Finding the perfect internship for the summer is always a stressful time. One day, my French professor told me about an opportunity of working abroad through Global Experiences. From then on, everything just fell into place. All the informational videos and chats just got me more excited about being able to work in Paris. After being accepted, Global Experiences helps you through all your questions and hesitations about going abroad. Although I have been to other countries before, I had never gone to Paris or lived in a foreign place for an extended period of time.

Being a game design major, I was initially a little skeptical about being able to find a relevant internship for my major through Global Experiences. I didn’t want to be just one of those interns who grabs coffee or does busy work that no one else wants to do. Finishing up my last days here in Paris, I am very happy with my placement. The internship might not have been specifically for game design, but because of that, I was able to learn more about different types of programming. My boss was a designer, and therefore she had an eye for aesthetics. Building a website was one of my main tasks. Being a programmer, I could build the main structure of the site, but with her help, I learned about making the website aesthetically pleasing. Towards the end of my internship, I was even able to make a little game experience. This internship gave me the opportunity to go as far as I wanted. I didn’t feel like a machine but rather a relevant team member, so much so, that my boss offered to have me come back to the company when I finished my studies.

For my homestay, I was very close to the metro. Getting around was easy and simple with my Navigo Découvert. For two months, it was me, my host mother, and one other American in the house. I had five meals a week, home cooked by my host mother, and each meal was delicious. I had some of the best food I’ve ever eaten in my life here in Paris, but my host mother’s dinners were definitely on the list too. These meals were also a good time to bond with my host mother and practice my French.

The activities set up by the program location coordinator were unique. They were a good time to be able to talk with the other interns and go to places I might not necessarily have known about. Building these friendships definitely helped me to feel more comfortable living in a foreign place. They were people you could relax and have fun with on the weekends, or just a group to be able to talk to in English once in awhile.

Coming out of this experience, Global Experiences helped me to build my résumé, strengthen my interview skills and just made me learn more about myself as a person. I also get to say that I spent my summer in one of the most beautiful cities in the world.

I am just finishing up my internship in Paris and looking back, I am extremely happy with my time abroad with Global Experiences. An opportunity like this is not easy to come by but this program made it a very real and very rewarding experience. The language program at the beginning prepared me for my work experience later on and the class was overall very helpful. My internship was awesome and I learned a lot about the world of work that I know will be useful when I return home.

The host mother that I lived with during my time ib Paris was amazing and I truly could not have asked for anyone better. She was patient with my French and made sure I was getting the best out of my time there. It helped that she was an awesome cook too!

The activities set up by our program advisor were great. I had some of my best times during them especially during our trip to Chenonceau in the Loire Valley. He chose activities that we would not normally get to do on a normal trip to Paris but that were still great experiences.

I would definitely recommend this program to anyone interested in interning abroad.

Paris was definitely a change for me coming from a small town. At first, this city intimidated me. I remember calling my mom and venting to her about all the things I found different in this city. The first month I was here I attended a language school for 3 hours a day, 5 days a week. After that, I did a 2 month internship. It was nice in the beginning to only have 3 hours of school so I could get to know the city. Once the internship began, I started to work 40 hours a week and I did not have much free time. I did, although, learn a lot in the work place, improve my French, make friends, and build my resume and knowledge further. This was truly a life changing experience and I am glad that I decided to step outside my comfort zone and apply to this program.

Global Experiences put together a great program and I really enjoyed my entire experience abroad in Paris! I was able to work abroad instead of just having done a study abroad, which really helped me gain lifelong experiences for my career as well as my life education. I had a lot of independence with my internship, which allowed me to see how I could handle an entirely new city on my own while speaking a second language. I was doing an internship alongside other Parisians doing the same internship and really felt as though I was emerged in the culture. Things like taking the métro and finding places were a little difficult the first week, but by the end of the trip I'd transformed into a true Parisian and could handle going anywhere. I met tons of really neat people and I will always remember my experience! It has led me to explore more of the world. I am very thankful for the opportunity that I was given through GE.

<p>I had a tremendous experience with my Paris internship which consisted of me working at the National Institute of Sport Expertise and Performance. While there were many highlights for me in Paris, one that stood out for me was how well my GE matched my interests and major with an opportunity in a foreign country. The internship was exactly what I was looking for and also became a huge resume builder for me.</p>
<p>I had a full time internship while I was in Paris and a very friendly host family that cooked me amazing meals three nights a week.</p>
<p>What many people should realize when they do an internship in a foreign country is that its not like a study abroad. When you study abroad you are surrounded by other students who generally speak the same language as you and you are being taught in a class by professors. This was an amazing experience because I was in the workforce and fully immersed in a foreign culture with a foreign boss. It was very exciting and while it made me a little nervous at first I soon realized that not only was GE making sure everything went smoothly for me, the people that I worked with were also very understanding and accepting.</p>