Doing an internship abroad
Why not? An internship abroad broadens your horizons and gives you a unique work experience! And that’s great, because as a recent graduate you often have a thin resume that looks much like those of your fellow students. And distinguishing yourself is always good.
The “why-not question” is also often turned around – after all, it’s expensive, you don’t know what kind of situation you’ll really end up in, and is it really educational or perhaps more like a working holiday? But is this justified?
We at EURES think it’s important to provide honest information about doing internships abroad. In this blog we explain how an international internship can actually be accessible to everyone.
Know before You Go
An internship abroad is naturally exciting – after all, you’re going somewhere you may have never been before, you don’t speak the language (well), you don’t know the culture, and how do you know if you’ll really learn something that contributes to your education?
Sometimes it’s fun not to know something and be surprised, but often it’s better to be aware of certain things to avoid disappointment. So, know before you go!
What Does an Internship Abroad Actually Cost?
An internship abroad can be more expensive than an internship in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands you can simply continue living with your parents or keep your student room, abroad you might have to arrange this yourself, then you still have travel costs, your meals – that becomes very expensive. Better to do an internship in the Netherlands after all?
What do you want? Where do you want to go? And what does that cost? Make a budget and then see how the costs can be covered.
Will you receive an internship allowance, can you perhaps continue your part-time job remotely, are there subsidy options for travel and accommodation costs?
An internship allowance is a nice bonus. Do realize that this is not always customary abroad and that an internship allowance in Spain, for example, can be lower than in Norway. Wages in Southern Europe are lower than in Northern Europe and this can affect internship allowances. That doesn’t mean an internship in Northern Europe is financially more advantageous – the cost of living there is also higher. What’s important is that you know in advance what your net internship allowance is and what costs you’ll face.
Continue my part-time job? Yes, that’s sometimes possible. Suppose you work (or will work) for a customer service – then it’s often possible to log in remotely and thus keep your part-time job.
Also make sure it’s clear whether there’s a financial contribution for room and board or whether it’s perhaps already arranged for you. This is more common in tourism than in other sectors.
Suppose you’ve found your dream internship, but the internship allowance is low and you also have to pay for room and board yourself. Better to do an internship in the Netherlands after all?
Take a look at subsidy options from Erasmus+, for example, or discuss with us whether there are subsidy possibilities through EURES. We have mobility programs that students can also apply for to (partially) cover the costs of travel and accommodation. Did you know you can get compensation if you temporarily don’t use your student public transport card?
In summary, there are more financial possibilities than you think. It’s a missed opportunity to give up in advance based on the idea that an international internship is too expensive.
In the next blog, Wessel explains exactly how he managed to do an internship in Valencia without an internship allowance.
The Language
How important is it that you speak the local language? It’s not always necessary that you must be able to speak Italian if you want to do an internship in Italy. However, it’s almost always important that you master English well.
Suppose your dream is to do an internship in Italy and you don’t speak Italian – then look at possibilities where this isn’t a barrier, and this actually applies to any country. It’s often more important that you speak the language of the company’s customers than the language of the country.
If you do an internship at a campsite in Italy where mainly German and English guests come, these are the languages you need to master. If you do an internship at a customer contact center that handles phone calls for Dutch telecom companies… then you’ll get by perfectly with Dutch. And don’t be mistaken, these types of companies are numerous in Portugal, Spain, and Bulgaria, for example. It is of course nice and polite to make an effort to learn some of the local language.
Cultural Differences
It’s good to familiarize yourself with the culture beforehand and, when you know more about it, ask yourself “does this suit me and can and do I want to adapt to this?”
You don’t have to go far from home to experience a completely different culture in the workplace. For instance, a very formal relationship between employee and supervisor is the standard in Belgium, and the manager is always addressed as sir/madam and with formal pronouns. We Dutch are often direct in the workplace and behave jovially, but this attitude is often perceived as arrogant by the French. Because in France there’s also often a strict hierarchy. In Greece this is often exactly the opposite – the work atmosphere can be very informal and they don’t watch the clock so closely. A lunch break lasts long and matters are discussed over an extra cup of coffee.
Can and do you want to adapt to the other culture? Then see this as an enrichment and part of your international experience. Because no matter how different a culture is, there’s always something to learn from it!
Your internship is, besides a work experience, naturally also the opportunity to get to know many other aspects of a country. Because let’s be honest, the learning aspect is very important but you naturally also want to see and experience the country. It really should be fun!
Do you want to know more about the background of a country in terms of working and living? EURES can help you with preparation by sharing her knowledge with you. We can think along with you about possibilities that suit your wishes, connect you with our network, and inform you about, for example, spending a gap year in another European country. Our services are always non-committal and free of charge.
What are you waiting for? Contact us via werken.ineuropa@uwv.nl