Internships and Volunteering

When searched up, an internship is a period of work experience offered by an organization for a limited period of time. But simply put, internships are a pseudo-office experience, which helps you gain a hands-on opportunity to work in your desired field.

Volunteering is putting any skills you have to use to help better society, environment, lives, etc. It is similar to an internship but offers more social work credits than work experience.

Another difference is that an internship is more strict and professional as compared to volunteering, which is much looser in regulations.

Having both in your applications and resumes helps show that you are a well-rounded student, with work experience as well as community service merit.

Let's look at their importance in education across some countries of the world.

Sweden

Sweden is known for being a multicultural society, priding itself on accepting people from all around the world with over 30,000 people from around the world.

If you fly to Sweden for an internship, you will need citizenship and will be paid accordingly. There are however qualifications that a citizen is meant to meet to be able to intern in companies. A citizen has to be at least 19 years old and will have to know how to communicate in both English and Swedish fluently.

If you are a student in Sweden, looking out to volunteer for a part-time job, there are multiple online websites to help you find work. You can also look out for ads in school and around your neighbourhood.

There are of course qualifications that you would have to meet as a student to take up certain jobs like; being at least 15 years old. As a student, you are allowed to choose the hours you would like to work but at least 40 hours of study time a week is compulsory.

Students have lots of job opportunities like being a waiter, cashier, assistant, sales advisor, receptionist, and others. You should also be able to speak both English and Swedish to apply for these jobs.

Volunteering in neighbourhoods for students during summers is also available. Going to the local municipalities known as stads which are around the city. Students can then apply for a small summer job that is paid. They also get to choose the days they would want to work for.

USA

Internships and volunteering are one of the main aspects a college looks for in a student in the United States. They are very beneficial to students in various different ways. Both of these activities help you have a much bigger network since you get to work with professionals that could help you in the future. They help you stay connected with so many people that can support you and provide good recommendations in the future for scholarships and college. These opportunities can also help you gain valuable work experience. When you’re applying to schools, you need some foundation to prove to admissions officers that you are fit for their programs. With internships, you learn skills like working with different software and try to understand what you think is the best fit for you. Not only are internships helpful for admissions, but they also teach you how to save money. Since you are receiving compensation for your work, you can learn how to handle your money. Many high school students use what they receive to save up for college tuition and other studies.

UAE

The UAE stresses the culture of volunteering, promoting sustainable development and building a better future for new generations. The UAE has many organisations that engage in volunteering activities and community service including a national volunteering portal which supports volunteering activities across the country.

Having interning and volunteering experience helps in receiving education opportunities such as easier admission and scholarships students who give back to their community through volunteer service hours are 19percent more likely to graduate from college or school on time. Volunteer experience provides a sense of who you are that ur academic record alone cant demonstrate being a volunteer lets scholarship committees know that they are a leader.

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Authors

• Shivika Varshney: USA

• Adithi Natarajan: Sweden

• Anika Varshney: UAE