It appears that more students are either studying abroad or accepting positions to work in their profession in another country. More than ever, professionals are expecting students to have not only a clear understanding of how business, public relations, and other professional fields operate here in the United States, but they are expecting students to have international experience as well. Having international experience appears to be the new global standard both in academics and professional experience. This article comes at the perfect time since I am preparing to guest lecture on Global PR and my internship experience in South Africa to the Principles in Public Relations Course here at Tennessee this upcoming Monday.
It appears that France, Spain, Italy, and England are the top choices for students in the United States to study. I think that these choices are good – but I feel like it will get to the point where everyone has gone and seen these places, and they are looking for students have have these basic requirements as well as saying that they have worked in other places as well. Here is a list of the top twenty destinations that students go to to study abroad. I noticed that South Africa has gotten more students to study there and is now ranked #14 overall.
This was one of the considerations that I had to make when deciding where to go for my summer internship in Public Relations at USC. I had three choices in countries to go to – England (London), China (Hong Kong), or South Africa (Cape Town). I thought that I could always work in London, and I was confident that I would be going to China in the near future (and I did last year to Beijing for the Reputation Institute Conference), and I thought that South Africa had so many opportunities in both PR and in learning about the culture. It was the best decision that I could have made. I learned so much from my friends (Anneke, Astrid, Kaz, Tziona, Michelle, Danielle, Peter, and Ethel) working in Public Relations in South Africa, and it was wonderful to experience and learn about the South African culture and environment.
So in other words, I believe that if you can study abroad or work in another country, that will definitely help you in the long run in your career. There are so many benefits to having this international experience – you get the opportunity to meet other professionals and students, learn about the history and culture of the country, and of course try out some fabulous dishes and test the local cuisine! I have always enjoyed traveling, and I am looking forward to my trips to Amsterdam and Greece for my two research conferences in a couple of months! 🙂
I hope you all are having a great day!
Best Wishes,
Karen
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