Add real-world workplace skills to your résumé while living and working abroad. This study abroad experience is all about getting the career training you need for success. Onsite advisors help you arrange the perfect internship. You’ll meet students and mentors in weekly seminars and workshops to help you unpack the cultural differences and understand the work environment. Choose this type of program if you want the intercultural skills to build great work relationships and a list of professional contacts who can help you get the best job after graduation.
Working in a professional setting in another country is eye opening in terms of being able to explore different environments and how they function. I now have some background interacting and communicating with professionals in another country and language. I am inspired to pursue opportunities that involve working with the language learning process and I am looking forward to applying this direction to my career path.
Beyond allowing me to improve my research, writing, and editing skills, my internship improved my professional confidence immensely. While I expected to enjoy working in parliament, I did not predict how much impact this work would have on my future career goals. I was set on attending law school after graduation, and I was able to reflect and recognize that there are many other political careers I hadn't considered. After my experience, I've developed a strong interest in pursuing a career in speech writing or policy research. More than the professional development, I was reminded of the awe-inspiring power that elected representatives are given and how that power, when used correctly, can make the world a more peaceful and equitable place.
My UCEAP internship taught me the value of language immersion and has inspired me to work for an intercultural exchange organization in my future career. My French improved drastically and being in an immersive professional setting played a huge role in that improvement. My experience left me with soft skills such as active listening, adaptability, and cross-cultural communication. Through hard work and perseverance, I gained the hard skill of foreign language proficiency in French and I am more excited than ever for life after UCSB. I am confident that I can contribute in meaningful ways to my future workplace, regardless of whether it is abroad or domestic.
My internship was really inspiring and made me feel like I could change my community. I wanted it to give me a sense of what it meant to be a citizen of the world and explore the many cultures that Berlin has to offer, and it did. I knew Berlin was a diverse city from my research, but I didn’t know the extent until I arrived. Since everyone at my internship was from a different place, I was able to learn why different people move to Berlin, what they liked about it, and how the startup world has affected the dynamics of living in a city like Berlin. I learned what it's like to be in a culturally and ethnically diverse work environment. I am forever grateful for the experiences I had abroad and will take the memories I made with me for the rest of my life.