Advice For International Students Seeking Internships in the United States

I’m constantly amazed by the amount of International students that find my site and are applying for my internships on http://www.quarterlife.com/intern. Students in France, London, Ireland, Austria, Japan, Canada and Germany are some of the most frequent visitors to my webpages. I read tons and tons of cover letters and resumes displaying ambition and desire to come to the United States and work in the Journalism, Fashion, Publicity, and Entertainment industries. It is interesting that in a time like this we have such strong interest from students abroad to come to the United States and intern – but the numbers are there and increasing daily.

I held 15 internships when I was in college and through all of those internships, I only knew one student (a close friend) that had come from another country, Canada, to intern in New York City. Alyson Campbell (@alyamp3) and I met at NYU where we were both staying for internships during the summer of 2003. Aly was interning at Arista Records at the time (a hard-to-get internship in the music industry). Aly did tell me about the challenge of getting a VISA and coming to the US to intern – but she had a “go getter/can-do” attitude about it and she got it done. Aly loved New York so much that she ended up moving back after graduating college. She now runs a super successful start-up PR Firm called, AMP3 (http://amp3pr.com/). We continue to be close friends. If Aly can do it – you can all do it. So get out there and do what you need to do to come to the United States and intern. I asked Aly to explain what she went through and to get her advice for other students:

“As a Canadian, interning in the United States was a valuable and life-changing experience for me, because of the industry I was pursuing (music/entertainment business). Finding an internship was no easy feat, though.  I applied to numerous opportunities, but ran into many situations where it required that I was working for college credit (at a US-based college only) or several organizations that simply weren’t willing to go through the time and effort of the due-diligence involved in hiring an international student under the proper regulations.  A word to the wise, if you’re a Canadian student looking to intern in the U.S., you’ll need either a B-1 Visa or a J-1 Visa (both of which can be attained as long as you have a legitimate job offer and you apply at least 6-8 weeks in advance).  The J-1 “trainee” visa is also a great option for recent grads who are open to taking on an internship (verses an entry-level position), as it is a relatively easy work visa to secure, as long as you are within 18 months of when you graduated.  My first internship was between my 3^rd and 4^th year of university, and looking back, I wish I had been doing internships all along like my girl, The Intern Queen!  My first internship at Arista Records in New York City was truly a life-changing and career-changing opportunity that I will never forget!” 

 

 

TIPS FOR INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SEEKING INTERNSHIPS IN THE US

 

 

 

1.       GET THE INTERNSHIP. Companies will look at your resume even though you live out of the country. Send your materials in like any other student and be sure to include when you plan on coming to the US in your Cover Letter. Find out if your school can provide you with any type of internship credit or recognition. Many companies will wave their “credit only” policy if they see that you are an International student. Apply for as many internships as you can. I normally suggest that US students apply for 10-15 opportunities each semester. As an International Student, I would double that number. Make sure you are aware of the VISA process and what you will need to do to get to the US before getting on the phone with an internship coordinator for an interview. You want to be knowledgeable about the process you have ahead of you. Most internship coordinators will NOT know how to help you get to the United States. You will have to take the lead on this one.

2.       FIGURE OUT WHAT TYPE OF VISA YOU NEED. The number one problem I hear about from International students is getting the proper VISA to visit the United States. The best resource I found for this was on the US DEPARTMENT OF STATE Website, http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html. You can search by your specific country and find out what type of VISA you need. Each country has different specifications.

3.       GET YOUR PASSPORT ASAP. Students will definitely need Passports to travel internationally. This is something that can be done quickly but keep in mind it does take 2-4 weeks to get your Passport back. Do this as soon as you decide you will be traveling abroad.

4.       START THE PROCESS EARLY. Getting an International student VISA is a headache in itself. There are so many different forms to fill out and all kinds of documents that need to be prepared. Make a checklist of all of these documents to make the process run as smooth and organized as possible. Examples of documents you may need include: school transcript, any standardized testing scores, bank statements from your parents (proving that they can cover your expenses while in the US), etc. Each student will also need to contact  the local Embassy about setting up an interview. Everyone must set an interview before their VISA can be fully processed.

5.       120 DAY NOTIFICATION. International student VISAS will not be approved or denied until 120 days (or less) before your internship start date. This does cause a bit of a time crunch. Be prepared  for this and make sure to determine when that 120 day mark will be.

6.       KEEP YOUR TIMEFRAME ORGANIZED. The National Homeland Security allows International students to come into the United States only 30 days (or less) prior to the start date of the internship. When you make your travel plans keep this timeframe in mind. If this is a problem, there are several additional “special” permits students can apply for on the US Department of State Website.

7.       HAVE PATIENCE. We all know that this can be a long and drawn out process. Be as patient as you can, use your checklist, and stay calm. Be as respectful as possible to everyone you speak with at the Embassy. Speak with your professors and make sure you are doing everything in your power to help execute the process.

8.       BE FRANK WITH YOUR INTERNSHIP COORDINATOR. Make sure that your internship coordinator understands where you are traveling from and the entire process. You want to come across organized and make sure you sound confident in the process. You want your internship coordinator to feel like they can totally rely on you to be present at your start date. If they feel that you aren’t confident, they might start to feel the same way and get someone else to replace you. Stay in communication with them and let them know that you have everything under control.

9.       MINIMIZE THE LANGUAGE AND CULTURE GAP. There are going to be many challenges when interning in the US. You are dealing with a new language (sometimes), new ways of doing business, and new ways of communicating. Practice your English as frequently as possible and try to read newspaper articles, web articles, magazines, trade publications about the industry you are interning within. It’s important to try and understand the nature of the field you are going into. Conducting research will also help you identify commonly used terms in that field. You want to make the language/culture barrier as minimal as possible.

10.   BE CONFIDENT. Students come to the US everyday to Intern. This can be done. Know that it will work out, know that you will get the paperwork done, and know that you are the ULTIMATE INTERN and that any US company would be LUCKY to have you. A few obstacles never hurt anyone J Good luck !

 

I asked my friends on Twitter what they thought about International Internships:

Why have the number of International students coming to the US to intern increased ?

jjaime@InternQueen It gives a broader experience, a look at new industries and finally the contacts they make.

hanztarore@InternQueen Cause US is a high standard that they use to increase bargain pwr 🙂 Many still want to work there despite current crisis there.

DisneyEC@InternQueen Because the US is the LAND of OPPORTUNITY and people all over the world realize it, even when we forget at times.

AlyAMP3@InternQueen to answer your other Q about why international students come to the U.S., “It’s all about the American Dream”

katrynad@InternQueen The opportunities in film industry. There is just not the same amount of opportunity here, there never has been.

Kissandtell@InternQueen for me it offered greater opportunities.

internSHARE@InternQueen from what I’ve heard with internSHARE it has a lot to with opening the door for future employment and eventually moving there.

ericleebow@InternQueen it’s because they are not offered the same exact opportunities, and it gives them a reason to travel to the US. Why not?

nateerickson@InternQueen No clue. Do they want Americans overseas or would they rather hire their own?

rosettathurman@InternQueen well, according to all the political pundits, the whole world is having an Obama lovefest, so that may be a factor.

Jmal18@InternQueen awesome esl programs

rjjago@InternQueen The US govn’t. is opening up new internship programs like the W.E.S.T. program for Koreans.

What do you think about International Internships ?

juezou@InternQueen I want to know the answer too since I’m an international student here.

USCherie@InternQueen visa issues aside, why not? Esp for companies interested in global business and the interns have what it takes.

jaime@InternQueen Being international it’s been difficult looking for internships, even if you’re studying in the US.

ambranykol@InternQueen as a former Campus Recruiter I’d say that Int’l students will have better bets going after internships at software companies.

Helpful Links/Resources:

US Dept. of State: http://travel.state.gov/visa/temp/types/types_1268.html#apply

University of Dreams Programs: http://www.summerinternships.com

InternationalStudent.com: http://www.internationalstudent.com/study_usa/

USA-Internships.com: http://www.usa-internships.com/

Macquil.com : http://www.macquil.com/articles/internships.php

Experience.com: http://www.experience.com/alumnus/article?channel_id=internships&source_page=additional_articles&article_id=article_1126286322658

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

How To Manage An Internship AND A Job

 

The number one excuse I hear from students on why they cannot intern is, “I have to work over the summer. I can’t intern for no pay.” Ladies and Gentleman, I have exciting news ! It IS possible to have both a summer internship and a summer job. With the proper time management skills, you can have the best of both worlds. Income is top priority but internships are extremely important as well. With the job market in the state that it is, internships are a way to ensure that you are properly prepared to get out there in the real world.

INTERN QUEEN STORY: The summer between my Sophmore and Junior Year of college, I interned in Los Angeles. I interned Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 9AM – 3PM at BWR Public Relations – a high-profile celebrity Public Relations Firm. I interned on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 10AM – 4PM at Warren Cowan Public Relations – a boutique Publicity Firm. I worked at Islands (Fine Burger Joint) Monday, Wednesday, Friday from 5:30PM – 11PM and Sunday mornings from 10AM – 2PM. Anything is possible. Pick your schedule and then go make it happen.

 

Ways to Manage Your Job AND Your Internship

·         KNOW YOUR NEEDS. Make a list of what you NEED to do over the summer. If you need to make a certain amount of money, write that down. Also, tally up the amount of hours each day you must work in order to make that kind of money.

 

·         WORK AT NIGHT. If you don’t have a summer job yet I suggest looking for a “night” job like waiting tables. If you can find a job that doesn’t require you to be there until 5 or 6PM that is ideal.

 

·         MAKE YOUR HOURS. Look at your schedule and figure out which hours you can realistically devote to an internship. If you wait tables every night from 5PM -11PM, you could be available to intern 5 days per week from 8 or 9AM until 3 or 4PM. If you have a job that requires you to work during the day, try to block schedule. Perhaps you can work 3 days per week from 9AM – 6PM and then intern 2 days per week from 9AM – 6PM.

 

·         INTERNSHIPS CAN BE FLEXIBLE. Most companies will be flexible and will understand that  you need to work and support yourself. Most of my summer internships only required me to be there 2-3 days per week. Be honest and explain your situation clearly.

 

·         MANAGE YOUR EMPLOYER’S EXPECTATIONS. With both your employer and you internship coordinator be very specific with them about your time commitments. Don’t  say that you might be able to stay past 4PM some days at your internship if you must be at work at 5PM. Don’t over commit yourself. Decide which hours you 100 percent can commit and tell those hours to your boss.

 

·         BE PUNCTUAL AND ALERT. Since you will be splitting your time, it’s important to be extremely punctual. You want to show both employer’s that you can juggle two things at once and it won’t cause you to be late, procrastinate, etc. If you are tired, hide it! Make sure that you are bright eyed at your internship and at your job. Both places won’t want someone that  seems to be “dragging”.

 

·         BE PREPARED. If you know you have to go from one place to another quickly – be organized. I’m really big on Snack Bars (granola bars or fruit bars) or packing a sandwich to eat during your in-between time. Also, make sure you pack a bag with whatever change of clothes you will need, any information you need to bring, water bottle, snacks, etc.

 

·         SHOW THAT YOU CAN HANDLE IT. If you excel at both places that means double the letters of recommendation, double the experience, double the number of items to add  to your resume. Your parents, employers, co-workers, fellow interns will all be impressed.

Tips From Time Management Coach, Elizabeth Saunders (http://www.realLifeE.com)

“The key to balancing a job and internship over the summer is to find complementary matches. For instance, if you’re passionate about interior design and want to intern at an architecture firm during the day, seek out a job that values people working nights and weekends (such as a restaurant). On the other hand, if you dream of being on the nightly news and want to intern at a TV station, look at jobs like doing administrative work during the day at a temp agency.

 

By finding complementary positions, you can avoid conflicts and stress over scheduling everything in–you’re happy and you’re manager is happy.”

 

 

 

I asked my friends on Twitter what they thought about managing a summer job and a summer internship:

jocelleuntalan@InternQueen It’s all about priority. An internship provides the practical experience you need for the future; a job is a job, not ur career.

mzmadness@InternQueen wow! i’m desperate for that answer. i work full time & go to school so if there are any suggestions, i’d love to hear them.

AMCreations@InternQueen It helps if you have a job w/night hours, or an understanding boss that’s willing to keep you with less hours for a few months.

PRluna@InternQueen Be up front and honest with your employers from the start; tell them you appreciate their flexibility.

MNMarquez@InternQueen During the school year, I usually have a part-time internship and work around 20 hrs a week at Starbucks. It can be done.

MiaMcK@InternQueen find an internship that only requires 1-3 days so that u can work it around ur school/job schedule.

marissa_green13@InternQueen It’s about scheduling and making sure you aren’t spreading yourself too thin with either one.

katmaund@internqueen time management skills are ESSENTIAL. im managing an internship, job, community service, and 6 classes.

MashM@InternQueen time management skills!

gradspotguru@InternQueen In college, I thought the people who got library jobs were on the ball — you basically get paid to do your own work. http://www.gradspot.com/

JillianMoss@InternQueen It takes a lot of time management. I did it last semester with ft school, a job, and an internship. Just takes a lot of focus.

Sarah_Bella@InternQueen Usually internships only require 20-30 hours so that leaves weeknights & weekends to make that money! Stinks not having a life but the internship experience is totally worth it!! What you sow so shall you reap!

jjaime@InternQueen The day has 24 hours…it’s all about what the job is about and that it is on a different time than the internship. For example: Internship from 9 to 4 and job from 6 to 10. Considering a part time job. http://jjaime.tumblr.com/

RazChorev@InternQueen they do as Nike told them – JUST DO IT! party less, and work more… http://mrpitcher.wordpress.com/

gonzomehum@InternQueen Intern in the mornings, work in the evenings, party on the weekends. Just replace work with school when summer ends. http://thoughtscream.wordpress.com/

theresajohnson@InternQueen If the internship was paid or if both were part-time. This takes a lot of sacrifice. http://small-business-blog.myceobiz.com/

 *FOR MORE INTERNSHIP INFO VISIT http://www.quarterlife.com/intern

 

 

 

 

 

Control Your Social Networking Sites

Let’s face it. We all go through that phase when we LOVE and cannot get enough of social networking sites. When I was a sophomore in college (2004) I signed up for Facebook and when I was a senior in college (2006) I signed up for Myspace. At first, I posted tons of pictures and logged on every single day.  I stopped doing Facebook  as much when I realized that I was already in touch with my close friends. The people that I connect with via Facebook didn’t need  to see my pictures from parties, friend’s weddings, etc. I walked into my old job one day and a co-worker I barely knew recited everything I did that weekend because he had seen my Facebook pictures. And then I stopped. There was no need for people that were not my real friends but my “Facebook Friends” to know all about my personal life.

I have heard several horror stories about students that were not hired for internships or college grads that were fired because of their Facebook/Myspace pages. Keep this in mind when reading the below.

Tips on How To Control Your Social Networking Sites

1. EVERYONE is on it. Is everyone in the world really on Facebook or Myspace ? No. But enough people are that you really need to think of it like that. Everything you write, everything you type, every picture you post – EVERYONE is going to see it. EVERYONE means your parents, friends, ex-friends, ex-boyfriends, relatives, and more important, your BOSS.

2. PICTURES. If you are going to post a few pictures of yourself on your social networking site, that’s fine. Just remember, that these pictures are a representation of YOU. These aren’t pictures that are just viewed by your friends anymore. These are pictures that people of all ages are viewing. I understand that you may like to Party – in every sense of the word. But, save that for your personal emails. Don’t post drunk pictures, smoking pictures, sexual pictures, really goofy pictures on the Internet. Just don’t do it. Always think before posting, “Is this appropriate for my boss to see?”

3. EVERYONE TALKS.Many students will read this and say , “Well I have my profile settings private so only my friends can view these pictures.” Here are my thoughts on that: Most students have not only their close friends on Facebook/Myspace but also their acquaintances, people that you know, but aren’t really your close friends. People talk, especially when it comes to competitive internship/job situations. You don’t want anyone that you don’t trust to see these pictures of you and risk them telling someone, who tells someone, who tells your boss (you get the idea).

4. ACT APPROPRIATELY. There is this big misconception that when you are in college you are granted the ability to act like a silly goose in public. Now that we have the ability to post pictures for all of our networks to view, you really cannot risk acting out. You don’t control where people post pictures when they aren’t taken from your camera. Next time you are at a party, stop and consider your surroundings and think before you act. We all must take responsibility over our actions. It’s not worth loosing a job opportunity or an internship because you felt the need to take “wasted” or “sexy” pictures.

5. STAY OFF AT WORK. When you are interning or working make sure you are not checking your Myspace or Facebook page. This is one quick way for your boss/internship coordinator to determine that you don’t care about your work, or that you are being lazy/wasting time. You are on their clock. Save your Facebook status updating until you are on your personal time clock.

6. KEEP PROFILE RATED G. Again, keep in mind the “Everyone Is Watching” factor when creating/reviewing your proile. Make sure you don’t have any comments that could be suggested as “too sexual” or “too much information”. Keep your interests unique to you, but still appropriate.

7. MODERATE YOUR COMMENTS. Many of these sites have functions where you can moderate comments before they appear on your “Wall”. If you don’t have this feature set up make sure you are constantly monitoring what others are writing. You don’t want someone writing dirty or graphic messages on your wall. Also, make sure that your wall isn’t filled with curse words.

 

Is it standard for an employer to check your social networking sites before hiring you ? No. But, in this new tech-savvy environment, where everyone is online and joining these communities, it is definitely happening. Watch yourself and have control of your social networking.

I asked my Twitter (Tweeps) how they felt about the subject:

“No naked pictures and no booze.” @publicrelations, Shelle Michaels, Teacher and volunteer,  http://www.theladiesofliberty.blogspot.com/.

“As an employer, I ask not just “can they do this job” but “how will they represent me?” That is where soc.media can hurt you. Not appropriate: The last keg party you attended, your tailgate streak, photos of your new tattoo.” @JMegonigal, Jordana Megonigal, http://www.insideblackbox.com/?cat=10.

“Well, my advice is to not have them. But, I did write about this issue: http://tinyurl.com/7t9wk7 .” @heatherhuhman, Career Advice Expert and Columnist, http://heatherhuhman.com/.

Q & A – Canadian Internships. Short – Term Internships.

Hi Lauren,

I have been searching for a Public Relations Internship for about a year now. I am in the Public Relations program at Conestoga College in Kitchener, Ontario, Canada. To fulfill academic credit, I will need to complete 120 hours between February 17 and March 27, 2009. It is basically, three weeks full-time or six weeks part-time. I am having a lot of trouble finding an organization to hire an intern for this short time. I found your website just this morning and it is absolutely incredible. It has the types of internships that I am looking for, except they are all about a semester in length. Do you have any advice for me about how to look for such a short internship?

Thanks!

Rebecca

Hi Rebecca !! I think that by simply explaining your schools requirements to the internship coordinators at specific companies you could get what you want/need. Companies want help and if you can get any sort of credit they should be happy to work with you. The formal internship programs won’t go for this but the smaller companies definitly will. If it’s internships in the states you are after, let me know, and I’ll send your resume out with a note explaining your circumstances. Otherwise, best of luck and please spread the word to any of your Canadian friends who might want to come to the USA to intern !

Best,

Lauren Berger, The Intern Queen

Netherlands Student Asks About Internships

Hey everyone,

Hope you had a great Thanksgiving. I’m receieved tons of resumes so if you haven’t heard back from me yet just give it another day or so and then check in again. If it’s been over two weeks since I’ve responded to you and no companies have contacted you than please reach out to me so that I can forward your materials to more companies in your field of choice.

My Thanksgiving was great. I was in Florida with my family and just got back to Los Angeles this evening. Hope everyone had a wonderful break and remember, it’s not too late to get a wonderful SPRING internship.

Best,

Lauren Berger – The Intern Queen

I also posted some Q & A below:

Hi Lauren,

 

My name is Bjorna and I’m a Communication student from The Netherlands.

I moved to USA because of my boyfriend and to finish my school in The Netherlands I need to find an intership where i can write my disertation for. (Like doing research)

Do you think you can help me? Or do you know an organisation who does that?

I spend so much time last months searching for a graduate internship but I didnt find anything.(I dont really know where to search also)

 

I hope to hear from you.

 

Thanks,

-Bjorna

A: Hi Bjorna,

Thanks so much for writing to me. I’d love to help you find an internship. There are plenty of companies that would love to help an international student (such as yourself) get an internship. Which part of the USA did you move to ? Most of our listings are in Los Angeles and New York but I can still help you focus your efforts on companies in other cities as well. I think interning in the USA will be a great experience for you and a great way to see how the companies are structured here. Please send me an email and copy/paste your resume into it with this note.

Best,

Lauren