Nick’s Summer season Internship in San José, Costa Rica
14
Wish to hear from a university scholar who interned overseas in Costa Rica? We not too long ago caught up with AIFS Overseas participant Nick from the Rochester Institute of Know-how (RIT), who spent his summer time interning overseas in San José.
Learn on to find how Nick’s expertise in San José with AIFS Overseas helped him develop invaluable profession abilities and make significant connections!
Selecting an Intern Overseas Program Vacation spot & Time period
Deciding the place and when to intern overseas might be difficult for a lot of college students and younger professionals (our staff can assist with that!)—particularly when you think about all of the unimaginable AIFS Overseas packages accessible to you. For somebody like Nick who was fascinated about an accounting internship in Latin America, San José was an amazing alternative:
“I selected Costa Rica for my internship program as a result of I had [previously] studied overseas in Argentina [and] appreciated the Latin American area and studying Spanish. I noticed Costa Rica as giving me but [another] new alternative to do each, besides this time for an internship.”
Selecting a summer time intern overseas program is a wonderful choice for anybody who must be on campus throughout the college 12 months, like Nick:
“I selected the summer time time period as a result of that was essentially the most logical time to have an internship with out interrupting courses throughout the spring and fall semester.”
Worldwide Internship Expertise
Involved in what an internship overseas truly seems to be like? Whereas schedules and tasks might range, you possibly can relaxation assured that AIFS Overseas will place you with a trusted native firm or group the place you possibly can acquire hands-on skilled expertise and develop key abilities in your internship’s profession area. Hear Nick go into extra element about his internship in San José:
“The corporate was an area municipality situated within the small city of Curridabat, southeast of downtown San José. For my internship, I used to be scheduled to work 5 days per week on the Auditing Division on a important venture the place I’d consider the best dangers dealing with the Auditing Division itself and the right way to finest mitigate these dangers, after which current my accomplished venture and threat evaluation on the finish of my 2-month internship.
For my typical internship work week (Mondays by means of Fridays), I confirmed as much as work every day round 9 am, took notes from the World Auditing Norms, labored on my important venture in addition to some mini-projects… after which let myself out round 3-4 PM when no extra work was required of me for the day and my supervisor felt comfy. I’d typically inform my supervisor, Sofia, [about] an [AIFS Abroad] tour I needed to go on that occurred to be [during the week], and it was at all times OK together with her since my internship program with AIFS ensured I’d nonetheless get to have immersion alternatives and a [good] work-life steadiness.”
Under, Nick explains his internship tasks intimately:
“For my important venture, I used a Microsoft Excel template given to me by my supervisor to assist me record the 15 best dangers dealing with the Auditing Division, with their causes, their results, and their severity ranges. I then used a warmth map to assist current which dangers had the best likelihood/affect, after which got here up with one of the best methods to mitigate every threat on the ultimate sheet of the Excel template. I accomplished the principle venture and its sections shortly, so I used to be in a position to ask my supervisor for mini-projects to assist the division additional, in addition to serving to to broaden and exhibit my very own abilities additional. Such mini-projects included creating flowcharts for the assorted mitigation implementation processes for mitigating every of the 15 dangers, making a PowerPoint on the World Auditing norms, and doing additional analysis on all issues auditing (with a deal with Costa Rica-related auditing points to maintain it comparatively native).”
Constructing Skilled Abilities Overseas
An intern overseas program supplies numerous alternatives for skilled development. Not solely will you develop mushy abilities which can be invaluable throughout a variety of fields, however additionally, you will construct career-specific abilities that stand out in your resume. Under, Nick lists the highest three abilities he feels he gained from his internship overseas, along with another advantages of his program:
- “The power to speak in Spanish in a office.
- Threat evaluation.
- Methods to optimize Microsoft Excel, Visio, and PowerPoint to finest current my information evaluation.
[My internship program] counted as a required co-op for commencement on my transcript, helped enhance my resume and candidate profile, and made me extra assured in my skill to present it my all in any new function and forge lifelong relationships alongside the best way.”
Forming an Worldwide Community
Interning overseas presents a novel likelihood to construct private {and professional} networks that span the globe. Forming relationships with locals, colleagues, and different worldwide college students and younger professionals can open doorways to future alternatives and significant connections. Hear Nick go into extra element in regards to the affect of constructing connections overseas:
“I constructed each skilled and private connections overseas by speaking to individuals in my office, connecting with them on LinkedIn, and giving/gaining suggestions. My recommendation to future contributors can be to do no matter you possibly can to construct each forms of connections in your internship, as a result of it’ll make it easier to achieve your function, offer you social interactions, and may even make you long-term buddies.”
Mentorship Overseas
Each AIFS Overseas internship placement confirms that you just’ll have a professional supervisor at your internship firm or group. This ensures that you’ve got somebody to mentor you, information you thru your tasks, and assist your skilled growth. Under, Nick describes his expertise together with his supervisor in San José:
“Working with my supervisor, Sofia, was a blast. She was the supervisor of a staff of three different full-time auditors and second to the formal head of the Auditing Division, and she was an excellent mentor in monitoring my progress, giving me instructions, suggestions, and suggestions, and making me really feel that I used to be fulfilling my objective on the Division.”
As Nick explains, one among his favourite recollections from his time overseas is when he visited his supervisor’s household within the countryside:
“One core reminiscence that I’ll always remember from the expertise was attending to spend a day with my supervisor within the countryside, getting to satisfy her household, see her household’s farm, and assembly her 2 great Frenchie canine. I cherished getting to satisfy [her family], studying extra about my supervisor’s life outdoors of labor, and because it was the second-to-last day I used to be in Costa Rica, I used to be in a position to say goodbye to her. She was very particular to me as a good friend and a mentor.”
Language Studying
You might be not required to be fluent in one other language for many AIFS Overseas internship packages overseas. Nevertheless, for individuals like Nick who’re searching for an immersive language expertise, it is a nice alternative to develop superior international language abilities:
“In Costa Rica, most internships had been in English for my fellow interns, however my studying expertise in Spanish that I had famous in my software and resume helped me place in a Spanish-speaking work setting. I had some communication boundaries at first, however I used to be in a position to work by means of them by means of continued observe, self-advocacy, and listening abilities… Over time, I used to be in a position to… totally have interaction in informal, non-work-related pleasant dialog with colleagues.”
Housing
All AIFS Overseas packages embrace secure and central housing in your host metropolis. Hear Nick describe his expertise at a scholar residence in San José:
“Throughout this system, my housing lodging was at… a dormitory/condominium web site for native college students in Costa Rica that all the AIFS Interns stayed at. I appreciated that I used to be in a position to reside in an condominium with one roommate in my program and (for a number of the time) one other roommate who was a scholar outdoors of AIFS from Spain, and we had been in a position to coordinate issues collectively, prepare dinner some meals, and be harmonious.”
Excursions
AIFS Overseas packages additionally embrace journeys and excursions that take you round your host metropolis and nation with different program contributors. These are unimaginable alternatives to journey the nation with a educated information and study extra in regards to the native historical past and tradition. Under, Nick explains one AIFS Overseas tour the place they visited an Indigenous tribe and realized from one of many tribe members:
“[During our visit to] the indigenous tribe, [we learned] about what [the] tribe’s traditions and beliefs had been and the way they view the world from the previous, the current, and the longer term… this gave a really genuine and nuanced view of nature/society from an Indigenous perspective. The [Indigenous] man advised us that his tribe desires mutual peace/respect with the surface world, and about how Indigenous Peoples’ dedication to conservation/self-preservation in Costa Rica will get neglected within the nationwide authorities narrative of an eco-friendly society/authorities. Listening to him speak about such a variety of essential matters regarding the lifestyle of his individuals helped create a extra nuanced outlook of Costa Rica, and that is essential as a result of [other program providers] won’t [offer] this various vary of views.”
Why AIFS Overseas?
From invaluable inclusions like secure and central housing to social and cultural actions in your program vacation spot, there are such a lot of causes to decide on AIFS Overseas. Like many different college students and younger professionals who’ve gone with us, one among Nick’s favourite issues about AIFS Overseas was our staff—the individuals who helped him put together for his program and our on-site workers, who supported him in San José:
“AIFS Overseas assets that basically stood out had been the workers, as a result of they had been tremendous useful in letting us know the right way to put together for the overseas expertise. The AIFS Logistics, speaking with us about and offering us with enjoyable excursions, and speaking in regards to the AIFS Alumni alternatives on the finish of the interval. Pablo, Jesenia, and Karla had been all tremendous useful on the AIFS San José Middle.”
Serious about interning overseas like Nick did in Costa Rica with AIFS Overseas? We’d love that can assist you begin your journey!
Right here at AIFS Overseas, we all know a factor or two about serving to school college students and younger professionals intern overseas. Our packages include many invaluable inclusions (which actually takes the stress out of planning!), reminiscent of coordinating your housing and offering issues like cultural and social actions, excursions, complete insurance coverage, 24/7 emergency assist, on-site workers, and extra. With AIFS Overseas, you’ll take consolation in understanding you’ll have assist all through your whole expertise overseas.
