Why did you choose to complete an Internship?

I majored in biomedical science and human resources but unfortunately, my country of origin is not the best country for job opportunities and professional growth. My aim is to combine both fields because I believe in the unlimited potential of human capital and wish to create an environment of well-being for both employees and customers. The best opportunity to move from university to the workplace is starting with a professional internship, that helps gain experience and new skills, adapt to a work environment, improve English skills if needed and meet new people.

What have you learned the most during your internship?

I started from scratch with absolutely no experience. Being introverted and with a biomedical background, I had to learn both how to perform daily HR tasks and adapt to a business environment. I got used to daily tasks pretty quickly and the biggest improvement was definitely adjusting to a new environment, in particular enhancing my communication skills and building strong relationships with my colleagues. I had the chance to work with a lovely team that encouraged me to always do more and help as much as possible. I am now able to coordinate between office work and colleagues’ relationships and requests, which is a must to achieve an environment of well-being.

What benefits do you feel AI contributed to your internship and time in Australia?

AI found me a placement that matched both my personality and goals. In the hospitality industry, everyone is nice and puts you at ease. Moreover, every day was different, which made my learning extremely enjoyable. Therefore, even though human resources is wide and requires you to constantly remain in contact with everyone, the environment allowed me to gain experience and deal with people without too much effort. It goes beyond the internship and truly is a first step to building and shaping a professional career.

My supervisor Michaela was amazingly supportive and understanding. It is always easier to share honest feedback and perform better when you know that your supervisor is here to help and provides support at all times, even after the internship. I am thankful to her and hope to meet her before I go back.

Also, I am way more confident with my English, and even though it is not perfect, I don’t think about it anymore for my daily activities in Australia and engage easily with English-speakers. Thank you, AI for giving me the opportunity to visit the country of my dreams through a professional internship and for playing a role in the fulfilment of both my personal and professional goals.

What advice would you give future interns?

Take every opportunity that comes your way and take initiative. You never know what comes next and who you will meet. There is a big chance to be invited to apply for a specific position at the end of your internship and if not, it will definitely open the door to great opportunities for the future. The more you do, the higher the chances of getting what you want.

Also, never say it is impossible because nothing is impossible.

What do you enjoy most about Australia?

I have been to lots of different countries for family or tourism purposes, but I can tell that the Australian culture is the most respectful culture I have ever dealt with. I was literally shocked by the openness, respect and equality (not only between different cultures, but in general), and have never been treated this way before. Australia is definitely a wonderfully successful country!

•           Why did you choose to complete an Internship?

After I completed my Graduate Diploma in New Zealand I opt for doing an Internship and explored myself to the field I always wanted to get into. It helped me build confidence in my skills and attributes. When I moved to Australia this year in March, I searched for applying for an internship but there I found some of the things I could not eligible for, even looked for doing an internship from my University but was not possible and found out about the Australian Internship while searching in Google. That evening I left an enquiry on their website and got their reply the next day. I have gained all the support I wished and this internship at the company helped me explore more about the Australian work culture and get connected with people from similar fields.

•           What have you learned the most during your internship?

During my internship, I got to know about the work culture, about the Human Resources Management field, the working patterns and all the duties that are included in the life of general Recruiter/HR people. I got connected with different people who were highly experienced in a similar field and this helped me to learn from their experiences too. This internship helped me improve my resilience attribute by being involved with difficult people, I must say I developed new skills while working from home during the lockdown, experienced the next level of resiliency needed.

•           What benefits do you feel Australian Internships contributed to your internship?

I think the Australian Internship stood up as a backbone throughout the internship. I always knew they are there when I need any help. Initially, I found it dragging to fill up the weekly feedback form but later realised how helpful it is to look back at what I did, how I started and how I am concluding. Joy Li my program supervisor constantly check back to see if I was doing well and if I had anything to say.

•           What advice would you give future interns regarding internships?

I honestly enjoyed being involved in this internship. It actually helped build the skills and attributes that I already possessed and create new skills that I was not aware of. It is necessary to know about the market you are looking for to work in and need to know about the field you are looking to grow your career in or maybe change the career too. Doing an internship is a great opportunity to learn practically. In the University you can ask questions and the reply will have theoretical and knowledge-based answers but the internship will give you practical answers and you can at the same time apply the knowledge learned.

•           What do you enjoy most about Australia?

I enjoy the work culture, I enjoy the diversity, and things I can learn from everyone’s experiences. I enjoy the weather but cannot stand it when too hot, which I have not experienced so far since I was here in March 2021 from New Zealand. I am seeing opportunities around, whatever you do you will enjoy working here. I can find a wide range of foods, vegetables, I can see many restaurants and fast foods I can choose from.

I’m Michelle, a Brazilian and Italian citizen, I have always had a dream to travel overseas, but 10 years ago I couldn’t expect to be leaving abroad my home country. Australia it’s an amazing land that gave me the chance to know more about possibilities and myself.

Since December I’ve been part of the Australian Internships team, where I have been working on my professional and personal development. My role’s provide administration and HR support, as an intern, I have been giving a hand, especially to our IPS and HR.

The internship is an opportunity to be involved, engaged and develop skills that you already have and also to discover others in your work environment. Where you open your eyes for different paths that maybe you didn’t notice before, knowledge there you can share and find with your coworker and stakeholders. It’s a guaranteed gain for life.

Hi everyone! I am Nathalia, originally from Brazil. I have lived in China for 18 years before moving to Brisbane in 2017. I come from a multi-cultural family and grew up speaking 5 languages. I have just completed a bachelor's degree in business management and another bachelor's degree in International Hotel and Tourism Management both from The University of Queensland. Previous to Australian Internships, I have interned in the Embassy of Mexico in Canberra and spent the last 3 years working in the hospitality industry mainly in the James St Precinct in Brisbane. I look forward to what the future brings and hope to gain knowledge, skills and practice in the Human Resources industry.

How would you describe your work?

As an intern, I try to learn, observe and contribute as much as I can to the company. My tasks vary from generating the weekly internal employee newsletter to scheduling and organizing internal training sessions. Aside from this, I was given the chance to get some hands-on experience conducting an exit interview for one of the employees who has left the company. 

 What do you like most about your work?

Given the opportunity to join Australian Internships as a Human Resources intern, I like the work ambience, environment and colleagues. Everyone is very friendly, welcoming and kind. We have people from over all over the world in the office and every day for me is an opportunity to learn things from different cultures. 

Your message to the interns

I wish everyone the best of luck and enter the company with an open mind and try to gain as much as you can.

The major reason I chose to complete an internship since, after completing my human resource career and bachelors degree in Sri Lanka, I decided to pursue my postgraduate degree in Australia where I believed an internship would be a greater opportunity to obtain experience and fully understand the job market in Australia. Fortunately, I believed that the experience I obtained as a project admin of initiating the Human Resource Information System (HRIS) at Site Skills Training would expose many opportunities in my future HR career path.

During the internship, I could learn many HR related skills along with soft skills such as emotional intelligence, adaptability, active listening, work ethic, openness to feedback as well as growth mindset. Even though, the pandemic was challenging, the guidance and the support received from my supervisors, Mike and Darren contributed my self to complete the tasks as expected.

I believe that the internship is an essential step to everyone to leverage the beginning of their professional career path.

Why did you choose to complete an Internship?

I completed my Bachelor’s degree in Psychology in July 2019, and have been working in casual jobs since to support myself financially. However, I still lacked the practical experience and qualifications to enter the Australian workforce in the field I am passionate in - Human Resources. In order to give myself a fighting chance to begin my career in the Human Resources industry, I decided to apply for this opportunity with Australian Internships. This was also a valuable chance to start building my professional network.

What have you learned the most during your internship?

Even though I am only 5 weeks into my Human Resources Internship, I am already learning so much about Human Resources. At the same time, I am using this opportunity to polish and hone my administrative and communication skills. Since starting my internship at Crowne Plaza Canberra, I have learnt about what a HR position entails, especially what kind of relationship a HR Coordinator and HR Manager has with their employees and stakeholders. I have also picked up valuable HR skills such as how to operate HR systems, maintaining employee relations and creating employee engagement.

What benefits do you feel AI contributed to your internship and time in Australia?

Australian Internships has helped me immensely in paving the way for my first step into my career in Human Resources. They have given me a taste of the 9 to 5 work life which will ultimately smooth my transition into a full-time corporate position in the future. Not only that, my internship location is superb, being only a 20 minutes away from my accommodation by a combination of walking and public transportation. This allowed me to have more time to socialize and have some free time to myself after a long day.

What advice would you give future interns?

Embrace the opportunity to learn, and don’t be afraid to ask questions! I have realized the Australian culture is very straightforward and more often than not colleagues or supervisors would rather you speak up about a question or problem you encounter rather than keeping quiet, regardless of your position as an intern. My supervisors Jana and Michelle at Crowne Plaza Canberra were always encouraging me to voice out my opinions and thoughts on a particular project or workflow, and they welcomed my suggestions too!

What do you enjoy most about Australia?

Australia is second to none when it comes to nature. Canberra is surrounded by mountains and bush ranges perfect for an early morning or evening bushwalk, or the occasional weekend trip to the coast (or the snow, now that it’s winter). I love how Australia boasts a multicultural population, where people embrace each other’s differences wholeheartedly and are constantly looking out for each other. The culture here is also more open-minded compared to back home, which is why I also enjoy participating in discussions and chats with my mates to broaden my perspective. 

Why did you decide to do your internship in Australia?

In order to gain practical knowledge abroad which will complement my textbook knowledge and help me gain a wider perspective.

What made this experience unique and special?

Australia is perfect for practicing English while gaining valuable work experience, because of its economy and vibrant culture.

How has this experience impacted your future? (personally, professionally, academically, etc.)

It has been a significant advance in my career since this is the way to show off my full potential and implement my skills and knowledge in the real world. Personally, this experience gave me the opportunity to meet incredible multicultural people.

What was the highlight of your experience?

The greatest satisfaction is to perceive that you are growing your skill set and confidence working in English in your field while engaging with the team and taking ownership your work.

How do you feel Australian internships supported you throughout your internship program?

I always had the support of Australian Internships during my experience, which is more than appreciate when you are so far away from home.

Why did you choose to complete an Internship?

Internship is the best way to get the real experience in the field you want to get into. School teaches you what you do in a workplace, but never can get a hands down experience. Each workplace is different because of the environment, colleagues, and workload. Internships give you a glimpse of how each company works and you do not have to stay at the company for a long time if you do not like it. If you think the work you are doing during your internship is not what you were thinking of, it is not too late to change your major as a student. You deal with different people every day, so it helps you improve your weakness. For example, customer service, problem solving, and organizing.

After graduating, you become a stronger candidate because you have some knowledge and got valuable experiences from other company abroad.

What have you learned the most during your internship?

During my internship, I learned how to interview people professionally, and how to pick the right candidate for each department. This is really rewarding because I was the one who is always being interview. It feels so different interviewing other people and I get to meet so many different people. Sometimes we have the same interests, so we have a little chat after the interview.

What do you enjoy most about Australia?

Australia is a beautiful country. I really enjoy the café here because it is so instagrammable! The food is plated like an art, delicious, and the interior is nice. I never ate vegetarian food, but there is so many vegetarian café and vegan options in every restaurants.

I really enjoy the beach here too because each beach looks different. Some beach has different sections that the wave cannot hit you and children are safe to enter too. It’s a very pretty place for tropical photos and relaxing. The best part is on Sunday no matter where you go, the bus fare is only $2.70 for the whole day.

What’s your advice for other interns?

Work hard during your internship and always ask questions when you need help. This way helps you get along with your colleagues faster. Be curious because you’re interning in another country and you can bond with your colleague with just a little chat.

How was your overall experience with Australian Internships?

I am very happy that Australian Internships placed me to such an awesome company. I never have a complain about the company, because Australian Internships help you find a perfect company. The Weekly Learning Plan really help me keep in track what I do every week. Looking back at it, I knew what I have accomplished and how much I improved throughout my whole internship.

"I had a truly fantastic 6 months with Komatsu Australia - definitely a time to remember. It was a bit challenging to adapt to the culture in the beginning, but positive attitude and believe in yourself will definitely help in overcoming these  difficulties along the way. Australian Internships were supportive and my IPS Caroline was there when I needed her to
help me with my enquiries. My colleagues were helpful and understanding as well, I learnt an Aussie slang and even tried to use it with my colleagues: like "G'day Mate" or "Hoo Roo" :)
I had lots of fun and 6 months passed incredibly fast: I loved every day of it - with heaps of things to learn and amazing people to meet.
Thank you Australian Internships for this unforgettable experience! "

"I work for the biggest entertainment group in Sydney and this makes me very proud. I am extremely happy with my internship as my colleagues make me feel part of the team every day and they give me lots of responsibilities. I feel that what I do every day helps the company and my department and this makes me very proud. I like keeping busy and this is what I like about the internship, there’s always something to do and I am learning a lot about HR and recruitment. Totally worth it!
I would like to thank AI and my Internship Supervisor for their support and for being so helpful throughout the whole process. I really enjoyed the experience and I strongly recommend it to anyone!"

"My name is Onanan Sanguantrakul from Thailand and I completed an internship in Human Resources in Sydney. I wanted to get a new internship experience and doing it in Australia was a big change for me in my life because it made me learn how to work with the inter-organization and work with people from different countries. This experience will improve my working skills and it will be great for my future because I can use my skills to develop myself for my future career. Internships are very important because doing an internship can make you get the new experience on your CV and it makes you more special than other people. I'm so happy that I choose to do my internship in Australia with Australia internships, the supervisors are really kind and I love the way they took care of me throughout my internship program."

"I chose to do this internship to gain a position that will extend my existing organisational and computing skills further and offer me the opportunity to progress. I wanted to work as part of a team, reflecting and expanding the skills that are necessary to ensure a smooth functioning workplace.
I have learned a lot about what HR is all about, and how to conduct and focus during both interviews and introductions. I have built a lot of confidence, have learned a lot and acquired a lot of knowledge from the host.
Australian Internships has helped me gain a lot of knowledge to start a new life after being a single, stay at home mum for over two years."