Work abroad program benefits resume

Cal State Long Beach's International Education Program will conduct an orientation Thursday in the Language Arts Building for students who are interested in working abroad.

Based at Foothill College, the IEP arranges work experience each summer for American students in countries such as Germany, Switzerland, Belgium, France, Finland and Japan. The 25-year-old program sends about 400 part-time students to work overseas.

"Besides finding students work abroad, we also stress cultural immersion and the students' ability to speak a foreign language," IEP Southern California Coordinator Maureen O' Reilly said.

IEP's international job opportunities offer employment in various fields, including engineering, clerical, hotel and restaurant jobs. The program's staff confirms employment on the basis of a student's foreign-language skills and prior job experience. Participating students live with host families, in employer-supplied housing or in independent apartments.

Kaori Yoshida, a CSULB German minor, traveled to Germany under the IEP program and worked as a clerical assistant for International Fairplex, an employment office based in Frankfurt. She lived with a German family where she fully experienced German life. She ate German meals, spoke the language and watched German television every day.

"The experience improved my German tremendously," she said. "I feel more comfortable speaking the language now because of my three-month stay in Frankfurt."

David Macauluy, CSULB international business major, also went to Germany. He worked on an assembly line for BMW in a town near the city of Munich, the cultural hub of Germany. He stayed in subsidized housing furnished by his employer, where he lived with other non-German employees from Eastern Europe and Turkey.

Like Yoshida, Macauluy joined the program to improve his German skills.

In addition, he also learned to understand Bavarian, a German dialect.

"Besides greatly improving my German skills, the trip also harnessed my world view and interaction with people," Macauluy said. "I'm convinced that to learn a language, one must really travel abroad."

Macauluy added that having a this work experience on his resume is eye-catching to employers in the United States.

The International Education Program is recognized by the President's Initiative for International Youth Exchange and receives grants from various organizations, including the U.S. Information Agency and the California Community College Chancellor's Office.

Students who are interested in working overseas can contact the International Education Program at (714) 509-6545 or (714) 509-6544.