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Getting Started: Working, Interning, Volunteering, and Researching Abroad

General Considerations

Is an international work or research experience for you? Just like study abroad, these outside-the-classroom education abroad experiences will be both challenging and rewarding, but to an even greater degree. It's more likely that you will be working with local people rather than with a group of Americans. The expectations may be less structured than in the classroom, and you cannot take a passive approach. Personal qualities that will serve you well include the following (for further reading, see L. Robert Kohls, Survival Kit for Overseas Living):

  • Your full, active engagement
  • Willingness to listen and observe
  • Willingness to put the needs of your supervisor and host organization first. How can you be helpful to them?
  • Flexibility and tolerance for differences
  • Independence and self-reliance
  • Being able to cope with feelings of loneliness, isolation or homesickness
  • Taking responsibility for your own safety, health and welfare
  • Sense of humor
  • Ability to be less task- and goal-oriented than in the U.S. You may find a generally slower pace of work and life in many world regions
  • Ability to tolerate failure
  • Ability to tolerate ambiguity and lack of (or different) structure in your everyday environment

While the challenges may be greater than for study abroad, so are the potential rewards. Some of the rewards reported by those who have worked, interned, volunteered or researched abroad include:

  • Gains in your feelings of competence and confidence
  • Deep understanding of the host country's culture (though you may need to reflect and read on your own to conceptualize this understanding)
  • Rapid acquisition of a foreign language where relevant, though you'll need to already have a basic working knowledge of the language to start with. Some programs include an intensive language component at the beginning
  • Insight into possible career choices

Finding a Work, Internship or Volunteer-Abroad Placement

Decide how you'll go about finding a work, internship or volunteer abroad placement, through one of two means:

  1. Use the assistance of a program
  2. Make your own arrangements

For most students and recent graduates we recommend using a program. Programs may offer varying amounts of assistance with matters including job placement, obtaining a work visa, predeparture orientation, and onsite support. If you do it yourself, all these things are entirely up to you and if something goes wrong, you're on your own.

Making your own arrangements may be most suitable when you have connections through professors or other acquaintances. This is more likely to be the case for students in graduate and professional schools, though there are also some programs suitable for advanced students.

Tips for Finding a Suitable Work Abroad Program

Use the U-M International Center web site as a starting point. We list established programs. Feel free to contact the Education Abroad Office at 734.647.2299 or icoverseas@umich.edu) for advice and further information on programs, such as evaluations by U-M participants. See our Work Abroad Web Sites for additional sources of information.

List your Basic Criteria

Decide whether you need academic credit or not. If you do, consider a study-internship or study-volunteer (known as service-learning) program which combines academic coursework with an internship or volunteer experience. Some departments (e.g. German, French, Political Science) offer a course designed to complement an internship or volunteer-abroad experience. It's also possible to arrange for an independent study with a professor. If you want academic credit, be sure to consult with your academic advisor (and with your concentration advisor for credit in your major). For full details, see the Study Abroad Checklist. The following is a partial list of important considerations:

  • Duration - length of time can range from a few weeks to a summer or semester, to two years (for programs like the Peace Corps).
  • Location - especially the choice between developed or less-developed regions, and its relationship to other factors such as costs and health and safety issues
  • Health and safety - see the Department of State's travel advisories for assessments of these factors for every country.
  • Focus - each type of work abroad (internship, volunteering, teaching, paid jobs, research) has its own distinctive focus and a greater or lesser degree of structure.
  • Eligibility requirements - some programs require specific skills (e.g. engineering or foreign language competence), while others are open to generalists. Some programs are restricted to U.S. citizens.
  • Costs - with very few exceptions there will be expenses for working or doing research abroad. Even paid positions will usually have program fees or at least start-up expenses. The only programs that cover all one's expenses tend to be government-sponsored (either U.S. or foreign) and for a longer period of time, such as a year or two. So, you may need to do some fundraising. U-M offers funding opportunities for current U-M students.

Check Out the Programs You're Considering

  • U-M students should contact the International Center for advice at 734.647.2299 or icoverseas@umich.edu.
  • Check the evaluations by past participants available at the International Center. For starters, see our online student reports. We have many additional reports available by e-mail and hard copy.
  • Check Transitions Abroad for participant reports.
  • Request contact information of past participants from each program you're considering.
  • Check with the Better Business Bureau to see if there have been complaints about a program.

Details to Take Care of

Following is a list of some of the essential logistical details you will need to take care of. See the Travel Abroad Checklist for more details.

  • You will need a passport.
  • You may need shots (inoculations).
  • You will probably need a visa.

These should be started months before you leave, since each step may require weeks. See our Travel Abroad Checklist for more details and about registering your itinerary with U-M and the Department of State.

Your Visa

Important! Special permission needed for working, volunteering, interning, researching, etc.

You will probably need a special type of visa that allows you to work, volunteer, intern, or do research (there may be special visas for each of these categories, depending on the country of your destination). A visa can only be obtained from the Embassy or Consulate of the country of your intended destination.

Plan ahead! You'll need to already have a passport to apply for a visa. It usually takes longer to get a work visa and requires more documentation than for other types of visas. You will nearly always need to provide a letter from your program, your employer or host organization. Without it, you will be unable to obtain a special-purpose visa. If you are participating in a program, ask them for advice about obtaining a visa. Even if you'll have an unpaid internship or volunteer position, you may still need a work visa. If you do not have the proper visa, you could be deported at the border! Every country has its own regulations and these differ widely. Check out the visa requirements by finding the listing for the country of your destination on the Embassy web site.

Two organizations that can help with student work permit visas are:

  • IAESTE may be able to make it easier for you to obtain a work permit visa in over 50 countries. You will need to first have a written internship offer from an employer.
  • BUNAC can obtain a work permit for you without you already having a job offer in these countries: Australia, Britain, Canada, Ireland, or New Zealand.

Cultural and Linguistic Preparation

For all destinations, read up on the country you'll be going to. Check the Internet for host-country newspapers and background reports.

Try to meet international students from the country of your destination. The U-M International Center maintains lists of international student organizations. Faculty members who have lived or worked in the country are another valuable source of information. See the International Institute web site for lists of faculty associates.

If you have a placement prearranged, find out as much as you can about the organization with which you'll be working. Speak with students who have returned from a similar experience.

If you're going to a country where a foreign language is spoken, practice speaking that language in every way possible. Start by taking classes, joining conversation groups, or finding a language partner to practice with. Request the LSA handouts by Susan Gass, “How to Learn a Foreign Language” and “How to Use Your Language in Ann Arbor” (available at the U-M International Center). Also, brush up on specialized vocabulary and keep a notebook of terms you may need.

While You're Abroad

Register your itinerary with U-M International Travel Registry. The purpose of this registration is to enable the university to get in touch with you in case of emergencies. U.S. citizens should also register their itinerary with the U.S. Department of State Travel Registry. Citizens of other countries may be able to register with the overseas Embassy of their home country. You'll want to provide your close relatives and, if relevant, your department with your itinerary too.

Some types of visas (such as special visas for work or research) may require registration onsite with host-country authorities, depending on the country. Be sure to do this if it's required by your destination country. The visa itself, as mentioned above, needs to be applied for far in advance of leaving the U.S.

For general information, see the student report Tips for a Successful International Internship. These tips may apply more or less in a given situation. But in all cases, you will want to communicate regularly with your onsite supervisor or program manager to be clear about expectations. Some programs have specific rules and regulations that you will want to respect. Also, be certain to respect the laws and customs of your host country.

Develop a work plan with the supervisor, or if the situation is not so structured, develop a set of personal goals. Modify these as time progresses.

Communicate regularly with those at home, including professors, family and friends.


Last reviewed: 10/08