Why Africa is the Ideal Location for your Abroad Internship
By Moira Callahan
You can regain your independence – bye, Mom and Dad!
Experts say that more young adults aged 18-21 are living at home than during the Great Depression. Just go online, and you’ll see hundreds of articles detailing the issues of living at home together again. Besides learning to work together in a house with 4 people on Zoom, most people can admit to having cabin fever.
For young adults, this is especially hard. These are the years we’re supposed to be launching our careers, our independence, our lives. If you are dying to switch up your routine, doing an internship in Africa is an excellent choice. Everyday more and more people are getting vaccinated, and we hope the world will regain a sense of normalcy.
If you’re worried about trying to plan a whole trip to Africa on top of the covid stress, don’t worry. At Roots, we will guide you through the entire process of going abroad. We help you through funding your trip to getting your visa to picking you up from the airport when you arrive. If you choose not to travel, we offer excellent remote internships. Think about no more homework, no more Zoom classes, and no more school stress. Your only responsibilities will be contributing to a worthy cause and getting experience and college credit* to boot!
*Many colleges are willing to give college credit for internships, just reach out to your school’s department!
You can find yourself.
It sounds corny, but experiencing new things can help with your personal growth. We can’t promise everything will be positive – you might get lost in the city, you might lose your luggage, you might make a mistake at work. But overcoming these challenges will help you grow as a person and become the adult you want to be. They’ll also make excellent stories you can tell your friends when you get back.
We can promise that most of your internship will be great! You could make lifelong friends, you could make great achievements at work, you could change lives just by being there! No matter what we promise that you’ll never forget your time in Africa.
You can go on an adventure!
Most people don’t get the opportunity to travel to Africa in their lifetime. And there’s so much more to the continent than what we’ve seen on television! From the coastal shores of Mozambique to the jungles of Kenya, Africa offers something for everybody.
Don’t trust Toto’s word for it, see those blessed rains down in Africa for yourself.
You will not believe how cheap it is to intern in Africa.
Besides the great currency exchange, spending a semester interning in Africa is far cheaper than most college semesters. In the US, the average college tuition per semester for the 2020-2021 academic year is $37,000 for private colleges, and $10,000 to $27,000 for public colleges. The rates are pretty similar in the UK. Depending on how much you spend on excursions and shopping, your total costs will be handily less expensive. In exchange for a quarter of the price, you get to travel internationally, gain practical work experience, and contribute to a worthy cause!
You can go to a continent that truly needs you.
Now if you have been doing your research, you might know that Africa is a great place to study wildlife conservation, community development, human rights, and education. However, that’s only brushing the surface of the programs that we offer in Africa.
We offer over 15 academic focuses for whatever you are interested in. Are you a business major? We offer internships in business development and marketing for you. Are you in the health sciences? We offer great internships in public health for you. Are you a social science or history major? We offer internships in psychology and counseling, sociology, and women’s empowerment. Whatever your interest or interests, you can also reach out to us at info@rootsinterns.com and we can see if we accommodate your particular needs.
Your conscience and the world will thank you.
With the world in a constant state of high alert these days, it might be beneficial to think outside of yourself for a while. Whether you join us in-person or remotely, you will be helping communities that are truly in need of your assistance. And while we are big supporters of going to school, it can be an additional stressor during an already stressful time.
Africa is an amazing place, but it has important issues that need to be addressed. Gender-based violence rates are high, there’s poverty within townships, children are being pressured into gangsterism and drug and alcohol abuse. Sometimes helping others is actually the best form of self-care.
Your future self will thank you.
In addition to getting the opportunity to go to Africa, you also get to expand your career horizons. International travel is a great way to increase your cultural understanding, develop networking skills, and buff up your resume and cover letter. You will be able to try out a possible career path and be guided by experienced professionals in their respective fields. Even if you decide on a different career path, you’ll receive a great reference letter and actual work experience you can add to your resume. This will put you ahead of the curb when you finally graduate college with an internship under your belt.
