Information for Students

Working abroad offers opportunities for in-depth cross-cultural experience, personal development, expanding your knowledge of a foreign language, and preparing you for a future in a global society.

Is an international work experience for you?

Just like study abroad, these outside-the-classroom education abroad experiences will be both challenging and rewarding, but to an even greater degree. It's more likely that you will be working with local people rather than with a group of people from your own country.

The expectations may be less structured than in the classroom, and you cannot take a passive approach.

Personal qualities that will serve you well include the following:
· Your full, active engagement
· Willingness to listen and observe
· Willingness to put the needs of your supervisor and host organization first. How can you be helpful to them?
· Flexibility and tolerance for differences
· Independence and self-reliance
· Being able to cope with feelings of loneliness, isolation or homesickness
· Taking responsibility for your own safety, health and welfare
· Sense of humor
· Ability to be less task- and goal-oriented. You may find a generally slower pace of work and life in many world regions
· Ability to tolerate failure
· Ability to tolerate ambiguity and lack of (or different) structure in your everyday environment

While the challenges may be greater than for study overseas, so are the potential rewards.

Some of the rewards reported by those who have worked or interned overseas include:
· Gains in your feelings of competence and confidence
· Deep understanding of the host country's culture (though you may need to reflect and read on your own to conceptualize this understanding)
· Rapid acquisition of a foreign language where relevant, though you'll need to already have a basic working knowledge of the language to start with
· Insight into possible career choices

Do you want to come to New Zealand?
Are you in New Zealand wanting to go to the USA?