Most of the time, we think an internship abroad is just an opportunity to travel to another country and experience new cultures… on one hand, this is true, but it is so much more than that!!! Off the top of my head, I can mention more than 50 reasons why you should intern abroad – but I will make it a bit simpler for you: here are the TOP 5 REASONS WHY YOU SHOULD DO A HOSPITALITY INTERNSHIP ABROAD:
Get out of your comfort zone and be independent
To be honest, being in another country for a long period of time is not that easy. You will be responsible for waking up every morning and arriving on time, going grocery shopping, doing your laundry, all while adapting to a new world, and even maybe a different language…it all seems a bit overwhelming but it is the best thing that can happen to you!! It will help you to start to feel like a real grown up and you’ll get a taste of what the next few years of your life will look like.
Stand out from the crowd
As you can see in your University, there are a lot of future Hospitality professionals; therefore the competition for a top job will be fierce!!!
Interning abroad in a world-class restaurant or hotel will give you a distinction among others. Professionally speaking, companies will be interested in your profile since you have been living and developing yourself in another country and you have developed several skills such as adaptability, working under pressure, teamwork and leadership.
Your profile will be 10 times more valuable!!!
Networking
Being abroad will give you the opportunity to meet new people from all around the world, even from your own country.
You will make friends for life and gain contacts that I am sure will be useful for your future… I have a personal experience here: I did my last internship at Westin Sydney. As soon as I arrived to my home country I applied to another Westin property, and my process was so fast! Having a contact back in Sydney who provided a reference, gave me the opportunity to obtain a job as soon as I went back and in a better position!!
Also, while I was an intern in Australia, I met another Mexican intern and we literally worked together for 2 days. A couple years later, I saw a Facebook she made about a vacancy at Worldwide Internships, and the rest is history.
Test-drive your career
An internship in the Hospitality industry will give you the opportunity to experience what it is all about. That way, you can learn about the different areas and departments and what kind of skills are needed for each one. But most of all it will give you a reality check to see if this is what you want to do for the rest of your life by emerging yourself in what will be your future. It gives you a pretty clear idea if it is what you like and how to direct your professional career
Live in another country
Last but not least… you’ll become a true world citizen!!! This opportunity is a great chance to combine the best of both worlds: travel and professional growth.
Living in another country for a while (3-6 months) is the best thing that can happen to you…Experiencing new things every day, meeting new people, its gastronomy, and new places… I want to intern abroad again just thinking about it!
