Internships can be brilliant things, they offer an insight in to the world of work, give you some experience in areas that you may be interested in and can generally help you to make some decisions about your future while gaining some valuable experience.
As a result for many people the question becomes ‘Where should I do an internship?’ rather than ‘Should I do an internship?’
Most people will start to look for opportunities in their local area. However, it is well worth considering doing an internship abroad. Not only for all the aforementioned reasons but also for a host of other benefits.
If you choose to spend your gap year with Aardvark Israel then you can also use some of the time to do an internship program in Israel. As part of the gap year program you can spend three or four mornings a week at your internship and there is a huge range of internships for you to choose from. We can arrange internships in a huge number of fields such as media and communications, technology, fashion, politics, emergency services and so on.
Of course, most of these options are available everywhere in the world. However, there are a number of benefits to doing an internship in Israel.
First of all, it will expose you to a different society, culture and way of life. You will be able to experience something new and completely different while at your internship. This is bound to open your mind to new possibilities and you could very easily discover something new and exciting that you hadn’t thought of before. Furthermore, you will have the chance to mix with plenty of Israelis and this should give you an insight into day-to-day life in Israel.
Secondly, you will be able to develop your language skills. Fluent Hebrew is not a requirement for any of our programs but while on your gap year you will have regular Hebrew lessons and being immersed in an Israeli work environment is a fantastic way to practise your Hebrew. Even if you don’t think you’ll ever need Hebrew in the future, it never hurts to have an extra language up your sleeve.
Thirdly, and perhaps most importantly, it will make sure you maintain a work-play balance. Having just finished school it is highly unlikely that you will want to spend all your time at work, after all that is certainly not the idea of a gap year. By combining your internship with Aardvark’s gap year program, you will be engaging in a range of activities on a daily basis. This means that you will constantly be enjoying different things and can be sure of having plenty of fun while gaining valuable experience.
An internship abroad may not be the obvious choice and it will certainly present some unique challenges. However, it is sure to be a valuable experience and one that could even give you the competitive edge when applying for work in the future.
