1. Personal Growth
To move overseas or to work abroad temporarily is great at ripping you out of your comfort zone. Change isn’t something that is comfortable for us as humans, but we do know that it’s good for us. At what other time will you grow as much as when you are out of your normal routine and your comfort zone? Taking on these changes and challenges will help you grow as a person in many different ways.
2. Cultural Understanding
Have you ever gone on vacation and, not only dreaded going back to the “real world,” but felt like there was so much more to learn and discover about the destination? Being in a different environment for a short while will expose you to a different culture but you’ll never get the true feeling or understanding of that culture if you don’t stay for a longer period of time. There is so much more to be done than seeing the tourist attractions. The longer you stay in one place the more you learn to understand people’s behaviors, traditions, and beliefs. Knowing more about how people in a country live gives you a better understanding of their culture and in turn opens your mind to how different we actually are (not) from each other.
3. Your Future Career
Moving to a different country and leaving friends, family, and almost everything else behind is no easy task. Doing so shows that you are adjustable, adventurous, determined, and ambitious. These qualities are ones that many employers are after.
Working in a different culture also means that the working language and culture may be different. Mastering another language means that you become multilingual, which can be a big asset to many big companies who want to expand abroad. Business customs can be different in every country and are very important to work abroad successfully. Being able to understand them better will give you an advantage in specific markets where these customs can come in handy.
4. Broaden Your Horizons
Moving abroad is hard. You are thrown into an environment that is completely alien to you with new cultural norms and maybe even a new language. You don’t know anyone and the people that you’ll meet may not necessarily think and live like you do. It puts you to the test, mentally and emotionally. There is no doubt that the experience that you will have will help you grow as a person. There will be lasting and meaningful relationships and the time that you spend abroad will most likely change you for the better.
If you want to start planning your first work experience abroad – start with an internship! Learn everything about our internships abroad here!
This post was written by AIESEC in the Netherlands. We offer international voluntary projects and professional internships with the aim of developing leadership in youth.
