DD asking me for advice- Summer internship Vs Travel in Asia

[bellylaughs]

For once DD had actually asked my advice and I’m stumped. Shes currently in 2nd year Geography at a RG Uni. She’s torn between travelling around Thailand with her friends for a month this summer or applying for a (hopefully!) career-enhancing summer internship.

I can see the advantages to both and she has the money saved so she could afford the trip. Usually I would always say travel but these days my friends kids all seem to be doing internships and I don’t want to advise her to travel and then she regrets it when it comes to the job applications next year.

…at the end of the day it’s obviously her decision but I’d like to add my advice since she asked! Any mumsnet knowledge would be very helpful.

I am an RG STEM academic and in my observation of my personal tutees an internship is a huge advantage when it comes to career options. Just saying

Voluntarily work in Thailand would look good. I did a week volunteering with dogs at The Elephant Nature Park around an hour drive from Chiang Mai. The Elephant Volunteering was full of students. It would be a good way to meet people.

So is having children but you wouldn't suggest that?

@Mercurial123

It’s only my opinion. I have a scientific and veterinary background (large animal) and unfortunately volunteering abroad as you describe doesn’t impress. Yes when you are a professional and can actually diagnose and treat, but not just helping out and taking away employment from locals. I thought gap year white saviour was a wee bit frowned upon now.

I do think having children impacts the world and our impression on it. Yes it is irresponsible to have lots of children and expect a 1st world lifestyle without any consequences.

It’s easier and more palatable to control leisure travel though rather than population control.

Internship. It's her last chance to do one before finishing uni. She can travel once she's finished her degree before starting work.

@Workerbeep vet students go abroad and run spay clinics for free, which seems a good thing to do ? And it counts towards the endless EMS. They do this on their own so no drain on local resources.
Go travelling wherever and whenever you can. One flight there and the rest on trains or local buses. Meet people, broaden horizons, learn new skills and just have fun. Our kids gave the rest of their lives to work and have missed out in so much surely a summer if fun is allowed.
Internships are great but you can do one after you finish your degree and then go straight into a job if lucky.

I would have said the opposite.
It's hard to spend a prolonged period of time travelling once you're in a job, and she can apply for an internship after university, if it's likely to beneficial.
Of course, if she walks straight into a job after university, then the internship wasn't needed anyway.

Veterinary students are quite a minority niche group though. They don’t run the spay clinics themselves and they have to pay; so it’s quite exclusive.

most owners in U.K. would rather have the key hole neutering for their bitches and I’d be surprised the charity clinics abroad do that surgery. So it’s still all a bit of a bit of a jolly in my view.

Hope you enjoy your UK holidays and not pollute the environment by travelling overseas.

@Workerbeep DD didn't pay ? They paid her. And most of the animals don't have owners as they are street cats and dogs so think they were happy with whatever op was done. Not sure doing 14 hour days in a corrugated iron hut in 90 degree humidity counts as my idea of a jolly.

Travel. Take a year out and go see the world. You will never regret it. It gives you skills that will be useful in any job.

@Mercurial123 yes you are right, I don’t do holidays abroad. In fact I don’t really do holidays in the U.K. but can visit family only for a day or two due to animal and caring commitments.

But in fairness vetmed students have a pretty defined future career path. Those reading history, geography, languages or whatever don't. Some relevant work experience or an internship can make a huge difference when applying for graduate jobs. It is very likely that at this point they will be competing against hundreds or thousands of others.

@mumsneedwine I stand corrected and it’s changed then since my day.
wish your daughter every success in a very challenging career.

They will. But the confidence, people skills and organisational skills that come from travelling come in pretty valuable in the jobs market. Yes, if you can get a well paid internship then maybe it has some merit, but you can do them after Uni too.
There is more to life than work. And our kids will be working until they are 70. Go have some fun first.

@Workerbeep thank you. It seems a bit of a hard career to me, but she seems to like it.

Internship could be literally life changing. Much more likely to get a good job after/ potentially even ask for a deferred start to work. I’d have suggested she apply for internship as she might not be successful. If not successful, travel. Even if is successful see if can manage both during the long summer. But definitely worth trying for the internship as they literally can make a career more likely to happen. Gaps and travelling is also life changing but jn a different way and the opportunity will be there later

Haven’t read all responses but some internship applications have closed already, many close end of year of early Jan for summer 2023. So should be applying now.
My older son applied for maybe 10, got one and withdrew from others part way through. Useful, discovered he did want to do actuarial science and was offered a job after graduating in same company. Definitely friends who’d done any internship got more interviews in final year, if not going back to same company.

Travel!! She has the rest of her life for work but big trips get harder and harder to take as you get older. I’d advise going as far and for as long as possible.

You can also travel between jobs/work too, not just whilst at or immediately after uni. I did, multiple times, and many others do too. Just saying! Travel is an option at any time if it's something you really want to do.

I've hired many graduates and so I'd say internship assuming that the internship is related to her future career plans.

If it isn't related I wouldn't bother.

The difference in interviews between someone with and without practical work experience is significant. At a guesstimate I'd say 90% of the grads we hire have internships or relevant work experience

A lot will depend on what her eventual ambitions are. If travelling is a priority she might consider teaching, which does not require internships and which allows for long summer holidays throughout her career. However if she is aiming for something more specialised or competitive, she needs to build her CV, experience and networks as much as she can. It is a tough world out there.

In many careers there is scope to work abroad. Two or three years living and working in a different country/culture is, to me, much more rewarding than a summer backpacking.

@Rainbowshit I meant to tag OP as I'm not disagreeing with you Rainbow, just to clarify! Internship while the opportunity is there. Travel will always be an option. ☺️

Good point on timing. Many students have been working veyr hard this term and Xmas holiday to get applications in on the internship programmes before the up coming or already passed deadlines so it may be that it is too late for next summer for some of the typical 1 or 2 weeks you do as an undergraduate (which always leave loads and loads of time for travel)

asia 100000% Such an experience

Internship or another summer job. Holidays are amazing and wonderful and won't tell an employer anything on a CV.
I work in a foreign language summer school in July- August and almost 50% of our staff are university students.
I'd find it off-putting if I received a CV from a graduate with no work experience. I'd wonder how their were going to hack the world of work and it would be one of the questions they'd be asked.