My internship abroad

After my year in the Hospitality and Event Management sector, I had to do an internship abroad for four months. But finding an internship in another coutnry isn’t that easy. First, one must know how to do the research: should the internship be based on the mission or on the country? Which mission for which skills? Which region and which language?

Before the research, one must prepare a good CV and a good cover letter in English or in French depending on the country’s language. My advice is to prepare a list of options, from your ideal internship up to your own limits. Indeed, my number 1 option was an internship in Brussels (Belgium) for a mission within a European Institution. I finally chose my 6^th plan, according to the country. But since I was leaving anyway, why not go far away?

• Region I chose: Asia
• Country: China, India or Thailand
• Spoken language: English or Chinese
• Internship mission: Marketing, Communication or the Hotel industry

So, I found an internship in Marketing for an online tourist guide for French speakers in Bangkok, Thailand.

And they were the best few months of my life. I think that all the people that have been abroad will say the same thing, and it’s normal. Travelling abroad opens your eyes, your mind and your heart. It makes your priorities more meaningful and you get to meet incredible people.

Bangkok is one of the main cities of South-East Asia. The city is more developed than its neighboring countries and combines both modernism and tradition in an extraordinary mix, all this with very low living prices. I drank a cocktail on top of a 50-floor brand new building, ate the best dishes in the boui-boui  eateries on the streets, met people from all around the world and learnt Thai.

Thailand is also the heavenly sand beaches, the wild animals (elephants, monkeys, crocodiles…) and nature reserves, hiking through the jungle and numerous temples.

Thanks to my internship abroad, I learnt a lot about myself. At 19 years old, I went 9000 km away from home, slightly by chance and without really realizing what it meant. But I wouldn’t change a thing. It was the most rewarding experience of my whole life. Sadly, my internship itself wasn’t very satisfactory – the assignments were very few and didn’t teach me much about the profession, also I didn’t really like the field of activity, so this might be my one and only regret. On the other hand, I feel that being abroad (the aim of the internship) fulfilled all my hopes and I still have wonderful memories of an ordinary life in an extraordinary country.