AIFS Abroad: Intern Abroad in Australia

I didn't know quite what to expect when flying to the other side of the world to embark on a full time internship in a city I had never visited, however it was by far the best experience I have had so far. That may sound very cliched, however I genuinely did enjoy every moment of my Global Experiences internship. I had applied to the internship program back in December 2012 and considering I had simply typed into google 'internships in Australia' and GE was the first to come up there was some doubt in both mine and everyone's heads around me about how this would turn out. However from the outset the support I have received from the Global Experiences staff whether this was all the preparation prior to arriving in Sydney or on the ground making sure we were all doing well was next to nothing. I can't think of anything to really fault them on.

I felt well prepared arriving in Sydney in January with an internship at a legal organisation arranged for me. Although I come from a politics background I have always been interested by the legal system and even at one point considered going into law and although this internship made me realise that may not be the immediate path I want to go down I still gained a great amount of invaluable experience that I am thoroughly thankful for.

On a day-to-day basis I assisted the senior solicitors with some of their legal submissions and even had the opportunity to work closely with some of their clients. Aside from this I also did administrative work and reception cover. Although you may think that they are stereotypical intern tasks, it has given me the experience there that I can at least put down on my CV as a skill that I possess. Overall I learnt so much from my twelve weeks and also made a some great connections and friends within the company.

Of course my experience wasn't only moulded by internship but also the social aspect. I have made some great, life long friends through living with my fellow interns and as I always say you get free accommodation around the world. Having the opportunity to live alongside the other interns in the program was great and as we were all in the same boat we were able to help each other through any problems we had whether this was homesickness or simply trying to understand the Aussie lingo. Global Experiences also provided us with a number of activities that we did as a group organised by our location coordinator. These were executed well with the excursions showing us a great array of Australian culture and definitely being aimed at what our age group would be interested in. This included a paddle board lesson, a tour around the opera house, a trip to the blue mountains, the chance to meet koala's at the wildlife park and even a professional netball game. Having these activities allowed us to see around Sydney and do all the touristy type things but at the same time we weren't overrun by too many organised activities. There was definitely just the right amount so that we had our own time to just chill after a full working week or explore and hang out with friends. It was definitely a great balance.

I hope this has given you just a little bit of an insight into my amazing time in Sydney and honestly I would do it a hundred times over if I got the chance. If you are interested in doing an internship abroad I would say go for it and I would thoroughly recommend you considering to do it through GE.

I was looking into several different groups to take me overseas to an internship. Global Experiences stood out for a few different reasons.

First of all, someone was able to talk to me and give me real details about the program and what I would be doing before I even paid a cent. Other companies require you to put down a deposit before they can give you anything. In particular, Kevin Pickett was kind and understanding when it came to what I wanted to do.

After I secured an internship, Emily Oliver talked with me whenever I needed and went the extra mile when I needed help. She was always on Skype when I was and responded to emails within a few hours. I wouldn't have had any peace of mind if it wasn't for her.

All of this was even before I got to Australia. I have to say that my internship in video production has taught me more than any class at my university. Global Experiences hooked me up with an amazing company with an incredible boss where I got so much more than I thought possible. I can honestly say that I am prepared for a real job back in the states and I wouldn't be here if not for the amazing people at Global Experiences. Thank you!

I decided to use Global experiences to get real work experience while traveling to a new country. I found their pre-departure webinars helpful and was able to ask questions online and over the phone. While in Sydney I faced a lot of challenges in the internship (chiefly, the lack of organization and structure to the company and also their motives for hiring interns were obviously financially related) but the local representative, though new and inexperienced, did a fantastic job of being available and offered as much help as she could. She made me feel that my concerns were being expressed to the rest of the GE team which in turn helped me feel confident in the company. I found myself in a great learning experience and used it to work on my talents in organizing, planning, and strategic thinking to overcome negative situations.
The living situation is about what you'd expect from an international long-term hostel. And the social activities were good, when everyone could agree. But I highly recommend saving enough money to do more 'tourist' activities on your own, or with a few other interns.
Sydney is an expensive place to be and the GE program was quite expensive too, but I definitely feel that it was worth it.

Although my internship technically wasn't in Sydney, I was still able to enjoy my experience to just about the fullest extent. Working in Manly did leave about an hour and a half trip to and from work, and those three hours every day would have been great in terms of more fully engaging with Glebe, where my accommodations were, and Sydney. There was still ample time to do so, particularly on every free weekend. Taking the ferry through Sydney harbor twice a day was also nothing to complain about, and working at a small company really allowed me to engage in real and meaningful projects to my employer.

Overall I enjoyed my short time in Sydney. This was my first work experience opportunity and I did not know what to expect. The first couple of weeks of my internship were a little rocky until my manager and I sat down and talked. Once we matched goals and expectations, my worries went away and I started to look forward to working every day. By the end of my internship I realized how lucky I was to have such a great opportunity working in my field of study despite having no experience. I've learned that I'm more capable than I first thought and that I can succeed outside a classroom setting in the real world.

Living in Sydney was an incredible experience. 2 months was too short a time! There's just so much to do and the city is very easy to navigate. It's a great place for beginning travelers!

The primary thing that I loved about GE's placement for me in Sydney, was that the staff really spent a lot of time trying to find some position that fit along with my career goals. There are some interns who were a bit unhappy with their placements but that is solely because the companies themselves failed to live up to what they had promised the interns. GE worked very hard and succeeded in making this experience phenomenal.

For reference, I worked with a company called 33 Talent that revolves around the recruiting industry. I worked with PR, webpage displays, and marketing strategies...all of which I hadn't really experienced before. For the most part, the employers in Sydney are great because they give you opportunities to participate in things you haven't experienced yet, and then go for it. I loved all of this for that reason.

If you combine this with the fun extra curricular activities like a bus tour to the Blue Mountains, a day at an Australian Football League game, and the Sydney Opera House tour, it's great.

I wouldn't have been able to take this opportunity and overcome personal challenges before-hand without the support of the GE team. Once I arrived at my location abroad, I had an amazing time. My internship exposed me to many different aspects in my field. The accommodation was comfortable and modern and the staff was very responsive if something, like an appliance, needed to be fixed. I made amazing friends and I was able to experience a rich culture. Our location rep helped us to explore the city by taking us on really enjoyable day trips. I came away feeling empowered and I learned so much. I now feel in not only a much better position professionally, but also personally as I grew so much through this experience.

Great overall experience. Can't speak enough about it. Learned a great deal, met some great people and experienced a great culture.

The weekdays revolved around work. I felt like I got an idea of what big city living is about. The weekends were spent exploring Sydney and seeing what it had to offer.

Great program!