We are not all necessarily ready for such an exotic adventure. India is not the furthest culture and many points of complicity exist between our two countries, but the conditions of stay and certain fundamental notions like that of the time or the concept of individuals present disparities that it is essential to take into account. Students who have had the opportunity to travel before higher education or those who are close to confronting a different culture, therefore, have every interest in striking while the iron is hot, as it’s easier to open our mind in our early years.
Internships in India take place in an English environment. The most spoken language in North India is Hindi, but English remains the official language and is commonly used in the business field. Indians also use English throughout their studies. The more educated your interlocutor is, the better English skills are. It is also noted that the Indian culture is quite oriented towards the oral modes of expression, but also that the Indians are very curious and easy to speak with. It will therefore be easy to improve your level of English throughout your stay, especially in oral.
An experience in an Asian country, aimed to be a major economic player in the decades to come, is certainly an added value in a CV, especially if it takes place in the early years in higher studies. India is the most populous country in the world and has already overtaken France in terms of GDP. Targeting India as a destination for an internship, a country that will have gained even more weight at the end of your studies, is therefore a smart investment. Recruiters will necessarily be sensitive to this type of experience, which guarantees capacities for autonomy and analysis.
Another important asset of India in the context of an internship experience at the beginning of the school curriculum is the content of the Internship itself. If in France internships are rather oriented towards basic and framed tasks, an internship in India will allow a higher level of responsibility and to handle projects with the possibility to work on several domains and with several departments of a company. This aspect is on the other hand double-edged since a student who is not comfortable with autonomy in project management may have a slightly slower adaptation.
Obviously, doing an internship in India in the early years leaves room for similar experiences for years to come. A student who is looking for an international dimension for his or her professional project will have strong interest in launching his or her travel diary from the first years of studies. India is a very specific culture and as such is an ideal complementary destination.