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Work Abroad

Student Work Abroad Programs

Short-Term Placement

"The bad news about working abroad is that you can’t just hop a plane to any country and start looking for a paid job. To work would be illegal without a permit, which you cannot acquire without a job offer, and—Catch 22—very few employers will offer you a job if you don’t already have a work permit. The good news is that a number of organizations can help you cut the red tape and acquire a legal work permit or place you in a job.

If you’re looking for an inexpensive way to experience total cultural immersion, or to simply earn your way through an adventure abroad, here’s a good place to start. The emphasis is on exchange, since your participation in most of these programs enables someone from abroad to have the equivalent experience in the U.S.

The two main work abroad program types are:

  1. The CIEE and BUNAC Work Abroad exchanges, which enable students to get a work permit in advance, then look for a job on site with assistance from overseas offices.
  2. Overseas job placement programs offered by a number of U.S.-based work exchange organizations."

—William Nolting, Assistant Director Education Abroad at the University of Michigan International Center


Student Internships Abroad from InterExchange

Student Internships and Work Abroad Programs from InterExchange
InterExchange places students and young adults in work and volunteer abroad programs around the world. We offer teach English jobs, internships with U.S. businesses, au pair placements, summer camp jobs, volunteer opportunities and work and travel programs. Visit our website for more information. Non-profit organization with over 40 years of experience.

Cost: Varies
Dates: Year-Round
Contact: Interexchange, Inc., 161 Sixth Avenue, New York, NY 10013, USA. Tel. 212-924-0446; fax: 212-924-0575.
Email: info@interexchange.org
Website: www.InterExchange.org

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BUNAC USA
Summer Work Abroad
Full-time university or college students and recent graduates can take advantage of BUNAC's Work Abroad programs to Australia, Canada, France, Ireland, and New Zealand for summer jobs or internships. Program fees range from $250 to $400 and include admin, visa issuance, on the spot help with jobs and accommodation and full support. Volunteer options available in South Africa, Peru or Cambodia. See website for details.

Contact: PO Box 430, Southbury, CT, 06488, USA. Tel.: (800) 462-8622 or (203) 264-0901.
Email: info@bunacusa.org
Website: www.bunac.org

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Build your Resume, Experience Life Abroad in Tokyo and Beijing with Intrax!
Intrax Internships Abroad provides exceptional university students and recent graduates with the opportunity to gain professional work experience, while living abroad. Spend your summer working at top international and local companies in the world's most vibrant economies in London, Paris, Barcelona, Madrid, Berlin, Beijing, Tokyo, and Santiago.

Past host companies include PwC, Harper’s Baazar, Microsoft, and Deutsche Telekom (T-Mobile). Interns have worked in advertising, finance, marketing, non-profit management, web development, and entrepreneurial positions. The program includes personalized career counseling and internship matching to your career goals, housing, weekend excursions, in-country support, and visa assistance.

Intrax - Internships in Tokyo and Beijing

Cost: $5650-7950 (Depending on location)
Contact: Intrax Internships Abroad, 600 California Street, 10th Floor, San Francisco, CA 94108
Tel.: 1.800.777.7766
Email: info@intraxinternshipsabroad.com
Website: www.intraxinternshipsabroad.com

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Getin2China: China Internship Program for Students 2011/2012
Founded in 2007 and located in the center of modern Beijing, China, Getin2China offers Internship and Chinese language learning opportunities and the best chance for foreign participants to work in the dynamic market right in Beijing. When you join, you work and learn in top firms, thereby positively impacting your CV or resume. Highly regarded, Getin2China has established partnerships with many businesses around China. Some 37% of our intern alums are currently working in top international corporations. Positions include: Marketing/Sales/Trade/PR/Business Admin/Communication/Media/Real Estate; Consulting/ Research/Web Development and much more—see the website. Placements are tailored to fit. Chinese not required—good English is.

Paid Internships Abroad in China

Dates: Apply on our website
Cost:
See website
Tel.: +85 10 52889011
Email: info@Getin2China.com
Website: www.getin2china.com

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* AIESEC
AIESEC is a worldwide student-run organization which generates over 6,000 paid internships each year in nearly 90 countries. The internships range from those with a business or technical focus to teaching English. You can only apply through campus chapters.

Contact: aiesec@aiesecus.org; www.aiesecus.org

* American-Scandinavian Foundation
Offers placements in Finland for teachers of English as a foreign language. Teachers work in public schools, private institutes, or private firms. Time commitment is from 2 months to an academic year. Eligibility: native English-speaking U.S. university students or graduates age 21-30 who have completed at least their junior year in college. Salary: FIM5,000-8,000 per month ($900-1,550), but see website to confirm. Housing is arranged but participants are responsible for rent. ASF also offers placements for engineering, business, and agriculture students throughout Scandinavia. ASF can also assist with work permits for those who have a job offer.

Contact: trainscan@amscan.org, www.amscan.org.

* Camp Counselors USA, Outbound Program
Offers programs in Australia and New Zealand which are similar to those of BUNAC and Council. The Australian program requires student status while the New Zealand program does not. An “educational work-travel program” in camps and orphanages all across Russia and countries of the former Soviet Union. Placement in camp with full room and board and a symbolic stipend (not enough to cover program fee). Minimum requirements include experience with children, knowledge of the appropriate foreign language desirable but not always required, and teaching/coaching experience. Fee includes roundtrip airfare from New York, visa, travel insurance, orientations (not training) in New York and Moscow, and support during the 4- or 8-week program.

Visit: www.ccusa.com

* Center for Interim Programs
The Center for INTERIM Programs was founded in 1980 to match clients’ interests with a database of thousands of non-academic but structured opportunities worldwide (from art to zoology, Australia to Zimbabwe) many of which provide room and board.

Visit: www.interimprograms.com

* IAESTE
Offers paid internships in 70+ countries for students of engineering and science. Lowest fees of any placement program.

Contact: info@iaeste.org, www.iaeste.org.

International Cooperative Education Program
In existence since 1971, this program places several hundred students each summer into paid, not-for-credit internships. This program is more structured than most and seems to take care to provide individualized placements. Some of the jobs pay well enough to allow modest savings, and others pay enough to cover living expenses. ICEP internships last 2-4 months and are offered in Switzerland, Germany, France (Bordeaux region), Belgium, Argentina, Chile, Japan, and Singapore. Type of work ranges from ordinary jobs to demanding internships in retail sales, supermarkets, hotels/restaurants, agriculture, offices, hospitals, banks, computer science, engineering and many more areas. Applicants must have studied the appropriate foreign language for at least one academic year—note that ICEP’s director interviews you in the foreign language! Relevant foreign languages include German, French, Italian, Dutch, Finnish, Chinese or Japanese. Participants must be between the ages of 18-30. Citizens of most countries are eligible. Best to apply in the fall, or no later than February. Fees: After the initial interview, there is a fee for the extensive application process. The application fee is refunded if no placement can be found, but you forfeit the fee if you turn down a placement offered to you.

Contact: info@icemenlo.com, www.icemenlo.com.

Internships Abroad with Get In2 China