Doing an internship abroad can have a big impact on what you decide to do in the future. Are you going to apply for a job, start with another study or do a gap year? It can inspire and help you find what you really want. But why should you apply?
Nowadays nearly each University offers students the opportunity to do an internship abroad as part of their respective study. No wonder that, every year, more and more students take this opportunity.
Crossing borders, professional and personal boundaries
There are many reasons why you should consider doing an internship across your country’s borders. Starting with your personal growth, going abroad is a great chance to get out of your safe space and to learn something new. Your cultural awareness will expand, because you’ll get to see the country, not as a tourist but as a local. VIN offers host family placements, which is an absolute key factor to integration. By eating together, exchanging some Nepali words and sleeping under one rooftop, you’ll come into contact with the daily life of Nepal, which now is also yours. By living in a host family and coming into contact with the local community every day, you become more conscious about interacting with others.
As well, you will get a real-life experience of a country that is yet unknown to you. You’ll learn to embrace diversity, and you will adapt very quickly by living and working in this new environment. The collaboration with the local volunteers and interns is also important. They are very motivated to learn you everything about their culture, and you’ll get challenged to not only work alone but also in group.
By really getting into the field and into contact with your workspace, you’ll get a great boost in confidence. The daily challenges will encourage you to be independent and creative. You might face challenges you would never face at home, and it’s your responsibility to find a solution.
Your language skills will improve as well. English is the key language to communicate with the volunteers, interns and others. You’ll be also challenged with a new language, Nepali. You might experience a language barrier, but this will disappear after time. Immersing yourself in a country with a different mother tongue as yours, is the fastest way to learn a new language.
Besides it’s also known that interning abroad increases your job opportunities. Employers value international experience, and to be fair, it is a nice bonus for your resume. By doing an internship abroad you can differentiate yourself from others, it might even get you that job you have always wanted. That is why interning is an amazing way to collect the skills and (international) network you need. VIN allows you to share your acquired abilities, with a lot of freedom. This way you can learn from them, and they learn from you. All together you get a chance to develop yourself both personally and professionally. You get to explore what you appreciate and what rather change about your future sector.
The relationship is very open and equal within all members of VIN. This creates a positive and relaxed atmosphere and makes you eager to learn even more. Everything they do is done with love and respect, they welcome you as if you were their own. It shows you things can be done differently, and it’s something you can implement into your future workplace and daily life.But above all, it is fun, rewarding and it broadens your horizon. You might never know which doors will be opened for you.
Ten Programs
VIN offers a broad variety of projects designed to achieve the Holistic community development approach. There are ten different program categories for volunteering and internship where you can choose from: Teaching Program, Children Development, Women Empowerment, Public Health, Environment and Conservation, Youth Empowerment, Public Interest, Management and Administration, Journalism, Adventure and Volunteer.As you can see, there is something for everyone!
Because VIN is very motivated and full of ideas, there is always something to work on. In order to maximize the impact of interns and volunteers, the programs are run in selected marginalized communities in Nepal. With VIN’s integrated approach it will allow you to exchange your culture freely. Everyone gets the opportunity to immerse into Nepali culture and to make friends. VIN does it’s work with heart and soul, and this encourages you to do the same.
Interning as a volunteer
Interning as a volunteerThe best feeling of doing an internship with a volunteer organization is that besides doing actual work, you are part of a change. It’s a collaboration between the organization and yourself, both can profit from this experience which makes it worthwhile. By doing an internship with VIN, you can have an impact yourself.The cultural experience is very enriching and it’s a once-in-lifetime opportunity for personal development.
So, if you are thinking about an internship abroad, don’t hesitate and do it with VIN!
By Helenka Cupak
Member of