[taken in new york city in june of 2012]
The idea of doing an international internship has appealed to me for quite some time, with a few drawbacks.
My reservations have always centered around a few key points:
1. They just plain don't interest me. I am all for going for the experience of living abroad, but if it's not going to help my career at all I have a hard time committing myself to the application process, especially because..
2. They cost money. I get it. Especially the living and airfare and all those costs. I GET that those won't be paid for. But you aren't even paid for your work. Which is a tough spot to be in if you have to pay for accommodations and airfare and all of that. It sort of emphasizes my theory that the rich remain rich and educated because they can afford opportunities. Another rant for another day.
BUT today, I finally found it. The holy grail of international internships. It does still cost money (a whopping $15,000, in fact... mostly to make sure that you can afford your accommodations though), but my interest has finally been peaked.
The organization? CANADEM. (yes, in capitals.)
Why? To start with, it is partially funded through the Canadian government and seems to be a pretty legitimate company. I guess you can never know these things for sure, but I do have a bit more trust in a company that is legitimate enough to have a link on the Government of Canada website and have a Wikipedia page.
Also, the internships interest me! Oh my gosh do they ever interest me! They are in countries that interest me! (Peru, Indonesia, Italy, Vietnam, to name a few) They are with organizations that interest me! (IDLO, UNDP!) Their slogan "Don’t get lost in that all too familiar catch 22: "You need experience to get experience." resonates so strongly with me. Ever since I started working I've lamented that I can never work in the fields that I want because I don't have the experience and I cant get experience if nobody will hire me. And while a non-paid internship might not be the most high-quality work experience, I feel like saying you worked for the United Nations Development Programme in Indonesia, even for only 6 months, might have some weight on your resume. And if it doesn't, you only live once.
This is an experience that is worth it. I finally have a goal in mind. I have something to save up for. My only lament now is how to strategize saving $15,000 with keeping my sanity and continuing to pay off my student dept (and to continue doing so while being away).
Baby steps.
