GRIP, Internships Abroad Zoom-ing Through Australia

June 17, 2021
By Allison Dao, Wharton '24

Spend With Us - Sydney, Australia

I’m currently working as a business strategy intern for the Australian e-commerce platform Spend With Us through GRIP’s Business in Sydney program. Despite the virtual environment, I chose to take this internship because I was excited by the prospect of exploring international business by interning for a company located in such an innovative economy that is Sydney. I knew that receiving the opportunity to intern at an Australian company would provide an experience that no textbooks or local internships can teach and allow me to enter the industry with an invaluable, multifaceted perspective on the global economy. I was also excited and inspired by the responsibility that GRIP interns have, which I already see reflected in my tasks – from having weekly meetings directly with the company founders to being responsible for crafting a competitive analysis and business plan. This is something that is hard to find in internships, especially for freshmen with only one year of the college experience.

While I would love to be exploring Australia this summer, the virtual nature of the GRIP program has been an easy adaptation despite the time difference and lends to the flexibility in my schedule and working hours. With the large time difference between the United States and Australia, it would be difficult to maintain the same synchronous working schedule as my supervisors. Thus, the asynchronous component supplemented by weekly synchronous meetings enables a working schedule that is flexible enough to work on my own hours but also a support system that allows me to seek guidance when needed. This schedule also allows me to pursue my other interests and goals this summer, from traveling and spending time with friends to reading more books. Additionally, being a part of a cohort of students that aren’t interning at the same company but also participating in Business in Sydney has been another enjoyable aspect of the program, as I’m able to meet fellow Penn students and find comfort in knowing that other students are going through the same experience as I am.

I was originally interested in pursuing GRIP because one of my largest academic goals is to spend a semester studying abroad at Penn. I believe that regardless of the virtual environment, interning for a company abroad provides a global experience and exposure to various working cultures that will better prepare me for when I hope to spend 5 months living abroad later during my college experience. Through GRIP, I have learned about the Australian culture, tried tasty Australian snacks shipped to our homes (Vegemite included…), and am also enrolled to take a class at the University of Sydney. It has already been fascinating to witness firsthand how similar and different Australian companies operate as compared to those in the United States, and I am only looking forward to learning even more about new cultures and getting to exercise my Australian knowledge when I am able to visit in the future.

The Global Research and Internship Program (GRIP) provides outstanding undergraduate and graduate students the opportunity to intern or conduct research abroad for 8 to 12 weeks over the summer. Participants gain career-enhancing experience and global exposure that is essential in a global workforce. Placements and funding awards are available.