Why you should work or study abroad

Experience Cultural Immersion

The very best part of all traveling is the opportunity for new experiences.  Studying or working abroad gives you an even more expanded opportunity for this.  The longer stay and more intimate interactions with locals provide you with new and wonderful cultural experiences and customs. If you open yourself up to it you can truly experience another way of life. Attending your job or school gives you the experience of every day life in your chosen country in a way a vacation never can.

Utilize Language Immersion

If you  want to further develop your foreign language skills or are just feeling adventurous you can spend your time in a country that speaks a different language than yours. Generally, if you are working or studying abroad it is a much longer term stay then a vacation. This gives you more time to pick-up or perfect your language skills. This is particularly effective if you are not in a country in which many people also speak English. It forces you to have to use your foreign language skills in order to do your daily activities such as shopping, ordering food, traveling and greeting others. I highly reccommend staying with a host family as well if you have the opportunity. In addition to it’s other benefits, it will help you further your daily conversations from basic interactions to more in depth conversation. Even if you aren’t traveling somewhere a different language is spoken you will still learn some fun new words. You would be surprised how many word differences there are between countries who speak the same language. Think how many there are just between different parts of the US or UK. And then there are all the slang words. All kinds of fun and descriptive words to add to your repertoire and bring home with you to share with friends.

Live Like a Local

This is where you go from tourist to experienced visitor or maybe even one day permanent resident. Through the relationships you will build from your school, job or host family you will learn all the best places to see, events to experience and things to eat. In the same way that we hear and learn of things at home in our own city from your friends and daily you will be able to do during your time abroad thus giving you a truly local and one of a kind experience. Like when I got to watch the three kings festival off of my host family’s balcony in Spain or when I took Ryan to local hot spots in my home town.

Build Amazing Relationships

Ryan and I are probably a little biased on this point given that we met when he had come over to America to work at a summer camp, but we definitely aren’t the only ones. We know numerous other international couples who met working together at the same camp that we did , and that’s just our camp! Romantic relationships are just the tip of the iceberg. We have both made lifelong international friends all due to someone’s time spent abroad. Sure we can connect with anyone through the internet now a days but there is something to be said about getting to meet in person. We will forever cherish the relationships we gained, however short or lifelong, through our time abroad.

Expect Personal Growth

There is nothing like being pushed out of your comfort zone, as your time abroad certainly will do, to get you to reassess your lifestyle. Ryan experienced this his first summer working in the U.S.  He was inspired to return back to the U.K and change his major from Biology to working with Children and Young People, a perfect fit for a charismatic and dynamic person like him.  It can also inspire gratefulness for the customs and qualities of home.  And couldn’t we all benefit from a renewed thankfulness for what we already have.  Either way your experiences will cause you to be forever changed.