THE BEST OF EDU-MA-CATION
52
thebestofedumacation
The work-abroad allure
An internship abroad can give you the experience to excel in your field and the bona fides to make your career. By: Mark Kay After graduation, during winter break, or in the summers between terms, Canadian students scatter across the Earth. But these aren’t students seeking the latest vacation opportunities, they are career-minded job seekers travelling to work at an internship abroad. They seek the benefits such work will bring them, the unique experiences available nowhere else, the new skills, the unexpected lessons, and the stand-out entries on their résumé.
Survivor student: season one Naomi (name altered on request) is one of those job seekers. A former medical student at McMaster University, she traveled to rural northern India with a group of physicians. As part of the work done by the Himalayan Health Exchange, she traveled between villages and refugee camps, providing medical care to people in remote regions. During that time, she slept in a sleeping bag on the bare earth, drank water that had to be boiled, and “Really missed having a bathroom.” But she wouldn’t have had it any other way. “I enjoy the idea of providing volunteer medical care for people at risk, anywhere.” For her, the work illuminated the path before her as a doctor. “There was a 17-year-old boy suffering the effects of meningitis and tuberculosis,” says Naomi. “He required more care than our medical team could provide. He was sent to the closest medical center seven hours away. The other doctors later said that cases such as his had deterred them from pediatrics. I realized then that cases such as his, doing whatever I can for people like him, are the very reason I’m compelled to do pediatrics.”
A global résumé and the big draw There are reasons besides spiritual and professional revelation to seek work experiences like these. Tasleem Hudani, the Get Experience coordinator at the University of Toronto career centre notes some very practical benefits. “Any kind of international experience is very attractive on a résumé. It stands out in showing an employer the flexibility to adapt to new environments.” Hudani adds that internships like these show an employer a student already has experience living abroad, which is a benefit for someone looking to work abroad later.
JOBPOSTINGS.CA | 2012
Hudani explains the other big draw of these internships is (contrary to expectations) their ease on a student’s schedule compared to opportunities at home. “Because they’re often short term, you can take part in one over the summer, or use it as a co-op during the year.” Hudani praises how often out-of-country internships work with a student’s schedule. “They’re often targeted to students over working professionals, and made more accessible.”
Naomi found and decided upon her work-abroad experience through talking with fellow students in person and through forums.
Preparation The biggest hurdles for students wanting to reap the benefits of an internship in the wider world are finding one in the first place, the preparations to get there, and being ready for problems that might arise on the trip. Naomi found her internship through the McMaster student elective database. “I was told about it during some voluntary career sessions I attended,” says Naomi. “They were advertised over the student forums, where the electives were discussed.” She spent a fair bit of time searching the database for options that interested her, and backed that up by getting commentary from fellow students through her school forums. “It was a lot of paperwork,” says Naomi. To join the Himalayan Health Exchange, she moved between local travel health clinics, wilderness outfitting stores, and the Indian consulate to get her visa. “Finances were the biggest barrier,” says Naomi, who paid the three thousand dollars in total expenses out of her bursary money.
“Finances were the biggest barrier,” says Naomi, who paid the three thousand dollars in total expenses out of her bursary money.
OSAP MONEY CAN COVER SUMMER EDUCATIONAL EXPERIENCES WHILE YOU’RE STILL ENROLED IN SCHOOL. SOME UNIVERSITIES ALSO HAVE TRAVEL FUNDS FOR MORE AID.
Funding these trips can be an issue, but creative students can find a way. Ontario Student Assistance Program money can cover summer educational experiences while a student is still enrolled, and many universities have travel funds that provide support. Hudani stresses that kind of contact with a student’s college or university as a key element of preparation. Career center counsellors and coordinators are there to help. It’s worth taking that care for students like Naomi. “It was a fantastic way to connect with the world around me, to put myself outside my comfort zone, and grow as a person.”
NAOMI DECIDED TO JOIN THE HIMALAYAN HEALTH EXCHANGE WHERE SHE travelled to remote regions to PROVIDe MEDICAL AID TO THOSE IN NEED.