3 good reasons to live an experience abroad

Between 2005 and 2015, the number of students in the world increased by 53%. If this trend is confirmed, UNESCO estimates that by 2025 , the world will have 300 million students, including 9 million in international mobility. Thus, going abroad to study or work there for 6 months or more is a growing trend for the years to come.

Whether you are a French or international student, having an experience abroad represents real added value for your career. In this article, we give you 3 good reasons why you should be able to tick the “experience abroad” box before starting your career.

Discover another culture and strengthen self-confidence

Having an experience abroad strengthens your ability to adapt to a new and sometimes even complex environment.

Going to study or work abroad , as an intern or volunteer, is a good way to discover new cultures through contact with international profiles. Indeed, this experience helps to detach you from your habits and to develop your capacity to adapt by confronting you with the language barrier. Having such an experience abroad, for 4 or 6 months, is an excellent way to get out of your comfort zone. It is also an opportunity to discover a new way of learning, of studying, of interacting in class or of working in a team. For example, many French students are amazed at the way lessons go when they are abroad.

In fact, in Anglo-Saxon countries, classes often start with discussion groups, where students tell others about their significant experiences of the day before, or highlight 3 positive points of their day. These group exercises thus help to strengthen the students’ abilities to speak and express themselves in public, in order to improve their eloquence. Going to study or work abroad therefore helps to improve sociability, the expression of one’s ideas, and consequently self-confidence. Finally, having an experience abroad strengthens your ability to adapt to a new and sometimes even complex environment.

Fluent in a language

We advise you not to be ashamed of expressing yourself and especially not to be afraid of making mistakes.

Faced with the language barrier, you will have no choice but to try as best you can to express yourself by practicing the language of the country in which you are. Immersion is the best way to be fluent in a language since it allows you to master it down to the smallest detail by practicing it every day, in dinners or in the evenings. This experience thus promotes your ability to concentrate and even strengthens your proactivity.

Indeed, the students who progress the most during their studies, their exchange or their internship abroad are generally those who make the effort to talk a lot, whatever the context, or the time of day. So, to take full advantage of this experience, we advise you not to be ashamed of expressing yourself and above all not to be afraid of making mistakes! Be careful though: it will be very easy to meet people of your own nationality, and to find yourself in a comfortable situation by only exchanging in your mother tongue. If you find yourself in this situation, force yourself to speak another language.

Give your career a boost

Going abroad is a good way to develop your language skills, expand your CV and boost your career!

To strengthen your CV and make your profile more credible, it is essential to be able to demonstrate that you have strong adaptability and a very broad open-mindedness. Justifying an experience abroad is in this sense an excellent indicator for recruiters. Thus, going abroad is a good way to develop your language skills, expand your CV and boost your career!

According to a study by Courrier International , each year, 5% of young Europeans decide to continue their studies abroad , the motivation of the great majority being to acquire professional experience. Thus, having lived abroad would be proof of a good ability to easily solve problems, achieve goals and quickly understand complex business situations.

According to a study by PWC entitled ” World economy in 2050: 6 of the top seven world powers will be emerging economies “, the top 5 world powers in 2050 will be in order China, India, the United States, the Indonesia and Brazil. France only appears in 12th position, behind Turkey and just before Saudi Arabia. Knowing how to evolve in such a context and deal with citizens of these countries will therefore be an obligation. In this sense, the experience abroad is an undeniable asset for your CV.

In this regard, we recently wrote an article about the Top 6 cities to study abroad !

In conclusion

In an interview given to Courrier international, Lilian Goberna, director of Go Consulting, underlines the idea according to which, thanks to the experience abroad : “ We mainly work on intrapersonal intelligence (self-confidence, emotional stability and tenacity in the face of adversity), interpersonal qualities (sociability, expression of ideas, negotiation and knowing how to work in a team), and more work-oriented skills (capacity for analysis, decision-making, planning and initiative ) ”.

Thus, going abroad to study, or work as an internship or as a volunteer is an excellent way to develop one’s knowledge and skills.