Study abroad: Career Benefits
If you are currently studying abroad, you will probably, at some point, have referred to how the experience will look “great on your CV”.
You might have cited the employability aspect of spending time abroad to justify it to yourself or your parents. You may even have fooled yourself into thinking that you’re only going abroad because of how many opportunities it will open up for you, or how it will make you stand out from the crowd.
Of course there’s absolutely nothing wrong with wanting to travel, experience a new culture and be a part of study abroad social life. But ultimately that will all come to an end and you’ll be left wondering how to sell those last few months (or year) to a potential employer.
Luckily for you, most of what you said was in fact correct. You might have been using the employment angle as a means to justify an end, but the truth is that studying abroad can genuinely help you get a job.
There are skills to be gained from moving country and adjusting to a new teaching system. It’s also far easier to identify the skills you are lacking when you step outside your comfort zone – and going abroad to study is a fairly serious step.
Career benefits of study abroad
- Find your career
Whether you realize it or not, your study abroad experience can help you clarify what you’re passionate about and help you gain career insight.
- Enhance Your Resume with an Internship Abroad
While saying you studied abroad is impressive, saying you had an international internship or service learning placement is even more enticing to potential employers and graduate schools.Set yourself apart from other applicants with real stories of working in a hands-on environment, improving your communication skills in a global setting, learning first-hand from international professionals, and making a difference in communities around the world.
- Learn How to Be a Global Leader
Study abroad instructs you to be more respectful of other cultures, political and economic systems, and to increase your willingness to take a stand for the world’s welfare.
- Find a Job Faster
In a survey of recently graduated student, 89% of respondents found their first job within six months of graduation, and 95% secured a job within one year after graduation, as compared to only 49% of respondents in a recent survey of the general college population who had found work within a year of finishing college.
- Make More Money in Your First Job
Along with finding a job quicker, living and learning abroad can actually help you make more money. Talk about a return on your investment!
- Build Confidence
Because you’ve studied abroad, you’ve made the decision to step outside the world as you know it and dive into a new culture, meet new people, and live like a local. In fact, taking the study abroad leap almost guarantees you’ll return home a more mature, confident, and tolerant individual – and ready to take on those job interviews.