Work abroad is the term used when a
student
A student is a person enrolled in a school or other educational institution.
In the United Kingdom and most commonwealth countries, a "student" attends a secondary school or higher (e.g., college or university); those in primary or elementar ...
teaches, interns, or volunteers in a foreign country through a programme. Students gain work experience while being immersed in a foreign work environment, though the position may be paid or unpaid. Dependent upon the programme, a student working abroad may live in a
dormitory
A dormitory (originated from the Latin word ''dormitorium'', often abbreviated to dorm) is a building primarily providing sleeping and residential quarters for large numbers of people such as boarding school, high school, college or university s ...
or
apartment
An apartment (American English), or flat (British English, Indian English, South African English), is a self-contained housing unit (a type of residential real estate) that occupies part of a building, generally on a single story. There are ma ...
with other students or with a "host family", a group of people who live in that country and agree to provide student lodging.
While work abroad programmes are often grouped with study abroad programmes, in the past decade, there has been a distinction between the two, particularly in the benefits of each.
There are also some programs for employees because international experience brings a lot of benefits and opportunities for personal and business growth. Fostering networking and collaboration among all employees as well as knowledge and experience sharing have positive impact also on employer branding.
History
The oldest programme listed in the
Institution of International Education's (IIE) education abroad guides is one for teaching abroad, Princeton-in-Asia, founded in 1898. Reciprocal work-exchange programs were founded after World War II in hopes of fostering peace, including the
Fulbright scholarship and teaching programs (1946) along with the International Association of Students in Economic and Business Management (
AIESEC
AIESEC is an international youth-run, non-governmental and not-for-profit organization that provides young people with leadership development, cross-cultural internships, and global volunteer exchange experiences. The organization focuses on em ...
) and the International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (
IAESTE
The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience commonly referred to as IAESTE (pronounced i-a-es-te or ai-es-te) is an international organization exchanging students for technical work experience abroad. Stude ...
) (both in 1948). In 1950, AIPT was created. In the 1969, the
Peace Corps
The Peace Corps is an independent agency and program of the United States government that trains and deploys volunteers to provide international development assistance. It was established in March 1961 by an executive order of President John F ...
,
BUNAC,
CDS International and the
Council on International Educational Exchange
The Council on International Educational Exchange (CIEE) is a non-profit organization promoting international education and exchange. It was founded in 1947 and is based in the United States. The organization is headquartered in Portland, Maine.
...
(CIEE) were created. There has been a steady upward trend of students going abroad. During the past few years, the number of companies offering internships abroad (particularly adapted to students) has skyrocketed. Some platforms such as Stamps Internships propose a bank of internship offers abroad, while other companies like Bright Internships focus on helping each student individually find an internship in another country.
[{{cite web , url=http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/education_abroad_2/practice_resources_12/getting_started/work_abroad_and_international , title=NAFSA - WIVA: Work Abroad and International Careers , website=www.nafsa.org , url-status=dead , archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071221165919/http://www.nafsa.org/knowledge_community_network.sec/education_abroad_1/education_abroad_2/practice_resources_12/getting_started/work_abroad_and_international , archive-date=2007-12-21 ] This trend is also visible in volunteer work and picking up internships abroad.
Work abroad versus study abroad
There are many similarities between working and studying abroad, particularly in the benefits: language immersion,
wanderlust
Wanderlust is a strong desire to wander or travel and explore the world.
Etymology
The first documented use of the term in English occurred in 1902 as a reflection of what was then seen as a characteristically German predilection for wandering ...
, and learning about the world around them. However, students in certain disciplines, such as engineering and architecture, in which practical, hands-on experience can add to the academic structure of a study abroad programme.
Statistics on working abroad are not well documented. This is most likely because students are enrolled in their own university when participating in a study exchange programme, and many universities do not host work abroad programmes.
References
External links
AIPTCDS InternationalIAESTE International siteCouncil on International Educational ExchangeAIESECPeace CorpsBUNACStamps InternshipsBright Internships
Student exchange