AIESEC, the world's largest student organisation, is responsible for thousands of international exchanges every year among its 107 member countries. It connects students to new and exciting work opportunities using its global network of committees, using a variety of different tools.
Marketing To Students
Each of AIESEC's hundreds of local committees worldwide is responsible for marketing the AIESEC exchange programme with their home university. Such marketing is the primary responsibility of what is traditionally named the Outgoing Exchange department - effectively a Marketing strand of the organisation's business structure.
Depending on the degree to which AIESEC is present within a university, marketing schemes can be small- or large-scale - they can involve one-to-one promotion and mailing lists, or huge campus events designed to attract hundreds of students. When a student is attracted by the myriad of opportunities AIESEC can offer, they move on to the application stage of the process.
The Application Process
The process of applying for an AIESEC traineeship differs from country to country. In the UK, for example, students are directed to apply via the AIESEC UK website. In many other countries, larger local AIESEC committees have their own websites with their own application procedures.
One thing is common to all AIESEC countries, however - applicants are always vetted before being told they are eligible for a placement. Placements lie in a variety of different areas, so the criteria are fluid, but there are certain qualities that AIESEC looks for in a successful exchange applicant. These are:
- A high level of cultural awareness and desire to learn about the world and its peoples
- A high level of career motivation (for long-term placements)
- Good technical skills (for placements in technological areas)
- Management skills (for business placements)
- An awareness of social issues and an altruistic concern for others (for development and educational internships)
- Good interpersonal and communication skills
- Flexibility regarding the location of a traineeship
- A desire to immerse oneself in a unique and life-changing experience!
Once candidates have been interviewed and have proven themselves to show these qualities, they are accepted on to the programme, invited to pay the £350 administration fee, and moved to the next stage of the process.
Connecting Students To Internships
The final stage of the process is where the successful student applicant is connected to their traineeship via AIESEC's members-only online platform, MyAIESEC. The applicant enters their details into AIESEC's online database and becomes an 'Exchange Participant', and can begin registering their interest in the hundreds of traineeships also listed on the database.
Once a student's interest is confirmed, AIESEC members responsible for managing traineeships and connections to those providing them are then directed to gather the information and CVs of all interested students - from any of AIESEC's 107 countries - and supply them to the student's potential employers. The employer then chooses the best applicant, while the unsuccessful applicants' details remain online and they may apply for as many other opportunities as they wish before being accepted.
This completes the process of matching a student with an internship, and all that remains is for the AIESEC committees in both the student's home university and the host university to co-ordinate on visa issues and travel plans. AIESEC's global network takes care of its students every step of the way, which makes AIESEC the number one choice for international student exchange.
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