Career Resources

Your international experience is an invaluable component of your professional career. Whether you want to teach or work abroad or are looking for tips on how to highlight your CIEE program experience on your resume, this page includes useful resources to help you get the most out of your time abroad.

Want more tips on the best way to use the CIEE Alumni Global Network? We’re committed to providing you with beneficial, relevant career resources. Please send an email to alumni@ciee.org – we’re happy to assist you.

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How to Leverage Your CIEE Experience on a Resume, Job Application, and LinkedIn Profile

In today’s increasingly global world, international experience can set you apart from the crowd during your job hunt. Follow our tips below for adding your new skills and experience to your resume, job applications, and LinkedIn profile.

On Your Resume:

Where to include your CIEE program: Your CIEE program can be highlighted in different sections of your resume (Education, Experience, Skills, Activities) depending on the focus of your program. For example, a CIEE Study Abroad alum’s time abroad would likely be included in the “Education” section, while a CIEE Teach Abroad or CIEE Internship USA alum would include their program under “Experience.”
Include relevant details: Did you volunteer during your time abroad? Accomplish a professional goal? Receive a scholarship? Contribute to a project? Be sure to mention specific highlights or skills gained.

On A Cover Letter Or Job Application:

A cover letter is a great place to elaborate on your experience abroad, particularly if you’re applying to a job at an international organization. Depending on your experience, you may want to highlight:

Cultural competency. Did you work on group projects with students from different cultures? Adapt to a different workplace or classroom style?
Personal development. Your time abroad contributed to the development of your communication and interpersonal skills, adaptability and independence, and critical-thinking skills. These are important to a prospective employer and transferable to a workplace environment.

On Your LinkedIn Profile:

Adding your CIEE program to your LinkedIn profile is similar to adding it to your resume: You may add it to Education, Experience, Activities, or Skills, depending on the program. Use this sample document, which includes specific examples for CIEE Study Abroad and Work & Travel USA alumni, as a reference.

As a past participant of a CIEE program, we encourage you to join the CIEE Alumni Global Network group on LinkedIn. By joining, you can:

Indicate your status as a CIEE alum on your profile
Search the group membership of more than 20,000 alumni from around the world for networking opportunities and career advice
Participate in group discussions and learn of opportunities posted by fellow alumni

Additional Resources:

Studying Abroad Could Give You an Edge on the Job Market (CNN)
Effective Marketing of Your Study Abroad Experience to Employers (Studyabroad.com)
Six Reasons to Highlight International Experience on Your Resume (GMAT)
How to Represent Travel on Your Resume (Nomadic Matt)
3 Steps to Marketing Your Working Abroad Experience on Your Resume (College Recruiter)

Teaching English Abroad

For CIEE alumni from the United States, teaching English abroad is a great way to gain new skills and continue your international travels.

CIEE Teach Abroad
CIEE has teach abroad programs in China, South Korea, Spain, and Thailand.

CIEE TEACHING ENGLISH AS A FOREIGN LANGUAGE (TEFL) CERTIFICATION
Most teach abroad programs require a teaching certification. Common certification acronyms (and their full names) include TEFL (Teaching English as a Foreign Language), TESOL (Teachers of English to Speakers of Other Languages), EFL (English as a Foreign Language), and CELTA (Certificate in Teaching English to Speakers of other Languages).

CIEE offers internationally recognized online TEFL certification courses to prepare you for teaching English abroad. As an alum of a CIEE program, you will receive a $200 discount on our 150-hour TEFL course! Learn more about the advantages of TEFL certification, and check out the resources, blogs, and insights on the CIEE TEFL website.

Other Teach Abroad Resources
The Japan Exchange and Teaching Program is an initiative sponsored by the Japanese government to bring young, college-educated individuals to work in communities throughout Japan.

The Fulbright English Teaching Assistant Program (ETA) is a U.S. State Department-funded program that places young professionals in classrooms abroad to provide assistance to local English teachers.

WorldTeach is a volunteer-based organization that partners with governments and other organizations in developing countries to provide volunteer teachers to meet local needs and promote responsible global citizenship.

Additional Resources:

The CIEE TEFL News and Resources blog offers insight on English teaching abroad, including posts from current English teachers abroad.
GoAbroad.com is a review site for programs abroad; includes a comprehensive list of teach abroad programs and providers.
Teach Away is a resource for finding teaching jobs abroad and TEFL certifications.

Jobs and Fellowships Abroad

If You're A Citizen Of A Non-U.S. Country:

The CIEE Internship USA program places recent graduates in the United States for up to 12 months for internships in their field of interest.
CIEE Professional Career Training USA is a program for young professionals to spend up to 18 months in career training in the United States.
For Baltic participants, CIEE offers professional career training through the Baltic-American Freedom Foundation.
For Hungarian citizens, CIEE offers 6- to 12-month internships, Senior Leaders and Scholars Fellowships, and an Entrepreneurship Development program through the Hungarian-American Enterprise Scholarship Fund (HAESF).

Other Fellowship Opportunities:

The Fulbright Program offers U.S. citizens grants to study, teach, and conduct research abroad and for non-U.S. citizens to come to the United States. The mission of Fulbright, a CIEE peer organization since 1945, is to increase mutual understanding between the people of the United States and the people of other countries.

Each year, Rotary International selects up to 100 individuals to receive fully funded academic Peace Fellowships at Rotary Peace Centers in the United States, Japan, England, Australia, and Sweden. Fellows complete a master’s degree in fields related to peace and conflict resolution.

The Peace Corps is an international service organization for U.S. citizens focused on promoting world peace and friendship. Volunteers spend 27 months in a developing country on projects in a wide range of interests, such as teaching, business development, and public health.

Other Resources and Job Boards:

Pro-Fellow is an online database of over 680 professional and academic fellowship programs.
Idealist is a leading website for jobs, internships, and volunteer opportunities for nonprofits and social good companies.
DevNetJobs.org lists international development jobs in the United States and abroad.
The Skoll World Forum maintains a job board for social entrepreneurship careers around the world.
Echoing Green compiles a monthly list of new opportunities and job listings in social impact.

Careers in International Education

Did your CIEE experience inspire you to pursue a career in international education? Check out these resources below for building your career.

Work for CIEE

CIEE’s corporate headquarters is located in Portland, Maine, USA. We also have field staff based in 40-plus countries and at more than 60 CIEE Study Centers around the world. All open positions are posted on our careers page.

Additional Resources:

NAFSA: Association of International Educators is a resource for international education news and events. The NAFSA online career center includes an international education job registry, profiles of international educators, and more.
The Forum on Education Abroad is a membership organization with resources, training, and events for international education professionals.
The Institute of International Education (IIE), established in 1919, is one of the largest international exchange organizations.
The European Association for International Education (EAIE) is the European center for expertise, networking, and resources in the internationalization of higher education.

Graduate School

EducationUSA is a U.S. Department of State network of over 400 international student advising centers in more than 170 countries worldwide. They have information about studying in the United States, steps to U.S. study, and in-person advising and events around the world.

The Association of Professional Schools of International Affairs (APSIA), a network of over 60 schools with programs in international affairs, holds frequent webinars and virtual admission fairs for graduate school programs.

Grad Schools Abroad has information about graduate programs in Australia, Scotland, and New Zealand.

GoAbroad.com is a useful resource for comparing graduate programs around the world.

The Grad School Resource Center on Idealist.org has guides to applying to grad school, degree overviews, virtual grad school fairs, and more.

Looking for more information? Email alumni@ciee.org.