exchange

Question room – Internships for 30+

/ russianladyabroad / 2 Comments

Today we got a question regarding internships and fellowships for ladies 30+. This is a very important issue, especially for those living in developing countries, as it is much more difficult for us to get an invitation for an interview because of the visa issues.

First of all, I would like to remind you that experience is worth nothing for an HR officer if you can’t present it in an excellent CV (Resume). For this reason, I am currently working on a video about creating a perfect EU-CV “from scratch”- but this will take some time.

For now, I would like to bring you some new ideas on how to FIND an internship or a fellowship as a 3d country citizen if you are 30+.

Continue reading →

TOEFL iBT vs. IELTS: one simple difference

/ russianladyabroad / Leave a comment

I read plenty of articles before making my decision, which exam to take for a European Master program. Some of my colleagues with a high English proficiency told me that the TOEFL iBT required in Europe proportionally higher scores than IELTS, as TOEFL iBT is an American exam. Furthermore, TOEFL iBT would be more helpful if one decides to study in the USA.

You know what? My English was really bad when I decided to take the exam. Probably, it was a Pre-Intermediate level – and I needed scores for at least an Upper-Intermediate level. As I was preparing myself for an international Master from the Erasmus Mundus pool, which requires less English knowledge as it was created for students from the third countries, the minimum passing scores for programs were TOEFL iBT 80 for Environmental Science and TOEFL iBT 90 for very simple programs in Economics. There was, however, a program about Mathematical Modeling, which required only TOEFL iBT 75…

Continue reading →

Work & study abroad: defining your real goals. Internship? Work? Volunteering?

/ russianladyabroad / 2 Comments

You got a new great idea: why don’t you go abroad to get some international experience and improve your English? US sounds great, but a friend of yours had an exchange semester in Thailand in 2015, and enjoying some sun while working sounds like a good idea to you. This idea of “doing something abroad” grows in your mind very fast, and one week later you catch yourself looking at immigration laws of different countries – why should you spend only 6 months abroad if you can LIVE abroad?

Take a dep breath and to think very carefully about your goal (see also my article on Motivation). What do you really want? This might give you some ideas:

  • You just want to explore new countries and to look how other people live
  • You want to exchange experience with colleagues from abroad / to improve your qualification
  • You are deeply unsatisfied with your life in your home country / you want to build a new life abroad

As you may imagine, each of these ways will require from you a different level of motivation, investment of your finance and time. It seems obvious that you need to make your mind before starting the preparations, but too many women just jump into it by hearing: “But if you like it there, you get a boyfriend, get married and stay in the country!” Hey, this is something worth considering – but let’s imagine you are a smart girl depending on yourself. So what do you really want?

In this article, I will focus on the first two points, as there are going to be many posts on the smart immigration topic later.

Continue reading →