3 Programs to travel and work abroad

Would you like to travel and work abroad while developing your professional skills? The average worker gets between 3 to 4 weeks off a year, those days are easily consumed by vacations, some postponed appointments and generally trying to have a life outside of work, so some professionals choose to have a unique experience of longer professional development. Here we will mention 03 of the most common programs for professional development in another country, arguing how you can develop professional skills abroad by working and traveling.

1. INTERNSHIP

An internship is an opportunity to experience things at all levels (academic, professional and sociocultural), especially outside your home country. It is an internship that you can do as soon as you finish your bachelor's or master's degree, and it will also add invaluable value to your resume for having worked in a company at an international level, with high possibilities of learning a lot. During the internship, you will be under the supervision of a tutor.

Who can apply for an Internship?

Recent graduates and those in the final months of their university studies can apply. Applicants will be added to the company's payroll, in some cases with agreed payments and in other cases not; however, they will be provided with mobility and/or maintenance assistance and in some cases they may also cover assistance with rent expenses. Depending on the program you choose, there is also the option of some that can be very well paid from the start.

How long can your internship last?

The length of time you can stay is between 3 to 18 months, which varies depending on the company and the program you apply for. Generally, a company does not hire for a period of less than 6 months and you will normally have to work between 38 to 40 hours a week, which depends a lot on the laws of the country you go to. Now, if you want to get the most out of your internship, you could work full time to gain greater knowledge of the area.

What types of internships exist?

We have 2 types:

“Work experience internship” is a pre-professional internship whose objective is to apply all the knowledge acquired throughout your career at work.

“Research internship”, also called research experience, and the main objective is internal research within the company with the purpose of finding solutions and making improvements in your work environment.

2. TRAINEE

This program will allow you to do professional and pre-professional internships while at the same time doing a cultural exchange. It has a maximum duration of 18 months, where you will be able to work receiving remuneration and at the same time expand your networking.

What sets the trainee program apart from others is that you can apply at any time of the year, as long as the companies that request it have vacancies available. There are various agencies that serve as intermediaries between the employer and the candidate and offer you 2 modalities for this program:

1. Contacting an agency: They will provide you with the connection with an employing company, where you will undergo a personal interview whose service cost could be between 1000 to 3000 US dollars for the entire process.

2. Searching for a Trainee Program yourself: You will have to individually research the entire process of how to apply for this opportunity, contact the recruiting managers, schedule an interview and gather all the documentation they request.

3. VOLUNTEERING

What is volunteering?

Volunteering is often not as popular as the alternative to travelling and working abroad, but there are many very good alternatives nowadays that cover your experience abroad from start to finish. Volunteering is characterized by working or offering support in another part of the world without receiving any financial compensation; in many cases, the organization for which you volunteer can cover housing, food or other expenses and reimburse some extra expenses, but you will not be able to receive any contribution for the work you do in the form of a salary.

How many types of volunteering are there?

Among some types of volunteering, we have

· Volunteering in an NGO
· Humanitarian volunteering in case of emergency or disaster
· Civil protection volunteers (firefighters and brigades)
· Volunteering in companies from different industries.

How long does it last?

This way of traveling and working abroad can last from a few days, or more frequently between 3 to 4 months on average, but it is up to you if you wish to negotiate with the organization to reduce or extend the period depending on the project you are involved in.

BENEFITS OF TRAVELING AND WORKING ABROAD:

Many people hate the fact that they are almost forced to network at the conferences they attend. Spending your time trying to get five minutes with the most influential person in the room, only for it to never come to fruition. Exchanging business cards with hundreds of people whose faces you barely remember.
When you travel, you can't control who you're meeting or under what circumstances. This leads to unique and genuine friendships with people from worlds very different from your own. It's definitely an experience you'll never forget and can serve as a springboard to achieve other goals you may have in mind.

Sense of independence

Many times leaving our roots generates a certain fear of experiencing the unknown and it is a completely normal feeling. Traveling to another country, working or studying there definitely opens up new horizons, makes you rethink your goals and start taking risks in different areas of your life. The sense of independence that traveling abroad will give you, developing your professional side, will be a great opportunity to rediscover yourself and know what you are truly willing to do living alone. In addition to that, you will learn to organize your time better, and it will make you more responsible.

Today, in a globalized world full of opportunities anywhere in the world, traveling abroad and developing your professional side is an excellent option in several ways, as we have seen in this article. You develop your networking, since you have direct contact with your employers, whatever program you decide to take (internship, trainee and volunteering) and you improve your sense of independence, becoming a professional and a person who is much more confident in your decisions, more organized and responsible at every moment of your life. For all these reasons, do not miss the opportunity to expand your horizons, we are sure that you will not regret it.