One major aspect in the educational experience of any international student is the potential for an internship. Engineering internships are a great way for students to understand their degree program and determine if the career field is want they actually want to do.
The potential for engineering internships are great for current international students. Not only do internships offer students active and challenging work on real engineering projects, but they can often lead to class credit. Engineering internships are plentiful and offer great promotional potential. Depending on the location, international students can take on internships in a number of different companies within several different industries. Each discipline of engineering offers up top notch choices for potential semester or engineering summer internships. In fact there are so many internships in engineering, all a student needs to do is take the initiative to seek and apply.
Where to Look For Internships
While engineering internships are plentiful, knowing exactly where to look for them can be a struggle for some international students. The first step is to determine what kind of internship you are looking for. If a student is looking for an engineering summer internship in aeronautical engineering, then it would be advisable to search through potential companies in aeronautics that match well with the students interests. The first place to look would be on the company’s website. Usually engineering companies will post internship opportunities just like they post a job. Each company has an employment or careers section of their website that posts open vacancies they are looking to fill. Students can search for open internship opportunities and apply directly online via an online application. This way of looking for internships is becoming a leader for potential interns. At the same time, because these internships are open to the public and are announced fully online, the number of students applying may be higher than usual and the competition for such an internship will be very competitive.
Searching Online
Students not looking for an engineering internship with a specific company but instead in a specific field can refine their search using a different medium. The internet is full of online job boards and search engines that allow students or professionals to search for a specific open vacancy from a wide range of different companies. These job boards collect open jobs and internships from across the internet and direct international students to the company’s website to apply.
Using Career Fairs
Another major way to find open internships in engineering are through university sanctioned career fairs. Most universities offer a career or internship fair once a semester for current students. Internship fairs bring in a number of different employers who are actively seeking interns. Engineering companies often come out in full force to grab smart and excited interns from a specific university. Students have the opportunity to talk directly to employees from different companies and determine if it would be a good fit. At the same time, students can learn a bit about the internship and what exactly their role would be within the company. Likewise, students can inquire about potential career positions following an internship.
University Career Services
Another major tool for international students seeking engineering summer internships is the universities career services department. Career Services are not just there to help graduating students find jobs, but also to help current students to find internships. Career counselors can assist students in finding internships that fit their exact interests. In addition, career services employees usually have access to companies that have taken interns from the school in the past, and may have the contact information and ability to inquire about potential internships that may not be announced to all students. This is sort of like professional networking, with students having the ability to work with companies who have been satisfied by the work of previous interns.
If international students take the time to really do an in depth search for engineering internships, they will not be disappointed in the wealth of available opportunities.