Internships provide alternative for travel

By Coria Bowen

Studying abroad doesn’t have to mean just taking courses in another country.

Students can also work abroad as a part of internships that are specific to their career goals through various study abroad programs.

Two types of internship structures are offered for fall, spring and summer semesters. One is a full-time internship structure and the other is a combination of study and a part-time internship, which consists of three days of work.

Anthony Ogden, the director of UK Education Abroad, said there are more than 60 programs that offer an internship component.

“Students know that having internships are important to landing a job,” Ogden said.

Students are able to customize their search online through the program they have selected and look for internship programs as specific as athletics, for example. Ogden said internships are available in places like London, Singapore and Madrid.

With programs that include classes and an internship, the courses are in the same subject matter of the internship, and students can receive at most 6 credit hours in most programs.

“The first step is to find a program of interest, then meet with me to talk about how you can receive academic credit,” Cindy Edwards, the coordinator for the UK Career Center experiential education program, said.

Students can also narrow down their choices so that they can study and work in a country where they speak the dominant language.

Thomas Teague, an Education Abroad adviser, said having an internship abroad sets students apart when it comes to what employers want to see.

“They want to know that you have skills to interact with people who are not like you,” Teague said.

With the plethora of opportunities for students to study and intern abroad, students can search to find a program that will put them on the right path at abroad.ad.uky.edu.