What is AIESEC?

AIESEC Provides Internships To Students In Over 100 Countries

Apr 11, 2009 Matthew Pitt

AIESEC is the world's largest student organisation, but it is far more than just that. Here is a look at what AIESEC does, and how it does it.

AIESEC, or to give it its full French name, the Association Internationale des Étudiants en Sciences Économiques et Commerciales (International Association of Economic and Commercial Science Students) is the international platform for students and recent graduates to explore and develop their potential. It is one of the most powerful and effective student organisations in the world, and is also a globally-registered charity, yet it has been referred to as "the world's best-kept secret". So what is AIESEC? Read on, and find out.

AIESEC Deals In Students' Futures

AIESEC's primary function is to set up work placements and internships for students, in countries other than their own. These work placements vary in length and nature, and are available to any student willing to actively engage in cultural exchange on behalf of their university and their country.

Whether a summer placement or a graduate scheme, in an NGO or with a multi-national software company, an AIESEC placement has the same aims - to improve both the cultural understanding and the professional skills of its participant.

AIESEC Is International

AIESEC is present in more than 1,700 universities in 107 countries worldwide. It provides more than 5,500 of its internships to students and recent graduates worldwide every year. Each university in which AIESEC is present possesses a Local Committee, while all the Local Committees of a country are governed by that country's particular Member Committee, responsible for all AIESEC affairs within their country.

All 107 Member Committees are governed globally by AIESEC International, the worldwide governing body for all AIESEC operations. These various Committees provide AIESEC's 28,000 members with over 7,700 leadership experiences every year.

AIESEC Is Student-Led

AIESEC is run by students, for students. All its Committees are composed entirely of students or recent graduates, and all of its internships are undertaken by young people who fit into one of those two categories. It is formed on the basis that while the traditional global employment hierarchy places students on a rung below those already on their particular career path, each nation's students possess qualities and experiences that can be shared on a global basis for the good of the world.

AIESEC Is Positive and Optimistic

AIESEC was founded in 1948 by students seeking to ensure that the events of the Second World War would never be repeated. These students were aiming to encourage cultural exchange and global understanding to the extent that war would be unnecessary in the future. These values have remained constant throughout the 61 years of AIESEC's existence.

AIESEC was founded upon the idea that aiming for a world without war was something worth doing, and each year of its existence, AIESEC takes steps towards making this a reality. The free exchange of ideas and experiences among young people is something that AIESEC members strive for on a daily basis, and the passion of these members helps drive the organisation towards an unfailing tendency to produce its desired results.

AIESEC Unlocks Potential In Young People

In allowing its members to work in a global context in conjunction with other young people from all over the world, AIESEC gives its members a truly unique experience. This experience furthers a desire among young people not only to experience new cultures, but also to be more actively engaged in any organisations and activities in which they may participate.

Its history of encouraging its members to develop their leadership abilities and career skills unearths talents and capabilities in many young people that the student themselves may never have been aware of. In giving students opportunities to be part of teamworking initiatives and to take up leadership positions within an international organisation, AIESEC inspires and motivates its members like no other student organisation in existence.

For information on how AIESEC conducts its exchange programme, click here.

For information about the AIESEC UK Regional Entrepreneur Challenge 2009, click here.

The copyright of the article What is AIESEC? in Work/Study Abroad is owned by Matthew Pitt. Permission to republish What is AIESEC? in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The AIESEC World