Ideas from the Web

Here's a tip to get the mind on task: check out web sites about travel and study abroad, even if the sites will not be your sources for selecting a specific internship. Transitions Abroad displays the range of possibilities. Of course, international (and all) internships must be based on the college's requirements and standards. Just use the web to get ideas.

The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at http://www.marybold.com/

Plan for Fall 2010 Internship

Who would start planning in January for a Fall semester internship?

The smart college student who knows how complex it is to get an international internship or practicum!

Application deadlines are commonly 6 to 9 months ahead. Passports and immunizations should be achieved 4 to 6 months ahead (for the safety net). And the logistics of travel and housing can easily take 2 to 4 months, especially if those logistics include applications for funding.

Don't just dream about an overseas internship next year... begin with the plan, now.

The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2010 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com

International Internships: A Starting Point

To locate international internships, look to directories of internships and expect to have to read broadly!

But here's a short cut to get started: IIEPASSPORT.ORG's list of countries with descriptions of what an internship might entail. Click on a country name and take time to scroll down to the section called Online Resources on each page. There, you will find links to "official" pages to keep researching.

Connecting with an international internship takes months! Start early!

The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2009 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com

Planning for the Exotic Internship

Exotic internships—like archaeological digs—are certainly possible for college students. As a movie this summer demonstrated, archaeology does have requirements, though! In the Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants 2, the character Bridget went to Turkey for her internship. She planned far in advance, which is typical for an internship involving international travel. Her experience was well documented as demanding patience, attention, and a humble attitude. The other internship in this movie was the character Carmen's lucky, last-minute acceptance at a theatre festival in Vermont. Last minute? Lucky? The movie accurately portrayed this college student as not applying in a timely manner. She relied on an insider to get her into the program. That's a feature of dramatic license—real college students rarely enjoy that level of coincidence and luck!

The movie's treatment of internships was entertaining and at least hinted at the pragmatic steps you must take to land an exotic assignment.

• 1 - Start early. For an international internship, a year's advance planning may be needed.
• 2 - Educate yourself on requirements. Not just application requirements, although those are important, too. But also ask yourself the hard questions about how you will fit in. Do you have the patience for the very slow work of archaeology? Are you prepared to be at the lowest rank and therefore assigned the most boring tasks? Not all digs are large in scope; are you prepared for the small job, possibly the one that doesn't even involve digging?
  
• 3 - Understand the sacrifices that will be involved. International or remote locations may mean living without cell phones, or even electricity! What creature comforts can you give up for several months?

Even if it's not a dig you are seeking, use the style of questions here to examine your suitability to the internship you dream of. Research the details so that your expectations will be realistic ones.

The content on this blog is not offered as legal advice or guidance. Consult your college, advisor, or internship supervisor for help with issues surrounding internships. © 2008 Mary Bold, PhD, CFLE. Dr. Bold is a co-author of the book Reflections: Preparing for your Practicum or Internship, geared to college interns in the child, education, and family fields. More about Dr. Bold can be learned at www.marybold.com