IAESTE internship – your gateway to an international internship
Thanks to Google alert, I stumbled upon an interesting article in The Hindu which talked about IAESTE internship program through which Indian students could explore an international internship for summer 2012. Curiosity led to a quick chat with Dr. Susan Chirayath, Secretary IAESTE’s India – Karunya University chapter and I believe this could be a really good opportunity for students looking for an international internship. The internship opportunities are available to students of various streams such as Engineering, Science, Economics, Commerce, Management, English etc. A large part of the financial burden (stay, boarding etc.) is covered through a stipend by the foreign employer which also is a plus point. Curious to know how it works and if you could apply? The applications are open for the summer of 2013. No last date has been mentioned, so the earlier, the better. Read on…
What is IAESTE: – The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience (IAESTE, http://www.iaeste.org) is an association of national committees representing academic, industrial and student interests. The Association was founded in January 1948 at Imperial College, London. IAESTE is an independent, not-for-profit, non-political organization in operational and consultative relationship with several agencies of United Nations. It has presently grown to include over 84 countries. Annually, IAESTE exchanges more than 6,000 students world wide. The Indian chapter of IAESTE is located at Karunya University (http://www.karunya.edu/iaeste/details.html)
About Internship Program: – IAESTE training placements are available in industrial and commercial organizations, research institutes, laboratories and academic institutions covering a wide range of disciplines in Engineering & Technology, Natural Sciences and other allied subjects including Economics, Commerce, Management and English. The internships usually last 8-12 weeks between June-December.
The program works on the principle of reciprocity where each country hosts as many foreign students for internships as many it sends from home country to other countries. For example, if IAESTE India chapter is able to sign MoU with different corporates, research labs, and academic institutes in India to provide internship to say 40 foreign students, then 40 students from India can be provided with an internship in other countries. Needless to say the competition is fierce. Last year around 25 Indian students from Karunya University, IITs, NITs, JNTU, AISSMS, Pune, and other institutes had gone to Austria, Brazil, Colombia, Germany, Iran, Mexico, Oman, Portugal, Syria, Thailand and U.K for their internships.
Who can apply through this program: – You can apply for an IAESTE placement provided you are:
– Currently enrolled in an Indian institution as a full-time student of Engineering, Natural Sciences and others like Economics, Commerce, Languages and Agriculture or related fields. The complete list of eligible disciplines can be found here.
– An undergraduate usually in your penultimate year of study and over the age of 19 (although final year students are sometimes placed). Students in their first year cannot apply. This is because IAESTE employers always require a student who has completed at least 2 years of their course.
How does the process work: – Once a student registers (here), he/she would receive an intranet login and password to view all the internship opportunities in foreign countries that become available from time to time (most of it after the general conference of IAESTE held in January every year) and may indicate 3-4 that he/she is most interested in. IAESTE-India-KU selection panel would review all applications and one student will be chosen per placement according to qualifications, previous practical experience, language abilities, level of interest and general suitability for the position.
At the end of this selection process, one Indian student will be chosen for each foreign training offer available. IAESTE India – KU will then forward your completed application to the IAESTE office in the host country; it will be their responsibility to liaise with the employer and ascertain whether you have been accepted. Because of the stringent matching process and the fact that ultimately only one student may be nominated for a foreign placement, at least 95% of IAESTE nominees are accepted by foreign employers. Needless to say demand often exceeds the supply and hence not every student is guaranteed to secure a foreign internship.
How much does it cost: – A student has to pay Rs. 1,000/- as registration fee (non-refundable) to become an IAESTE – India – KU member. In addition IAESTE would charge Rs. 3,500/- towards every successful placement. Please note that IAESTE is a not-for-profit organization.
By when would I know the results: – The entire process takes 1-2 months post foreign offer being available in January, so I would say you should know by March end.
Will it be a paid internship: – Yes. Stipend vary from country to country and often from company to company. Participating employers are asked to pay trainees enough to cover the local cost of living which includes food, accommodation and travel to and from work place. Please note that airfare, personal travel insurance, and visa fee etc. are to be paid by the selected student himself.
Great, all set, what next: – Please visit IAESTE India KU page for more information and to get started with the registration process. No last date has been mentioned, so the earlier the better- hurry! Wish you all the best!
Editor’s note: – Information above is my interpretation and paraphrasing of what I found on the shared link and basis a telephonic chat with the IAESTE India secretary Dr. Susan Chirayath. If you have any more specific information on this internship or have interned through this program before and would like to share your experience, please leave a comment.
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IAESTE logo credit – http://www.alu.ua.es/i/iaeste/logo%20IAESTE.gif
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