Career Corner
International Internships Make Textbooks Come Alive
A recent study by the American Council on Education (ACE) revealed that more incoming freshmen are expressing an interest in international internships than ever before — and for good reason.
Employers increasingly recruit only from candidates who have worked as interns. What’s more, another survey by ACE found that almost nine out of ten companies reported a need for employees with a greater international knowledge in the decade ahead.
Take it from Craig Petray, who graduated from the UW in 1983 and is now the CEO of the NutraSweet Company. He considers embarking on an international internship a “very positive” move. Not only does it suggest that a potential employee speaks a second language, he says “it [also] gives one exposure to a different culture and business setting. Many businesses nowadays are global, and finding people who can help you facilitate international growth is important.”
Equally valuable, international internships are the ultimate in “learning by doing,” says Maj Fischer, managing director of UW–Madison’s International Internships Program (IIP). Because they make students’ “textbooks come alive,” she says, internships are the best way to apply classroom knowledge to a real-world setting, while developing skills such as teamwork, self-motivation, and problem-solving.
“Internships also allow students a ‘trial run’ in the field they are studying, so they know whether or not it is the right career path for them,” Fischer also says.
And since all international internships through IIP are credit bearing, an internship in another country is “a bonus,” combining elements of professional training with the benefits of studying abroad. That’s why coursework accompanies academic internships.
“At Madison, credit is not given for the internship itself, but for reflection and critique on the internship and self-analysis of what [a student] gained,” Fischer says.
Sure, all internships can pose some challenges to make them “do-able,” especially when they are un(der)paid and might even delay graduation. But IIP, which is partially funded by the Madison Initiative for Undergraduates, provides a variety of options to make them work, including individual advising and help with scholarships.
Fischer sees an international internship as a savvy investment in one’s future. In an increasingly global marketplace, “Students need to ask themselves, ‘Can I afford not to do it?’ ”
— Masarah Van Eyck