Internship Opportunities
U. S. Commercial Service, Korea
U.S. Embassy

Volunteer student internship positions are available at the U.S. Commercial Service Korea (CS Korea), U.S. Embassy in Korea. Applicants must be a student or between undergraduate and graduate school. This is a rare opportunity for university students to develop numerous skills, build extraordinary contacts, and gain tremendous knowledge of government and business.

Comments from Previous Interns

The following are comments from previous interns about their internship experience with the U.S. Commercial Service in Korea:

"I can say it was the most valuable internship I have ever had. I am proud of working here. I have experienced valuable experiences through participating in meetings, events, receptions, etc. It was great to be treated as an assistant instead of an intern during the internship." -Yu, Ji Won / University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign/ Intern, Summer-Fall Class of 2008

 

 

"It was a special chance for me to work in a real government environment. When I shared my internship experiences with my friends, they envied my extraordinary opportunities." - Kwon, Soon Bum/ Yonsei University/ Intern, Summer-Fall Class of 2008

 

 

"I am interested in working in the government sector, and this internship gave me the chance to see the big picture related to working in the government sector. My mentor was active and willing to give answers. I liked the business etiquette and protocol training that introduced me to the basics of business culture and business practices. It was worthwhile because once you learn it, you can use it anywhere and anytime. The Trade Show Training was also invaluable; otherwise, we would have been lost. I was given networking opportunities and participated in prestigious events not possible with a private sector internship". Pea, Kyung Soon/Korea University/Intern, Summer-Fall class of 2008

 

"This Internship experience has encouraged me to set a higher career goal." Shin, Yoon Ah/ Ewha Womans University/ Intern, Summer-Fall Class of 2008

 

 

 

 

"I leave with good memories. I learned a lot about research skills for market research that I drafted. I saw firsthand how to work in a business environment, and meetings with clients were absolutely good since I learned about business protocol. It was an amazing experience at the trade shows since I was able to introduce a client's products to booth visitors. I'm an English major so specializing in the specific areas of autos, environment and chemicals was challenging, but definitely worthwhile since I learned so much about these specific sectors. Everyone was nice to me. My mentor was good, and he respected my opinions. He kindly explained how things should be done. A three month internship is too short to learn all there is to know. Six months was just right to fully understand and apply all that I have learned, and I got to see projects from beginning to end. This internship experience was really invaluable. I will take all that I learned for my future job". Cho, Jeong Hum/Pusan National University/Intern, Summer-Fall class of 2008

"Meeting with the Ambassador, greeting and shaking hands with the former president Bush, and having fun at the Ambassador's residence…All things are what I’ve never experienced and dreamt before." Michael Kim/ UC Davis/ Intern, Summer-Fall Class of 2008

Benefits of an internship with CS Korea

• All interns are respected as professionals and have real international trade assistant responsibilities. As a result, CS Korea interns have a high learning curve and gain hands on work experience in a professional work environment.

• CS Korea interns are teamed up with a dedicated commercial specialist, and they receive continuous individual mentorship and are given opportunities to shadow the specialists during international trade counseling and strategy meetings with business executives. CS Korea interns are afforded rare and prestigious opportunities to participate in high profile events.

• CS interns may have rare and special opportunities to participate in other events and activities that in the past have included: Single Company Promotion receptions at the Ambassador's residence, high profile celebrity fashion shows, pop/rock performances, and meeting the President of the United States.

• All CS interns will leave with a sound command of professional ethics and protocol. They will network with numerous business entities and form lifelong friendships with their class of interns, and simply have fun.

Skill sets cultivated include

 Developing a keen understanding of international trade and fostering sound business judgment by developing company screening skills, matching potential business partners, and scheduling/participating in high-powered meetings.

 Learning to conduct independent market research and with supervision, drafting consultant- quality reports that offer professional industry sector insight.

 Gaining effective and persuasive communication skills by utilizing different modes/mediums, including telephone, email, conference calls, and letters.

 Effectively reading critical verbal and non-verbal cues in business communication and becoming sensitized to the different styles and cultures associated with international business.

 Skillfully communicating with all levels of management within the organizational chain of command.

 Becoming skilled at managing multiple tasks associated with planning and executing a trade event. Interns will be exposed to a business environment where they learn to perform under pressure and still be composed, competent, and organized. Tasks often require very fast turn-around time, and will require quick on-the-ground thinking.

 Collaborating with and leveraging colleagues and networks to strengthen output.

 Cultivating recruiting and interviewing skills to bring in the next class of CS Korea Interns for the intern assigned to assisting Human Resource Management.

 Learning and developing an expertise in one of the following nine areas.

1. consumer products/ travel & tourism,
2. education/ electronics,
3. construction/machinery,
4. autos/chemicals/energy,
5. IT,
6. transportation/services,
7. aerospace/major projects/procurement,
8. healthcare, and
9. administration.

If you have a specific area of interest, please indicate one of the nine listed above in your cover letter.

In addition, CS Korea interns receive special training sessions (e.g. orientation, reception training, trade show training, etc.) as well as build up industry expertise and initiate a network of contacts by being given the opportunity, at no cost, to attend industry specific seminars and conferences alongside the commercial specialist.

Qualifications

Minimum two years in a recognized university or four years experience in a related field. Applicants must be an enrolled student or have been accepted to enroll in graduate school immediately following the internship. General business experience is helpful. Computer skills and spoken and written business English is required. Fluency in Korean and previous experience in an international environment is highly desirable. Also highly desirable are the qualities associated with teamwork, the ability to learn quickly, and high enthusiasm. Applicants must meet the January 30, 2010 deadline. A positive background security check, that takes about 3 months, is required prior to commencing the internship.

Remuneration

This position is voluntary and unpaid. We are looking for full-time interns for a minimum of a 24-week period from 2010 Summer-Fall (Jun., 2010 to Dec., 2010).

Timeline for 2010 Summer-Fall Applicants

January 30, 2010-Application deadline for 2010 Summer-Fall Internship
Feb. 1 to Feb. 26, 2010- Application Reviews and Interviews
Feb. 26, 2010- Notification of internship
Mar. 5, 2010- Submission of Security Forms
End of April to Mid-May- Notification of security clearance, and internship start date.

Resumes should contain

• Education background including month and year you graduated from your current academic institution
• Korean and English fluency level
• Previous work or internship experience
• Contact information including telephone number and email address where we can easily reach you
• Citizenship
• Supporting information including letters of recommendation, cover letter, etc.

If interested, please send resume and cover letter via email to:
Intern Coordinator
Email: Seoul.Office.Box@N0SPAM.mail.doc.gov

Would I have ever imagined myself shaking President Bush's hand in my life? When he visited Korea right before the Beijing Olympics 2008, U.S. Embassy employees were invited to meet President Bush where he kindly shook our hands and even hugged some people in front of me. Besides President Bush’s visit, the U.S. Embassy in Seoul is a dynamic place; recently, we have had some farewell and welcome receptions for the former Ambassador Alexander Vershbow who left and the new Ambassador Kathleen Stephens who just arrived. Doing this internship at U.S. Commercial Service Korea provides a totally different spectrum of experiences. You will meet people who you would not have met otherwise.

What exactly is the U.S. Commercial Service in Korea? It is the Commercial Section of the U.S. Embassy. It is also part of a worldwide network of U.S. Department of Commerce offices located in more than 120 cities in 80 countries, and in over 100 locations in the United States (http://www.buyusa.gov/korea). Our mission is to help U.S. companies, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises export goods and services to Korea.

The best part of this internship is that all interns are respectively and valuably treated by American diplomatic officers and Korean Commercial Specialists. Each intern closely works with one commercial specialist. For example, I am working for a commercial specialist who is an expert on the medical and pharmaceutical industries in Korea. Interns are invited to participate in business meetings and are learning on-the-job about up-to-date trade issues.

An internship experience at the Commercial Service of the U.S. Embassy in Seoul will make you a very attractive candidate when you apply for a job because it shows you have had some international background from the real business battlefield with U.S. and Korean businesses. Furthermore, U.S. Commercial Service functions as a link between private and public sectors in business, so you can experience both government and private sector work. If you want to utilize your business major in an international environment, the U.S. Commercial Service offices should be the first item on your internship shopping list. -Lee, Hagyong/Emory University/Summer-Fall Class of 2008