Whazzat?

Any career path is rarely a straight one. Especially when you are starting out, it’s worthwhile to consider all your options; securing international employment is the destination, the ways of getting there are numerous.

• Benjamin A. Gilman International Scholarship
  http://www.iie.org/programs/gilman/

Founded by the Educational Opportunity Act of 2000 the Gilman International Scholarship for undergraduate study abroad has thus far made awards to over 840 undergraduate students from across the United States to study in 70 different nations worldwide.

• International Housesitting
  http://www.escapeartist.com/efam/76/Caretaking_Overseas.html

That’s right -- housesitting on the global stage. This is a brief interview with an older Australian woman who house sits. Includes a link to The Caretaker Gazette (which is a fee-based service, just fyi!).

• Masters International Program - College of Agricultural and Life Sciences, UW-Madison
  http://www.cals.wisc.edu/studyabroad/peace-corps/

“The Masters International program lets you combine Peace Corps service with a graduate degree program. You can earn an advanced degree while getting the training and field experience for which the Peace Corps is renowned.”

• Masters of Engineering in Technical Japanese - College of Engineering, UW-Madison
  http://metj.engr.wisc.edu/

“The Master of Engineering in Technical Japanese (METJ) is a unique opportunity to improve your ability to interact effectively with Japanese counterparts in the technical or business arena. METJ is the only program that delivers this content in a distance format, allowing you to earn your degree while continuing your work and career.”

• Professional French Masters Program - UW-Madison
  http://wiscinfo.doit.wisc.edu/pfmp/

PFMP internships are arranged for the program’s students only and are not open to others. It is, however, an excellent example of the type of program that is becoming increasingly sought after, blending classroom study with specially-tailored work abroad experience.

• Rotary World Peace Scholarship - Rotary Centers for International Studies
  http://www.rotary.org/foundation/educational/amb_scho/centers/
  

From the website: “The Rotary World Peace Scholarship offers 70 individuals committed to peace and conflict resolution the opportunity to earn a two-year master’s level degree in international studies, peace studies and conflict resolution at one of the Rotary Center’s University partners. Rotary has contracted with seven institutions worldwide to provide this valuable training.”

The seven institutions are: Duke University and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, North Carolina, USA; Sciences Po, Paris, France; University of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England; University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia; International Christian University, Tokyo, Japan; Universidad del Salvador, Buenos Aires, Argentina; and the University of California-Berkeley, California, USA.

• Young Professionals Global Network
  http://www.ypgn.org/

  From the website: “YPGN is a non-profit, non-partisan, non-political organization set up to provide a forum for young professionals to interact and expand their professional networks.... YPGN’s goal is to foster new friendships and business relationships in every part of the world and in every industry. Becoming an active member of YPGN, members have the opportunity to network with each other and explore many options in their field of interest.” The Network also offer some domestic intership program and (expensive) international “business programs” to Eastern Europe, South America, and the Pacific Rim.

Membership is currently free though you do have to apply for membership on-line. Events seem to be focused on the coasts.

• Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowships
  http://www.morgridge.wisc.edu/wif.html

  “The Wisconsin Idea is a tradition of service that originated with University leaders over 100 years ago when they declared, ‘the boundaries of the campus are the boundaries of the state.’ Today, the Wisconsin Idea calls us to extend our boundaries beyond the state to the global community. Since 1999 the Wisconsin Idea Undergraduate Fellowships (WIF) have provided opportunities for UW-Madison students to reach out, share their expertise, serve the community and learn outside the classroom. These fellowships support innovative projects where undergraduate students, faculty/ instructional staff and community organizations collaborate in service activities and/or research designed to meet a community need while enhancing student learning.” Many of the recent projects have been international projects: including projects in Cuba, Rwanda, South Africa and Uganda.