Click here for information on securing a Summer 2011 Internship for US college students/ graduates

Internships, as most who are currently university students know, are an indispensable part of building your career prospects. In fact, by the time that most university students graduate from the respective alma maters, they will have completed at least one summer internship.

For those US students who hope to eventually work abroad full-time, internships are virtually your only “in” that will put your foot through the door. What’s more, even if you don’t end up working full-time abroad once you finish school, the experience adds much to your resume and increases your job prospects. Even though fully paid internships abroad are hard to come by for most US students, securing one isn’t completely impossible.

While you can search on the Internet for scholarship opportunities to fund your internship experience far and wide, many of these are highly selective, or are often simply too good to be true. The international internship is so highly coveted that many non-school organizations ask for a substantial fee in order to be placed.

Thus, the best place for US students to secure scholarship money to intern abroad is directly through their current institution. For many of these scholarships, you’ll only be competing against your fellow university students for funds, and thus your odds for success will have increased astronomically.

Be aware, however, that many of these scholarship opportunities aren’t very visibly advertised. The first place to look for scholarships is through your study abroad office. Although the office may only advertise its study abroad options, you’d be surprised by what’s available if you ask. Make an appointment with a study abroad advisor and see what’s available.

Other places to look are directly through your department, which may have departmental funding for students who wish to undertake a project abroad that will enhance their post-graduate studies or career. Sometimes universities will have career development offices which also may provide scholarships for working abroad.

Although very competitive, there do exist scholarship awards that all US university students are eligible for. For example, the RISE internship scholarship is suitable for those US students in science or engineering fields. For those students whose background is in international relations or social justice, the United Nations offers several scholarship opportunities for interning abroad that can be found here.

The key to securing scholarship money other than doing your research is applying early. Once you’ve gathered a few potential scholarship opportunities, be sure to submit your application materials well in advance of the deadline. Since international internship funding in the US is so competitive, the best way to get a leg up from the rest is by looking at least a year before your desired departure date and applying promptly.

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This guest post is contributed by Olivia Coleman, who writes on the topics of online colleges and universities.  She welcomes your comments at her email Id: olivia.coleman33 @gmail.com

Summer 2011 Internships for US college students/ graduates