Chemistry Internships Abroad

Upon graduation, chemistry majors face a competitive job market. To gain workplace experience that can put them ahead of their peers, there is no better option than a chemistry science internship abroad. International internships will not only teach you the ins and outs of the chemistry workplace, but it will allow you to travel to a different country, where you can develop new language skills, operate within a vastly different professional workplace, and increase your ability to communicate internationally, all skills employers often seek in the 21st century corporate landscape.

Earning a chemistry degree can be an overwhelming process, the succession of difficult coursework in math, science, and general electives can keep any skilled student busy. Chemistry students, therefore, often miss out on the opportunity to study abroad, because they think that their required courses won’t be offered in their country of choice or that they don’t have the time or resources to go abroad. Students who are interested in studying abroad can keep ahead of the curve and stay on track with their degree program by considering a chemistry internship abroad, which will be an investment that will benefit their education and professional prospects in the future.

Not to mention, chemistry internships abroad enable students to step out of their comfort zone and enjoy new experiences. Traveling abroad is the maker of great men and women, as exposure to new people with different life experiences, ways of speaking, and cultural identities, encourages you to develop your sense of self. Students will return from interning abroad more fascinated with the field of chemistry, interested in world events, and well rounded in their personal and professional lives.

Fortunately, chemistry is an field found everywhere, so students can secure a chemistry internship abroad in nearly any country. When choosing a location, keep in mind that, although much of business internationally is conducted in English, language requirements in the workplace may be strict in some countries.

In Europe, Germany is a big manufacturer of commodity chemicals. Germany’s chemical industry is tied to its universities, where large-scale chemistry research projects are undertaken. Interns are often drawn to England, not only because English is spoken there, but because the opportunity to live and work in London, one of the most diverse and fast-paced cities in the world, is professionally rewarding. Interning in Spain is an excellent option as well, especially if you have Spanish language skills, as admissions committees are rapidly seeking those with Spanish competency moving into graduate level medical schools.

South Africa provides a new and exciting opportunity for chemistry science internships abroad, including many positions in the medical research field. A charming country with metropolitan English-speaking cities, South Africa is beautiful country with friendly people and a respectful workplace atmosphere. Ghana, as a growing nation, is beginning to recruit chemistry interns for their burgeoning food and drug industry. Interning in Ghana provides an excellent opportunity to practice chemistry skills in an area where advancements in chemistry make a great impact on the daily life of locals.

A chemical magnet, China, has boundless opportunities for international chemistry internships. From large-scale production to small research projects in specialty fields, China trains skilled laboratory chemists and provides tremendous networking prospects.

Though your chemistry internship abroad can be very different based on the location you choose and the subset of the chemical industry you choose to work in, the day-to-day operations of a chemistry internship will look fairly similar.

The majority of interns will spend a large portion of their workday in the laboratory, supervising mechanized procedures and recording relevant data. Interns are also expected to meet with their research teams and provide summarized reports and general hypotheses from collected data. Lab work is the essential portion of any chemistry science internship abroad; employers post-graduation find that laboratory classroom experience in recent graduates is decreasing, so supplementing your university experience in the lab with an internship abroad is an excellent way to cement your status as an excellent candidate.

Much of the professional industry uses chemistry interns and graduates to work in the pharmaceutical industry, testing chemical drugs on biological processes, minimizing side effects while maximizing the intended effect of the medicines. Another big field recruiting interns is the food and beverage industry, which requires an in-depth knowledge of chemistry to ascertain the safety of new products on the market.

Then, there are a handful of specialized chemical fields, including chemists working in the oil and petrochemical industry, the paint and plastics subset, and a variety of bulk commodity chemicals companies. All these divisions of the field may potentially hire interns to complete essential lab work and other tasks. Specialized chemical fields all depend on chemists to make sure that manufactured chemical products, whether being pumped into your car or used to clean your counters, are safe for human use.

By combining practical job experience with a chance to see a new part of the world, interning abroad is one of the smartest ways to advance your career and personal development. Traveling outside of your home country, and completing a chemistry internship,will help you to appreciate the field, look at chemistry from a new perspective, and complete your coursework and professional tasks more proficiently in the future.

When chemistry majors graduate they have an important decision to make: work in the diverse field of chemistry or go onto graduate level programs, including attending competitive medical and veterinary schools. A chemistry student may pass through their entire undergraduate experience and on to professional school without stepping out into the real work job market. Therefore, participating in a chemistry internship abroad will be a huge boost to your resume and add laboratory aptitude to your list of talents. A chemistry internship abroad takes your education one step further, adding competency in the field in an international environment to your resume as well, and possibly an additional language, which is desired by many employers in both the educational and professional fields related to chemistry