internships international - faubai · century nodes of europe and north america. it is important...

International internshipsHow a Partner Organization Can Help

John Monahan

COO, The Intern Group

How a partner organization, which specializes in international internship programs, can

help a university and its students to maximize the benefit of the internship abroad

First, what is an international internship program, and how does it relate to a university

education

Next, how does this relate to the theme of the conference, “Sustainable partnerships

through equitable internationalization”

Then, how it relates to some of the emphasized topics of this conference, with some

examples from my organization and from published research

Finally, how do all of these elements come together for the benefit of the university and the

student

An internship-abroad program complements a university education

The university experience

Cultural

immersion

Internship

role

Professional

development

What do we mean by “international internship program”? My organization believes that a

program should be based on 3 pillars to support & complement a university education:

Cultural immersion: A safe, convenient place to live and use as a base for experiencing a

foreign city, and a program of scheduled activities which highlight the best of the local

culture

Professional development: Evaluations and exercises oriented towards transferable skills

for the workplace, such as CV writing, public speaking, office etiquette

Finally, the internship role itself: A meaningful role in a business, non-profit org, or

government department in the student’s area of study or interest

How an internship-abroad program aligns with “Sustainable partnerships through equitable internationalization”

Student

Employer

Now let’s relate this to the theme of the conference. First of all, how do we make an

internship sustainable?

First, let’s think of what we DON’T want an internship to be. In some cases, the student

and the employer have a casual, arm’s-length relationship for some period of time – say, 6

months.

The 6 months fly by, the student & the employer drift apart, and the experience does not

have a serious lasting impact.

How an internship-abroad program aligns with “Sustainablepartnerships through equitable internationalization”

Student

Employer

University

Student-

focused

internship

organization

To make an internship sustainable, first let’s bring the student and the employer closer

together.

In a typical international internship, the student has a closer relationship to the employer

because their co-workers are the people whom they meet first and spend the most time

with in the foreign country.

Next, let’s include a role for the university, to oversee and guide the internship, and monitor

the relationship with the employer.

Finally, let’s include a specialist organization, which is focused on the student, supporting

all of their needs, helping them solve the typical problems of traveling and living abroad.

In the end, the student is at the center of a sustainable structure of employer, university,

and internship organization who all work together and contribute towards the goal of

maximizing the benefit to the student, over the long term.

Now let’s talk about how to make an internship equitable.


Student

EmployerUniversity

Student-

focused

internship

organization

One criticism of internships and their importance in building a career is that students who

have family connections or a privileged background may find them more accessible.

So it is beneficial for a university and an internship organization to form a sustainable

partnership to support any deserving student into this experience.

This includes financial advice & aid; guidance on visas for people who may not have

traveled or studied abroad before; providing the educational background to succeed in the

internship role; and a program of organized social & cultural activities where students of all

backgrounds can mix.

Finally, let’s talk about the last element in the conference theme: internationalization

• Internship placement support

• Personal support


Student

Student-

focused

internship

organization

• Visa support

• Housing support

An international dimension is fundamental both to a well-rounded university education and

to the internship abroad experience. A specialist organization can help the student achieve

this in several important ways:

Visa support – Many of my org’s participants, and especially Brazilian students, have

identified complex & costly visa processes as a major obstacle to interning or studying

abroad. A specialist organization helps to break down this barrier.

Internship placement support – As we have mentioned, not every student can rely on

personal or family connections for finding an internship role. The network of relationships

brought by the organization is key.

Housing support – It is difficult to arrange housing in an unfamiliar foreign city, can be

expensive, may even be legal/financial barriers when trying to sign a contract, pay, etc. An

internship org. should have a network of low-cost but high-quality housing options in a safe

& convenient area.

Most importantly, personal support: An internship org. should have someone to meet each

student arriving at the airport; orient them to the city; introduce them to public

transportation; organize social events; and also be ready at any hour of any day to help

solve problems: Someone needs to go to a doctor or pharmacy, is locked out of their

apartment, any other small or large problem.

Related topics

Foreign languages

International Projects

Networks

South-South

cooperation

Now let’s quickly look at international internship programs in relation to 4 of the topics that

were identified as areas of interest for this conference.

• Natalia Antiqueira - Fundação Armando Alvares Penteado (SP)

• VideoPlugger – Leading independent news video agency

• BBC, Sky, RAI, Deutsche Welle, TVE, Antena 3, Fuji TV

• Renata Castro - Senac (SP)

• Oliver’s Travels – International real estate

• Properties in Europe and Caribbean; clients worldwide

• Caroline Tesser – Universidade Positivo (PR)

• Tep Wireless – Global mobile communications

• Services in 30 countries

International Projects

Projects can be small, individualized programs developed

between a student and an employer/mentor

First, international projects. When participants in this conference use this term, they

usually mean a large ongoing program between universities and other institutions. But we

can also look at this on a small scale, as a specific project that an intern may be involved in

as an individual.

Let me give you brief examples of international projects involving 3 Brazilian interns who

have worked with my organization:

Natalia was exposed to these international networks and relationships

Renata was exposed to the management of properties located in Europe and the

Caribbean, and to clients worldwide

Caroline was involved in providing devices and services for international communications

across 30 countries

We can also note that in all of these cases, the interns were in London and had excellent

opportunities to enhance their English, which brings us to our next topic –

Foreign languages

“English is now the global language of business. More and more multinational

companies are mandating English as the common corporate language.”

- Harvard Business Review, “Global Business Speaks English”, by Tsedal Neeley, May 2012

Examples and cases:

• Airbus

• Samsung

• Renault

• Rakuten

• Merloni

Everyone knows that English is important (it is even the language of this conference.)

Some of you may know the research of Dr Tsedal Neeley at Harvard Business School. She

studies the adoption of English as the “official language” of companies and MBA programs

located outside of the English-speaking world, and also consults and helps to implement

such English-language policies.

She points to Airbus, Samsung, and Renault as examples of well-known global firms which

have an English-only policy internally. But she has also studied smaller firms which used

an English policy to accelerate their growth.

For example, Rakuten is a Japanese online-services firm which has grown by acquisition

and joint venture; and uses an English policy to help consolidate its network of subsidiaries

(including a JV here in Brazil)

Merloni is an Italian manufacturer of appliances which achieved a large growth in sales

after adopting an English policy, sales not only to the UK but to some unexpected countries

such as Russia.

The key is, students in many fields will be at a disadvantage in their future careers if they

do not learn English. An internship in an English-speaking country is a superior way for a

student who has studied English in the classroom, to enhance their skill in a practical

setting.

Another area I want to briefly visit is south-south cooperation –

South-South cooperation

Colombia

Africa

Australia

As the world becomes more globalized and multi-polar, it is important for all countries to

form new connections directly among themselves, rather than through the traditional 20th-

century nodes of Europe and North America.

It is important for an internship organization to offer these opportunities for students to

participate in so-called south-south cooperation.

For example, my organization has an office in Colombia, Brazil’s neighbor with a dynamic

and fast-growing economy.

We also have a presence in Australia, which may not be considered a traditional

participant in south-south cooperation, but which shares some important industries with

Brazil (for example iron & steel) and some diplomatic/political goals (related to trade or

the realities of a multipolar world), and is also a fine place to learn English as we

discussed.

Finally, I am hapy to announce that we will launch an Africa program in 2016, in Ghana or

South Africa, offering further southern-hemisphere opportunities for Brazilian students.

Networks

Students leverage their internship roles, their immersion in the local

culture, and the environment of professional development to build

networks which benefit themselves and their universities

Thaís Nascimento – Senac (PE)

• Underlines Magazine

• 5-month internship placement, January 2013

• Extended through end of 2013

• Hired as Online Editor, January 2014

Finally, let’s talk about networks. In an international internship, students leverage their

role, their immersion in the local culture, and the environment of professional development

to build networks which will benefit themselves and their universities.

As an example, let me tell you about another one of our Brazilian participants, Thais

Nascimento.

We placed her in a 5-month internship at Underlines magazine, which is a trade magazine

in the clothing industry.

She built her personal network within the company and was invited to extend her

internship, and then to join the firm as a regular employee.

As an editor, she has built a network of contacts throughout her segment of the fashion

industry, and she communicates frequently with textile and journalism professionals from

around the world.

This is a great way to come to my conclusion, where I want to summarize the ways in which

all of these threads we have discussed, combine to benefit the sudent and their university.

How these elements combine to benefit the university

University

Internship

organizationCareer

• Credit and prestige

• Alumni influence

• University rankings

An internship abroad is an outstanding complement to university degree and

differentiation from other job-seekers.

This is constantly reaffirmed in all our conversations with alumni, recruiters, employers –

an international internship on the CV makes a candidate stand out.

When a university launches a student into an international internship, with the help of an

organization dedicated to this process, it benefits the student’s future career.

When the student succeeds in their career, this in turn benefots the university, in several

ways.

It reflects credit and prestige back onto the university.

The university’s alumni are more influential as they fan outward and upward through their

chosen career paths.

It helps to improve the university’s position in various rankings:

In the university rankings published by Folha of São Paulo, 18% of the total ranking is

based on the university’s reputation among employers in the labor market.

(Also, both Folha (4%) and THE (7.5%) rankings include “international outlook” in the

ranking calculation)

And in some ranking systems used in the US, the methodology considers not only the

university’s reputation among employers, but the percentage of graduates in employment,

and even their salaries.

Obrigado

Thank you · Merci · Gracias

TheInternGroup.com

internships international - faubai · century nodes of europe and north america. it is important...

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