AIESEC holds informational recruitment meeting

The organization provides international internships for students.

By Megan Pearl

Published Feb. 5, 2010

Association Internationale des Etudiants en Sciences Economiques et Commerciales, the world's largest student-run organization, held its informational recruitment meetings this week.

AIESEC is a student-run networking organization that sets up international internships with businesses for students in order for them to discover and develop their potential in every field, Vice President of Talent Management Sezen Rahmanali said. The company works with most Fortune 500 companies and other businesses to obtain the internships.

"The organization can send members to another country to intern with companies," former MU AIESEC President Bobby Specking said. "It's all exchange and that's where the leadership and professional skills come in."

The professional and leadership skills are developed when working in other countries and the experience also provides a cultural experience, Specking said.

"I remember when I first joined in the fall of 2006, and I didn't have a deliberate and concise idea of what AIESEC was," Specking said. "There is a lot going on with the organization."

The AIESEC Web site states the organization is present in 107 countries and 1,700 universities. The organization has its origins in France and Germany as an attempt to improve the relationship between the two countries after World War II through exchange.

"The external relations tries to market AIESEC locally and contact alumni," Rahmanali said. "Missouri, Texas, Colorado and Kansas, known as MOTXCOKS, is our region and there is a regional meeting that takes place right after recruitment for a weekend."

Vice President of Business Development Rachel Hartley said her branch of AIESEC organizes exchange programs with businesses in Columbia, St. Louis and Kansas City for students coming from other countries.

"I think the experience is twice as good for a $5,000 study abroad program," Specking said. "You can do an internship and study abroad at the same time."

Specking said many of the internships were in business, but they could find something for every major.

"There are two capacities in which you can be active," Vice President of outgoing exchange Jeremy Saxes said. "You can be a general member and help out here or you can not participate with the working side and you can use it to go on an internship overseas."

Saxes said an internship could be available to a member as quickly as they can process their information in the system.

"This semester we're focusing on developmental internships," said Roshani Mahadevan, the vice president of regional projects team. "There are lots of HIV internships available to work with children in orphanages, or go to high schools and teach students about HIV."

The president of MU AIESEC had an internship through the organization in Brazil during the summer and when he came back, he was motivated to get more involved, Rahmanali said.

There are internships in management, business, information technology, engineering, education, development and more, Saxes said. There are traineeships available in Third World countries building schools and other infrastructure.

"I come from a military background and I wanted to find something that gives me the same satisfaction of helping out over seas," Saxes said.