International Students Seeking Internships in Washington DC
Saturday January 3, 2009
This is in response to a question received from Andrey Gidaspov, Business Consultant and Entrepreneur (Telecom and IT sectors in Eurasia); China Studies & Business Development (US Asia) posted on the YouIntern.com group on
LindedIn Groups, “What is the best way to find paid internship in DC area for international students? We have a good number of qualified international students (Russia & CIS, China, Korea, Mexico and India)."
I have included some recommendations for Andrey below. Interested students can check out each of the programs to see what is required and if the program pays a stipend or charges a fee. I advise interested students to check out as many programs as possible and compare each of them to see if any of the organizations offer scholarships or monthly stipends.
If anyone has any resources they'd like to recommend, I encourage you to please post them on our Forum.
Sample Internship Programs in the DC Area:
- One World Washington Internship Program
- The Washington Center for Internships and Academic Seminars
- The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IASTE United States)
- International Education Internships
- US Arts International Training Program
- Scripps Howard Semester in Washington Internship Program
- CIEE Council on International Educational Exchange
- Smithsonian Internships
- DC Student Housing
I think the best way for an international student to find an internship is to go through the Career Services of their college. That is how I found my internship.
The Career Services office offers a wealth of information on internship opportunities and it is always an excellent place to start. They can assist students with finding local, national, and international internships as well as help get them through the application process.
Career services guarantee internship opportunities.They will surely help students and grades to get international internships .
It’s challenging but it’s doable! International students have to work that much harder to secure an internship but the extra drive and effort required of them also makes them better candidates for a full time job with that company in the future.
Here’s a great interview with a student from Ghana who, after a summer internship, was hired as an analyst for JP Morgan:
http://doostang.wordpress.com/2009/06/23/doostang-news-june-23-making-an-internship-click/
Thank you for sharing an excellent story Jane on the successes of one international student in her quest for securing a full time job. It is very often persistence that ends up being the deciding factor when looking to land an internship or a job.
I hope this story encourages and motivates job seekers as well as students who are still looking to find an internship or a job.
That is very true, international students face so many challenges when it comes to career opportunities that it’s no surprise that they can easily get discouraged. Many of them do need just that extra motivational push that comes from hearing that it is doable and has been done successfully many a times. It’s possible guys! Good luck!