International Internship
Your benefits at a glance:
- Competitive career advantage
- International work experience
- Life-enhancing cross-cultural understanding
- Academic credit
- Travel grants and scholarships
- Opportunity for travel
- New friendships
An international internship is a great opportunity to apply classroom principles to real work in a foreign country. You will receive great benefits in terms of your career and gain a life-enhancing cultural experience. A stay abroad serves as a good preparation to interact professionally and personally in the global community and adds a competitive advantage to your resume.
Internships are available in all fields of study. The Career Management Center will provide approved internship positions, but you may also come up with your own proposal or contact with a foreign company or institution. There are a wide variety of internships worldwide. Some placements may require foreign language skills but many opportunities are offered in English.
Upon approval by faculty you usually receive three credit hours per semester for an internship in your field of study. Thus during your stay abroad you can maintain your student status.
Funding your international experience:
- Virginia Tidewater Regional International Project Suggestions
- Financial Resources for Study Abroad
- Fellowships for International Study/Research
- Foreign Student Funding from NAFSA
- Phi Kappa Phi offers $1,000 scholarships for interning or studying abroad. Open to all undergraduate students!
- A World Connected Essay Contest is available to full-time undergraduate and graduate students who are 25 years of age or younger as of June 1, 2004. You must read the two linked articles on the sponsor's site and submit an essay between 600 and 2500 words making an argument that rejects or defends the claims the authors make about outsourcing
- Environmental Essay Contest is available to undergraduate or graduate students during the 2003-2004 school year. You must submit an essay between 600-2500 words responding to one of the two articles on the sponsor's site
- TextbookX 2004 Spring Scholarship is available to undergraduate and graduate students enrolled in good standing at an accredited college or university in the U.S. You must be a legal resident of the U.S. or an international student with a valid visa to be eligible. To apply for this scholarship, you must write a 250 to 750 word essay on the following topic: What is a nation? In responding to this question, you must make reference to one book that has had a significant influence on your thoughts
- AIFS scholarships annually offer up to 100 semester scholarships of $1,000 each as well as up to 50 summer scholarships of $750 each for use on AIFS programs. Candidates must be college undergraduates with a minimum 3.0 cumulative GPA. To be considered, a candidate must submit a completed scholarship application along with the AIFS program application by April 15 for academic year, fall semester or quarter, October 15 for spring semester and March 15 for summer. In addition, two Minority Scholarships for full tuition, room, board and transportation are awarded, one per semester (not available for summer study). Three $2,000 runner-up Minority Scholarships are also awarded each semester. Applications will be accepted from African-Americans, Asian-Americans, Hispanics, Native Americans and Pacific Islanders.
Remember that many programs offer their own scholarships, so don't forget to check the individual web sites!
Students can also attend an ICAP Funding Seminar which follows all ICAP Orientation Seminars.
TESOL certification programs:
MA in Applied Linguistics at Old Dominion University, see the web site or contact Dr. Janet Bing for information
Bridge-Linguatec offers the International TEFL Certificate and the CELTA at locations in the US, Argentina, Brazil, and Chile, and provides employment opportunities
Certificate in English Language Teaching to Adults (CELTA) online course offered by the International Language Institute
Council on International Educational Exchange offers work opportunities in Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, Germany, and New Zealand as well as volunteer placements around the world.
Cross-cultural Solutions offers volunteer work programs/internships in the fields of health care, education, and community development in Brazil, China, Costa Rica, India, Peru, Russia, Tanzania, and Thailand.
I-to-I offers volunteer and internship placements in Australia, Bolivia,China, Costa Rica, Ecuador, Ghana, Honduras, India, Ireland, Korea, Mongolia, Nepal, South Africa, Sri Lanka, and Thailand. Opportunities include teaching English, working on conservation, community development or building projects, and working in the media and health fields. 2 week to 3 month programs available throughout the year. Apply at least 4 months in advance- some programs fill up to a year ahead of time!
International TEFL Certificate is a 4 week course offered in Prague, Barcelona, and Madrid, and includes job placement services as well as guaranteed employment in Eastern Europe
Park English, ESL Jobs in Korea & ESL Cafe. The Ministry of Education of Korea has plans to hire over 500 native English-speaking teachers throughout the nations public schools starting this year. English is the international language for commerce & industry and as a native speaker you can become an asset to educational establishments by improving the standard of English in Korea.
The following programs offer paid TESOL positions:
The JET (Japan Exchange and Teaching Programme) offers college and university graduates paid opportunities to teach in public and private junior and senior high schools and to serve in local government organizations. Applicants must hold a Bachelor's Degree by the month of departure. Program duration is one year (beginning in July) and is renewable up to two additional years.
Council on International Educational Exchange offers paid teaching positions in China and Thailand.
The following programs offer volunteer TESOL positions:
I-to-I
Work in Scandinavia: Teach English in Finland
Global Service Corps
Global Volunteer Network
Cross-cultural Solutions
For more information about paid and unpaid internship and job openings and certification programs check out tesol.org and TeachAbroad.com.
