Imagine living in a foreign country: knowing no one, going to a school where English is a second language and, faced with these challenges, trying to find a job.

Ohio State students have the opportunity to study in almost any part of the world, but finding work abroad can be difficult.

“It’s not always easy to find meaningful work,” said Cheryl Ryan, director of international programs at the Fisher College of Business. “Many students end up being bartenders abroad.”

Ryan said the main cause of this problem is there are not many good jobs.

“To get a job abroad, it is best to have personal contacts,” Ryan said. “Maybe someone you have worked for in the U.S. has an overseas office.”

Other challenges also complicate the problem, she said.

“Work permits are often hard to come by,” Ryan said. “Plus, it is difficult to manage studying and working abroad at the same time. Often students do one or the other.”

If students do decide to try to find an internship abroad, there are resources on campus that can help.

The International Association of Students in Economics and Business chapter at OSU is an internship-trading program in which students in different countries work to find internships for each other, Ryan said.

An OSU student will find an internship for a foreign student and, in turn, the student abroad will find an internship for the OSU student.

This organization, known by its French acronym AIESEC, is not the only study-abroad-internship organization.

Stephanie Ford, director of career services in the Colleges of the Arts and Sciences, described several organizations that provide assistance.

The International Association for the Exchange of Students for Technical Experience is a placement organization for engineering and natural science students. It can also help students who have already found an internship abroad get their work permits.

The American-Scandinavian Foundation also offers placements and permits for students traveling to Scandinavian countries.

The BUNAC work-abroad program is the only way for students to get a work permit without already having a job offer.

If the student chooses to find an internship without the help of OSU, Transitions Abroad can provide some assistance, Ryan said.

Ryan also said students can try to contact chambers of commerce for their chosen country of study.

“The German-American Chamber of Commerce trades students between the countries … this is the No. 1 route to a good internship,” Ryan said.

Debra Lowry, assistant dean of the College of Humanities, said students should contact their faculty advisers in humanities departments to identify appropriate internship opportunities which will likely serve their academic and long-term professional interests.

Lowry said an example of such internships is in the department of Germanic languages and literatures.

“(This department) sponsors students seeking international internships and works with students to integrate internships experiences into study abroad programs,” she said.

Students can receive credit for the internship itself, as well as credit for courses in German that apply to the major, with departmental approval, Lowry said.

No matter how a student finds an internship abroad, most will agree that the experience is beneficial.

“Any international experience is a huge benefit,” Ryan said. “If it is the same job in Columbus and Berlin, Berlin, in my opinion, puts the student way ahead.

“But, if it is between waiting tables in Berlin or working for Proctor and Gamble here, it is up to the student to decide at that point whether they want a good job or a cultural experience.”