Going abroad to study cannot be improvised ! First of all, are you leaving for the right reasons? Here are 5 which are the ones to remember.
Learn a foreign language
Being bilingual seems to be a necessity these days. And what better way to learn a foreign language than total immersion ? Continuous practice of a language with native speakers is the best way to master it.
Thanks to your studies, you may even have a technical vocabulary specific to a field of expertise (management, finance, communication, etc.). An invaluable asset for recruiters . In addition to the professional advantage, mastering other languages will allow you to make friends more easily and why not settle in the country later! But don’t kid yourself, even on the spot it takes time to become a multilingual. Allow at least three months for a good command of the language.
A one-year stay is of course the ideal .
Do not miss
Do you want to meet foreign universities or establishments offering international courses? We invite you to the Studyrama International Training Fair organized across France.
A unique opportunity to discover the establishments and to discuss with the educational managers to ask them all your questions!
Discover a new culture
Globalization has made most cultures uniform , but not completely! Each keeps its specificities. It can then be interesting to discover other ways of life, it will give you a greater openness of mind . You will find that there are different ways of thinking and looking at things. Thanks to a sharp critical mind, you will now have points of comparison to judge events at home or elsewhere.
Personal development guaranteed
Left on your own, this journey into an unknown land will give you maturity . Without your loved ones, you will have to fend for yourself. A unique experience to gain self-confidence ! You will thus learn to know yourself better but also to open up to others. On the strength of your numerous encounters and your new resourcefulness, you will come back transformed .
Learn differently
The teaching methods are not the same elsewhere as here, at home! You will have to adapt to a learning environment where the rules are different. For example, in Anglo-Saxon countries, teachers encourage personal reflection in the restitution of lessons.
Likewise, homework is not handwritten but all typed up on the computer, just like in professional life!
Don’t panic: you will surely be up to the task. If you are accepted to a foreign school , it usually means that you are a good student. In fact, the selection is most often made on file and according to the motivation displayed.
Promote your CV
The ultimate goal of studying abroad is to enhance one’s education. In this era of globalization , an international career has more value for the recruiter. It shows that you are autonomous , open-minded with a certain intellectual curiosity. Living outside France also means having to show ingenuity and adaptation . Qualities highly sought after in the world of work. In addition, this experience abroad will be the way to differentiate yourself from others and more easily find your place in the job market. Don’t forget to write it on your CV !
“I learned to live far from home and to integrate myself into a new environment”
Anaïs, 22, went to study for a year in Marburg, Germany
“I wanted to go abroad for a year to add a ‘plus’ to my CV. Thanks to Erasmus, I had a grant to finance my trip and I was given priority to have a room in a student residence. In Germany, my training did not have a specific name. I had to create it myself by drawing from the courses that I found useful. I had specifications that I had to respect (take courses in economics, translation, geopolitics, civilization, etc.) in order to be able to validate my license. I learned to live far from my friends and family while managing to integrate into a new environment. I now know that I can easily move to the other side of the world if my employer asks me to. If you have the opportunity to go with Erasmus, do so. It’s very easy. You will then be able to “experience Europe”, this Europe that some qualify as harmful or non-existent. I can say it: Europe does exist, for who makes these exchanges! “
And if you don’t want to go alone …
Going solo and on your own is a real pleasure for some. For others, however, the initiative seems perilous and requires courage. It is true that the obstacles exist : choice of training, health insurance , high cost of travel and residence in the foreign country …
For a majority of students, a little cautious at the idea of piling up this paperwork , there is a solution: exchange programs, the best known of which is Erasmus +. These were created to promote student mobility as much as possible. However, do not expect to be able to leave off the cuff. In this area, no miracle: a departure for abroad is being prepared. So count to the minimumone year before the scheduled departure date , if only for registrations.
