6 TIPS FOR AIESEC CULTURAL INTERNSHIP

I was playing for a long time with the idea of ​​whether to go on cultural internship with AIESEC or not. When I ended my MBA, I decided to travel. I was thinking about traveling solo, which is everywhere today, but I finally chose to have a safety net. And how I prepared for it? 

I made the final decision ​​in May. So I contacted Aiesec and everything started. I did a research on the possibilities and where I would like to go. Then I started a cooperation with Prague AIESEC. 

1. INTERVIEW 

The meeting with the AIESEC people has been rather in a friendly spirit. Anyway, you have to be clear about why you want to go, what you expect from the internship (it is NOT a luxury vacation), what is your experience, how well do speak English (or another language, Spanish is needed as well), what is happening in the world (e.g. do not visit Africa nowadays due to Ebola), and so forth. Of course, prepare questions because it is harder to solve them by email. Well, the next day you will know the result. If it is positive, nothing will stand in your way. And sign a contract.

2. PRESENTATION OF THE ENTIRE PROCESS AND SEARCHING THE INTERNSHIP

You are your own master of happiness, no one will do the job for you. At the meeting, AIESEC members will explain everything in detail and then you create a login and start looking. You are replying by email to internships and AIESEC gives you a login to their Gmail account, where you can find some templates. I recommend that you research where the school is so that you will not be surprised that you are in the inland instead of under the palm trees. This depends a lot on your preferences. However, you begin to receive various invitations - I got an invitation from Pakistan, Taiwan or Vietnam.

3.  STAY OPEN TO ALL POSSIBILITIES

I was persuaded that I go to Indonesia. However, the city which I wanted had no internship that I liked. I had no desire for working with small children, I wanted to have discussion with teenagers. Then I noticed an invitation from Brazil and I did a research. In the next stage, I went through every single country. The final decision was between Peru and Brazil. Who would have said it at the beginning. 

4. INTERVIEWS WITH AIESEC AROUND THE WORLD

For this step, I was in total fear, but things went smoothly. It was friendly conversation instead of serious interviews which we experience in companies. You tell about yourself, what you like, why this country and the city, what attracted you to it, what you expect and so on. But everything's fine. I replied to 10 positions and I got accepted to every single one. So no worries. 

5. FINAL DECISION 

For me, this was by far the hardest step. I knew that I wanted to go to Brazil. A north part because the south has pretty cold weather. The survey is really worth it! Finally, I was deciding between Salvador and Aracaju. I like big cities, so I was attracted to Salvador. But Brazil has a lot of thefts. Five million dollar Salvador started to scare me. Meanwhile, Aracaju is presented as a smaller city (anyway, it has half a million people) and beautiful beaches. Plus I can visit Salvador in 5 hours by bus. I decided to go to Aracaju. Listen to your instinct. I feel like a fish in water in a big city, but I want to change the lifestylecand have a little calmer internship. 

6. CONFIRMATION OF INTERNSHIP

As a final step, Aiesec will send an EP letter. You sign, send to the local AIESEC and finally receive an acceptance letter. 

In the next article, I will write tips regarding air tickets and other preparations for the training program. Now I have had a third day in Brazil, and on Tuesday, I begin teaching. I look forward to it!