해외특별취재: 미국 미주리대학교 해외인턴쉽 프로그램
This is the first part of the 3-part special series on various topics covered through the 2012 Winter Overseas Coverage of the CNU Press and Broadcasting Center. This first article is about overseas internship programs. – Ed.
For most students, internship may be a synonym for employment. Company absorption of interns can possibly be one of the main factors to induce high competition amongst Korean students for internship opportunities in different companies. With this, internship has been considered to be a vital factor in the college experience as it serves as an employment springboard for graduates.
Amongst the internship programs that Chonnam National University (CNU) has been offering to its students, the Office of International Affairs (OIA) has been at the forefront of recruiting students for overseas internship programs. These programs have garnered attention from CNU students as it does not only provide on-site familiarity but overseas experience that includes language skill development depending on what country the student will be sent to. However, as a foreign program of its own, there are limitations, and the program is different from what we traditionally know as ‘internship’.
The Asian Affairs Center (AAC) of the University of Missouri-Columbia (MU) in the United States is one of the strongest long-term partners of CNU that provides our students with the chance to glimpse at the American work culture. Currently, CNU sends its students to two of the AAC’s flagship programs, the International Leadership, Excellence and Professionalism (I-LEAP) Program and the English and Professional Immersion (EPI) Program. I-LEAP is a 16-week program where participating students spend a month period for orientation and a 10-week internship program while EPI is a short 6-week program where students spend 3 days with the AAC for professional seminars and cultural immersion classes and 2 days of on-site internship experience. The Chonnam Tribune met 4 students from CNU sent to the EPI program for winter during the duration of their program.
“Different than Expected”
Kim Jin-ri (Senior, Dept. of Horticulture Biotechnology), one of the interns, said, “The program is not what I had thought of; it is not the professional internship program that I was looking forward to.” She added that it would be better if the OIA have had explained this to students before deciding to leave for the program. Kim was designated to help in an infirmary located at a Columbian school. And while she believed that the program is ‘definitely better than a regular language program abroad’, one of the major issues of the interns sent to AAC programs is the small financial support that they get from CNU. “I hope that CNU increases the one million won support that it gives to its interns.” According to the OIA website, the total amount needed by a student who would like to join the EPI program adds up to be more than $6,000 USD and for the 16-week I-LEAP program, the numbers rise up to more than $10,000 USD per person. Kim said that other Korean universities which send their students to the same program offer more support such as roundtrip flight arrangements among others.
Lesley Sapp, EPI Coordinator, explained that AAC gives a huge consideration to connect the student interns to placements related with their majors back home or their past experiences in order to provide growth in that field and expertise at a larger scale. “Placements are based on the experiences that students have had before and what they have learned from it. EPI is not a skill-based internship; it is a time for the student interns to grow, reflect, and then maybe apply what they have learned here to their future job environment.” The I-LEAP Program Coordinator, Melody Von Engeln, explained that while the AAC and MU tries its best for the interns. “The resources of Columbia are limited but we do our best to put the students in work places where they can use the professional English that they have learned and come out and be confident in using that language.” The coordinators from AAC build as well with the broader perspective instilled through seminars and classes that the center provides mandatorily to the interns.
Employment Support for Overseas Interns
“The sad reality is that the supply is high, but the demand is low,” said Kim Sang-sun, AAC Director referring to the employment opportunities of the student interns sent to MU. “The internship program capitalizes on developing the different paradigms of human nature to our student interns.” He referred to the character-building process that student interns undergo in the program. Breaking cultural stereotypes and confidence building is one of the key factors that the program offers to prospective applicants.
However, the coordinators pointed out that the network built through the program is rather one of the most attractive points of the internship. “As AAC runs other programs such as global leadership fellowships with high-ranking government officials and distinguished people, students who undergo the internship have the opportunity to meet these ‘unreachable’ people in a very direct and personal manner,” said the EPI coordinator. She gave the example of one student who was majoring in nuclear physics who was directly connected with a company CEO who works with nuclear energy.
As well, the students are offered aid from the International Student Career Services (ISCS) if they are interested in future placements. Tips about interviews and how to market their experience in MU to future employers are given to the student interns. Student interns can access all the benefits of a regular student in MU once they enter the program.
Attaining a high-level of language proficiency is basic. Student interns have the chance to learn ‘Living English’, which consists of professional jargon, slang, and other parts of the English language that cannot be seen in textbooks.
Tips for Prospective CNU Student Interns
Yoon Ji-yoon (Senior, Dept. of Mathematics) said that students should prepare in advance if they want to avail of this opportunity. “As English scores are required, students should prepare for this in their early years in college, preferably until sophomore year.” Jeong Shin-hee (Senior, Dept. of English Lang. and Lit.) encouraged students to make friendships and make the best out of their time in the internship while Kim Geun-eh (Senior, Dept. of Electrical Engineering) said that students should be open to ask everything that they are curious about.
While overseas internships are not the ones that we are expecting, the education-oriented programs that CNU offers through partner universities such as MU hits two birds with one stone. Or should I say, hitting ‘many’ birds with one stone.
By Rigoberto Banta Jr., Head Student Editor
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