10 pros and cons of staying or going abroad in your graduate programme

Going abroad or not on your graduate programme

Your studies are coming to an end and you are probably thinking what your next step will be. One of the option is to apply for a graduate program which might open many doors for you in the future. The question is: Should I apply for a graduate programme with a rotation abroad? Should I do a full programme abroad?

Both abroad and domestic have their pros and cons which we in this article will dig into and prepare you for the decision.

 

Staying domestically as a graduate

Going to graduate program domestically completely or as a rotation seems like an easy thing to do. First of all, you don’t need to give up your current life. The graduate program might be in the city that you are living in, therefore you will not have any trouble with changing your apartment, moving in and out. The struggle with getting out of your comfort zone will not be a case, since you are not changing your environmental at all. Most of your friends are here and you probably have a huge network already. Knowing the country and having established group of friends might help you expanding your network even more internally inside the whole country. Even if you go to a different city, you don’t need to worry about the language barrier.

 

Unfortunately, staying in the same country for the graduate program has its own cons. For example, employers might find you less valuable comparing to the candidates who have international experience. Take for example Novo Nordisk, whose graduate program requires at least 6 months of foreign experience, whether it is living or work abroad, for instance an exchange semester. In addition to this, it will be harder for you to create international network. Working in the company where they speak your native language, might narrow your possibilities of practicing second or third language. By staying at the same place, you might become close-minded for any other possibilities. In result, in the future you can miss many opportunities that are available all around the world.

 

Perks of going abroad

On the other hand, there are many graduate programs that are held abroad. Many future employers will value your international experience among other applicants. Finding new friends and creating international network will be much easier. Many people around you will be in the same situation as you, therefore you might find many things in common. Living abroad will help you to improve new languages because you will need to use it on a daily basis. The natural thing for you will be practicing industry- oriented vocabulary from your field of interests in foreign language which might be very beneficial for you in the future. By moving to another place, you might face problems regarding new things, however it might be a really valuable lesson how to “think outside the box”. Not only the language is the thing that you will develop but you might learn new cultures and how to behave around various people. Then you will find it easier to connect with people regardless their nationality. +apartment

 

Why to stay home

Unfortunately, there are also some cons when you go aboard. Inseparable challenge that you will need to face is to get out of your comfort zone. The language barrier might be also a trouble, since it the company might require from you to speak in your second or third language which is obviously not your native. Fortunate, it might be only at the beginning because at the time you will get used to it. Changing the routine that you used to have in your country might be troublesome because you will need to adapt to the new environment. It will be the same with work culture, as an example in Germany the work culture is more formal than in Denmark. Financially speaking, the expanses connected to your moving might exceed your expectations. In addition, to the costs of living, you should include the costs of going back and forth to your home country. Another thing that you might struggle with it’s a car. If you are using it as your primary way of transport, then it might be pretty expensive to reregister a car and it would be not worth either your time or money. On the bright side many of the cons can be changed into pros, since you might learn from it and gain some experience.

 

All in all, both of the entries have their pros and cons. Even though you will finish your graduate program in your home country or country of residence, do not worry it is still possible to apply for the jobs abroad. Probably, it will be easiest way to stay in the country and you can find it more suitable for you, however there is nothing to be scared of when your decision will be to go abroad. The important thing is to focus mostly on the cons of each entry. You can always turn negatives into positives, for example by completing hard tasks and making an effort to face problems, you might learn so valuable lessons. They can help you to create a path in your future life.