Often the employers are not aware of all the formalities involved when an intern is also a foreign national. In most cases you will have to find out for yourself whether you need a visa and/or a work permit. And you will certainly have to find out which papers you need to show the authorities in the other country.

Remember that once you are abroad, you are responsible for yourself. You have to make sure that the internship is of good quality, and you have to look out for your own welfare and safety. Keep your institution back home informed of how the internship is going. If you can, agree beforehand on when and with whom you will exchange regular e-mails. It is also fine to hear a voice from home now and then, so if possible agree also on an occasional telephone call. All parties involved in your internship have to keep their promises. The situation needs to be clear to everyone, so be open and honest with yourself, with the people back home (your institution and your family), and above all with the company employee who is supervising your internship. Be sure to start making your arrangements well in advance because everything will take longer than you think. But if you have prepared your internship well, you will have a unique and unforgettable learning experience. And these words of warning will have been worthwhile.

Olga Marschal, Cospa Coordinator, Netherlands Organization for International Cooperation in Higher Education. Cospa stands for Coordinating Office for Student Placements Abroad. Cospa is a network of internship coordinators working at Dutch universities and other higher education institutions. See http://www.nuffic.nl .

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