FOR students, the May to August holiday means a much-needed break from school or the chance to gain some work experience through temporary jobs or internships.

Some however, choose the road less travelled, preferring to venture overseas for work opportunities. Schemes such as Work and Travel USA and the AIESEC International Internship Program help NTU students secure jobs overseas.

American Summer Jobs

Work and Travel USA gives students to chance to experience working life in theme parks and ski resorts and the American culture of summer jobs. 

For second-year Literature student Lydia Wulandari, 20, the opportunity to travel and explore the United States was the chance of a lifetime.

“I worked at Cedar Point, an amusement park in Ohio, for about one-and-a-half months as a food and ice-cream seller.” said Wulandari. “The first two weeks were tough because the park had just opened and we worked about 12 hours a day every day.”

Organised by Geovisions, a company that facilitates work exchange programs around the world, it is partnered with Speedwing Training (Asia) Pte Ltd, a local agency that helps to make necessary arrangements such as visa applications. 

Employers will provide accommodation with a rental fee, ranging from US$15 to US$85 per week.

“Accommodation was cheap but there were 15 of us in an apartment,” said Wulandari. “There were five bedrooms and only two bathrooms, so it was quite a challenge. We had to fight for space in the fridge to put our groceries.”

Going global

The AIESEC International Internship Program has internship opportunities in over 95 countries and matches students’ skills and qualifications to companies in their database; they range from multi-national corporations such as Ernst & Young or non-profit organisations such as World Wide Fund for Nature.

While Work and Travel USA is limited to the service and hospitality industry, AIESEC can secure students internships in management, educational, technical, or development sectors. Salaries also differ.

“Students who go for the development internship may not receive a salary but their food and accommodation will be provided for,” said Lucia Deng Lu, 20, the Vice President of External Relations of AIESEC in NTU.

The wide range of choices led NTU alumnus Mr Pramoda Dei Sudarmo to three months in Russia.

“Russia is a very exciting place to be in because it’s one of the fastest growing nations in the world. I wanted to be part of its development,” said the Indonesian, who worked as a management trainee in a management consultant company.  

Timeline

The duration of both schemes differ; Work and Travel USA lasts for 2 ½ to 4 months whereas AIESEC allows students to work between 2 to 18 months. Also, the AIESEC internship program can be used to fulfil the credits of your Professional Internship.

Working in another country has opened their eyes to a new way of thinking and living.

Han Ling, a second-year NTU student who volunteered in an English camp in St Petersburg, Russia, experienced difficulty getting over the language barrier and different working style. She said: “What you think is easy can become very difficult in a different culture.”