Volunteering in the Study Abroad Office

As an ISEP Ambassador, there are many ways you can help in your university’s study abroad office. Talk to your home ISEP Coordinator to see if there may be an opportunity to volunteer in any way. Let them know that you are inspired by your ISEP experience and are interested in building skills for your résumé.

Tips to Get Started

• Administrative Assistance. You can help your home ISEP Coordinator with office projects such as data entry, filing, copying, mailings, making orientation packets, posting flyers, etc. Having experience as an office assistant looks great on a résumé, plus you will be helping other students go abroad and providing your Coordinator with some much-appreciated administrative support.
• Peer Advising. Schedule a couple of regular hours each week to be in the study abroad office resource room. You can advise walk-in students who are interested in going abroad. Students who inquire about ISEP when you are not there can be referred back to you during your regularly scheduled office hours.
• Special Projects. Use your best talents and abilities to create a special project about study abroad and ISEP. Consider turning a class assignment into an opportunity to showcase ISEP while utilizing your skills in web or graphic design, marketing, event planning, translation, videography or photography.
• Orientation Assistance. Most universities offer some form of pre-departure, onsite, and re-entry orientation for study abroad participants. Ask your home ISEP Coordinator how you can help by sharing advice based on your own experience.

Demonstrated skills for your résumé

• Office administrative experience
• Peer advising expertise
• Project management to achieve deliverable results
• Sharing applied learning for orientations

“I assisted with pre-departure orientation along with the Senior Officer of the International Office of my home institution. I contacted outgoing ISEP students from my home university. I gave them pre-departure advice and provided information about life abroad. I shared my experience abroad as an ISEP student (especially with the ISEP photo essay I wrote). Finally, I made myself available to answer questions.”
Tatiana Gence — ISEP Ambassador from La Reunion, France