The need to get an internship is no longer an excuse for not going abroad.
U.S. students wanting to do both can expand their horizons and be an intern, which is what several companies, including Intrax Internships Abroad in San Francisco, The Global Intern in Randolph, N.J., and CDS International in New York City, help students do, at a price.
Organizations like these place students at host companies abroad, where students work in entry-level jobs without compensation, in fields such as finance, marketing and business development. In return, students must pay several thousands of dollars to these organizations.
Students participating in these programs can intern at companies like Microsoft and PricewaterhouseCoopers in countries all over the world, including China, Israel, France and the United Kingdom.
“To compete in the global marketplace, you need international experience,” Terry Cumes, managing director of Intrax Internships Abroad said. “It’s not enough to say you studied abroad, because everyone does that now. You must put something compelling on your resume that’s going to get someone’s attention.”
He said applications for his two-year-old program have increased from 200 last year to 500 this year.
Cumes said he has seen great students, like a student government president from the University of California at Berkeley, who have not gotten jobs and have used an international internship to enhance their resumes and to help them stand out.
Intrax Internships Abroad sends representatives to colleges to promote its program and visited the University of Maryland in March.
Rachel Loock, manager of undergraduate student programming in the business school’s Office of Career Services, said internships abroad are good opportunities for students who want a career in international business.
“The primary benefit of these programs is the opportunity to live in and learn about a different culture and country and have experiences that would not be possible here in the U.S.,” she wrote in an e-mail.
But Loock warned that students should make sure they know what they are getting into with these programs.
“There are a variety of organizations that offer legitimate internships for a fee,” Loock wrote in an e-mail. “However, be sure to use due diligence in researching an organization and its programs.”
For example, students should make sure they know exactly what their specific job duties will be and should research all costs, Loock said. She said students should also check with the Better Business Bureau and research the financial health of internship abroad organizations.
Mike Lee, a junior economics and Chinese minor, said getting an internship abroad seems like a valuable experience.
“It’s a good stepping stone,” he said.
Angelica Le, a freshman international business major, said interning abroad sounds interesting, although she was deterred by the money required.
Sophomore accounting major Jennifer Yang said she would be interested in an internship abroad if she did not have to pay a fee to get one.
“I think the cost isn’t worth finding an international internship,” she said. “I feel if someone wanted to find one that much, they could find one here [for free].”
Students interested in an international internship can also take advantage of internship organizations’ scholarship opportunities.
