Students Work Abroad
Students have many opportunities to travel abroad, but one campus organization offers students the chance to work in another country. AIESEC connects 40 U.S. campuses with 800 universities in 97 countries and is sending 14 Ohio State University students to work throughout the world this summer.
This organization gives students the chance to work abroad at schools and orphanages - all at a cost of $500. Ann Bacon, a junior in international studies who taught English in Morocco last summer, said it was a very rewarding experience. "(The Moroccans) were wonderful and so were all the people I met from other places participating in the program," Bacon said. "I am going back to visit my friends in Morocco this summer." This summer her job will be visiting students at their work sites throughout the world, she said.
Bacon spent Tuesday evening promoting the program at the Global Village Festival at the Recreation and Physical Activity Center. AIESEC is originally a French acronym meaning International Association of Students in Economic and Commercial Sciences. It was created in the 1970s and originally helped students obtain corporate jobs abroad. "Whether you want to go abroad or stay local, the organization wants to expand global cultural awareness," said Brittany Thompson, vice president of financial affairs in the organization.
Members participate in cultural events, such as a traditional Indian dinner at OSU and around Columbus. To get into the global program, students pay a $45 application fee plus a $455 internship fee. "It is one of the cheapest ways to work abroad," said Thompson, a senior in international studies.
The fees go toward helping students with transportation to the airport, finding a place to live and showing students around. Students must pay for their own airfare. The cost of living can be covered by a salary. "If the work is unpaid, only room and board will be covered," said Brian Morgan, a senior in political science and president of the organization since May 2005. "But if it is paid work, you will probably break even with the cost of living." The program leaves much room for students to personalize their trip based on their interests.
There are four types of "traineeships" or work categories: management, development and environment, Internet-based, and educational. "Students set up where they go, when they leave, and what type of work they want to do based on their interests," Morgan said.
For more information, visit aiesec.org.ohio-state.edu
