year college student include:
- Unlock career opportunities early on: An international internship as a college freshman can help you take advantage of career opportunities at the start of your undergraduate career, ensuring that you’ll be a step ahead of the competition when you graduate.
- Apply real-world experiences to your studies: An internship at the beginning of your college career provides hands-on experience that lays the foundation for your learning, giving you practical context to build on in your classes back at your home university.
- Intern or study abroad more than once: Interning abroad as an underclassman could inspire you to take advantage of other international internship or study abroad opportunities later in your college career if you choose to do so. Plus, after interning abroad once, you’ll have built your resume and will be more qualified for competitive internships after your sophomore or junior years.
- Develop a global network: Many interns are placed in offices or organizations with international colleagues from a range of cultures or countries. This will let you connect with people from all over the world so you can develop a professional network that extends to multiple continents!
- Test out various careers: Figuring out which direction to take your career is a challenge for many college students, especially freshmen. A freshman year internship abroad will allow you to try out different fields, thereby helping you discover your potential career path early on.
- Increase independence: Interning abroad will force you to challenge yourself and become more independent, both personally and professionally, helping you grow and be more self-reliant.
Intern Abroad Requirements
As we mentioned, yes, freshmen can intern abroad. AIFS Abroad provides a wide variety of internship opportunities among countless career fields and international destinations for freshmen. However, whether or not you are able to intern abroad as a freshman depends on your home university or college—particularly if you want to do a semester internship program, rather than a summer one.
If your college requires students to earn credits while they intern abroad, no worries—AIFS Abroad provides the option to take credit-bearing courses with your internship. Credits are issued through Fairfield University, our school of record in the U.S., allowing students to easily earn transferrable credits while they intern abroad.
Additionally, we offer Study + Internship programs for students who want to combine the study abroad experience with a part-time international internship.
How to Intern Abroad as a Freshman
If you want to intern abroad as a first-year college student, check with your university. Talk to your college advisor ASAP about international internship eligibility for freshmen college students. If your college allows freshmen to intern abroad, you should apply immediately to ensure you meet program deadlines.
If your college does not allow freshmen to intern abroad during the fall or spring semesters, consider a summer internship instead! A summer internship abroad will allow you to gain valuable career experience before your sophomore school year.
TLDR: The short answer to “How to intern abroad as a freshman” is talk to your college advisor and then click here!
AIFS Abroad Internship Advantages
With an AIFS Abroad international internship, you’ll get all these amazing benefits and more, including:
- Guaranteed internship placement in one of your two approved career fields after you’re accepted to the program.
- Integrated career readiness, including pre-departure, during program, and post-program training focused on professional development. We’ll provide personalized coaching to help you succeed and overcome challenges at your internship, the renowned CliftonStrengths assessment, cover letter assistance. Plus, we’ll help you use SMART goals to make strides in your career.
- Safe & central housing in a single room within a shared student residence with other AIFS Abroad participants.
- On-site support, including an on-site Program Director who will meet you as soon as you arrive and be there throughout your program to support you and answer questions.
AIFS Abroad internship program inclusions don’t end there! Learn more about our internship programs.
Develop your career and explore new cultures as a freshman with an AIFS Abroad international internship!
Improve your resume, develop your career, grow as a person, and travel the world, all before you become a sophomore—the upsides to interning abroad as a freshman in college are undeniable. Combine these benefits with AIFS Abroad’s valuable internship program inclusions, and you have a recipe for career success and personal growth that you won’t want to miss. Launch your career as an underclassman with an AIFS Abroad international internship!