For Ghent Uni students

Looking for a work placement abroad

Doing an internship abroad means more than gaining work experience. You get a taste of other working cultures, you hone your intercultural skills, you develop your foreign language skills. A boost for your CV. Taking up this challenge on both a personal and professional level demonstrates courage, flexibility, and perseverance, qualities that employers highly value.

Looking for a suitable internship yourself turns out to be an excellent job hunting exercise. It requires some commitment and perseverance. However, good preparation increases your chances of success.

How to find a suitable internship abroad? The search for an internship abroad can take various paths. The following tips will help you on your way!

In which country do you want to carry out a work placement?

Some factors may influence the choice:

  • Your language skills:
    A specific language proficiency is often necessary for smooth functioning in the workplace. Solid language preparation is crucial when working in a foreign-language environment during an internship. Additionally, knowing the local language enhances local integration.
  • Your budget: some countries or cities turn out to be much more expensive than others. Scholarships for internships cover rarely all your expenses. In some countries, for longer internships, it is compulsory or customary to provide financial support and/or an expense allowance to the intern. In other countries, this is not allowed. Regulations may vary from country to country.
  • Scholarships for internships (during your studies or after your studies) in some scholarship programmes, financial support is limited to internships in certain countries.

Health and safety: before committing to your destination, check the UGent travel policy and government travel advice.

  • Visa administration: in some countries, it is not possible to obtain a visa as a young graduate intern if you are neither a student nor an employee.
  • Added value: consider beforehand which kind of added value you expect from an internship in a particular country or region? Think about specific expertise and added value in terms of your further career goals.

Search channels

Finding an internship abroad mainly means taking the initiative yourself. You can already tap into the following channels:

Your study programme

Faculty work placement supervisors are regularly offered (foreign) internship opportunities. Sometimes the internship proposals do not fit into the timeline and specific internship objectives of the programme, but the offer may be perfectly suitable for young graduates.

Your own informal network

Your own circle is an excellent stepping stone in your search. Ask around among family, friends and acquaintances and also spread the word via informal social media that you are looking for an internship abroad. This may get the ball rolling for you towards a suitable internship.

Alumni

You can get in touch with graduates at home and abroad via Infinitum, UGent's alumni platform. Who knows, they might have a tip for you!

Linked In

Make it widely known that you are looking for an internship. Carefully select keywords in terms of the industry you want to explore and/or jobs you are attracted to.

Company websites

Browse company websites to find out about their job and internship opportunities. With international companies you can ask about internships in foreign offices.

Online internship platforms

There are many online platforms where companies can post their internship opportunities. Some of them are designed to attract a broad international audience of students or young graduates, while others focus on specific regions, countries or sectors.
Altering your search terms can yield different results. For example, try variations such as internship, traineeship, work placement,… etc. or try search terms in the local language.
Keep a list and consult the portals regularly because interesting offers are quickly snatched up.

Some exemples

Erasmus Intern

AIESEC for economic profiles

IAESTE for technical profiles

workspaceeurope.sk internships in Slovakia, in English (incl. accommodation)

praktika.de internships in Germany

espauk.com internships in the UK

iagora.com

EURES also containing information on living and working abroad.

Open applications

Applying through open application means you're taking the initiative instead of responding to a specific internship or job posting. It’s a great approach if you’re keen on a particular organization or company. Reach out with a concise message highlighting your specific motivation, learning goals, availability, and how you can contribute to the internship (think win-win!). Include your CV in the initial contact and be open to their suggestions and new challenges. Inquire about joining teams as there’s much to learn from them.
For larger companies, direct your request tot the HR department. Don’t hesitate to call to identify the appropriate contact person to avoid too generic email addresses. Smaller companies may require more persuasion to take you on as a trainee, but no less effort to take a chance.

Which foreign work placement may not be eligible?

For an internship abroad in the framework of credit acquisition, the internship proposal must meet the conditions imposed by your study programme. You submit your choice to your programme's work place supervisor or the work place coordinator before committing to the host organisation.

Scholarship programmes for internships may impose certain restrictions. Check carefully in advance the scholarship conditions and whether or not certain work placements are excluded from the scholarship programme.

Host organisations that prove challenging to reach agreements with (e.g. on monitoring and guidance) or are rather reluctant to sign a tripartite internship agreement and the risk analysis form, should be avoided.

How long does a search for a work placement abroad take ?

The duration of the search and your chances of success depend on how much time and effort you put into your search. On average, it will take a few weeks to three months to find a good match. Feel free to bet on several horses at once. Don’t feel discouraged if the desired host company or institution does not respond; sending a friendly reminder or calling is certainly useful. Perseverance pays off!

Internship intermediaries

Numerous intermediary organisations operate on the international market. They offer work placements, with or without further supporting services. Some are supported by the government to help young people get work experience opportunities. However, be cautious of commercial ones charging high fees, sometimes without quality guarantee. It is preferable if the cost of the service is recovered from host companies, not from the trainees. Always remain critical and ensure clear agreements.

There are internship organisations that focus on recruiting trainees to do internships in the Global South. Some manage to attract attention with subtle (emo) marketing. The added value of the internship for the local population or environment is sometimes vague or not in line with UCOS' vision.

Appealing to intermediary organisations, is not a necessary intermediate step for finding an internship abroad.

Before you leave

Before you leave for abroad, there are many things to arrange, such as (travel administration, (health) insurance, accommodation, etc. Be sure not to overlook the intercultural preparation for an optimal start!