About the author


  • Name: Robin S. Mueller
    Occupation: Study Abroad Adviser, International Studies Abroad (ISA) in Austin, TX
    Education: M.A., School for International Training; B.A. University of Wisconsin at Eau Claire
    Major: English, with a minor in German Education
    Thesis: Developing Cross-Cultural Training Programs for Youth Work Work Experience:
    AFS Intercultural Programs, Institute for German Language and Culture in Germany; Assistant to the Managing Director at SIT; Teaching Assistant at Concordia Language Villages in Minnesota
    Study Abroad: Summer High School Exchange in Weissenburg, Germany; Academic Year University Exchange Participant in Bonn, Germany
    Language: German and beginning Arabic, Spanish, Tibetan

    This bio was accurate at the time this article was printed.

Gaining Experience Advising Students

By Robin S. Mueller
This article was printed in Abroad View fall 2004

There are countless paths into an international education career, and like so many in the field, mine began with my year of undergraduate study abroad in Bonn, Germany. Then, I was a language teacher for four years, moonlighting as a volunteer with the Central Michigan chapter of AFS (www.usa.afs.org). That’s when I decided to formally pursue a career in international education.

I chose the School for International Training graduate program (www.sit.edu/ degree.html) for its short on-campus coursework phase and integrated practicum in the field. Students are responsible for making their own arrangements, ranging from a full-time job to an internship or volunteer stint. I wanted to gain a new perspective on U.S. study abroad by working in a study abroad office overseas. The study abroad adviser from my alma mater offered to contact the school’s international partners to let them know I was seeking a minimum six-month internship with room and board (as a student, I was eligible for loans to cover additional living expenses). Though I was prepared to learn another language and go somewhere totally new, the strongest response came from the Institute for German Language and Culture in Lutherstadt Wittenberg, a cooperative language center with the Martin Luther University of Halle-Wittenberg in eastern Germany.

Three of my key goals were to:
1. Increase my understanding of international education program development and office management in Germany as compared to the U.S.

2. Increase my knowledge of student needs before, during and after an international educational experience.

3. Increase my understanding of the changes in eastern Germany and the implications for international education.

It took several months to secure the internship. When I learned that the Institute was interested, I emailed the director to discuss my interests and the requirements of the practicum. Following a telephone interview, I was conditionally accepted, dependent upon funding approval from outside sources to cover my requests for housing and board. I decided that this experience was important enough that I would take the internship no matter what the funding situation, and since it fell under my student status, I would use loans to cover the rest of my expenses. Fortunately, funding came through before my arrival in Germany.

The Institute works primarily with incoming international college and university students. Programs include 3-week intensive language and culture courses, an intensive yearlong language program, customized faculty-led programs from the U.S. and Japan and international summer institutes. I participated in host family recruitment and orientation, budgeting and cost estimations, marketing and web site maintenance and other program planning details. With some 30 different courses serving more than 300 students annually, the Institute’s six permanent office staff members have a full schedule. Working in this environment gave me a clearer understanding of program development issues as well as a chance to observe the management of a close-knit team. I spent eight months interning with the Institute, working with students and universities primarily from the U.S., China and Japan. I was able to observe the needs, cultural adjustment and host-family dynamics of American study abroad students. I also chaperoned overnight excursions, planned itineraries and travel, witnessed the development of their language skills, and listened to their stories.

I had lived in Germany before but had little experience in the eastern states, so the personal and professional challenges of the Institute surprised me and taught me about my own cultural assumptions. I am certain that what I took away from this experience was far richer for me as a professional than what I might have gained as a student.

I attended the European Association for International Education (EAIE) conference during my internship year as an opportunity to represent the Institute and to network. I contacted nearly every attendee from an American university, since the representatives coming to EAIE were often the directors and provosts of their institutions. I was able to meet many of them, at least to let them know what I was doing in Germany and to make contacts for future job possibilities. When I completed the internship in April and returned to the U.S. in time for the annual NAFSA: Association of International Educators Conference, I contacted everyone I had talked to at EAIE. NAFSA allowed me the opportunity to interact with other organizations as well, including representatives from International Studies Abroad
(ISA, www.studiesabroad.com).

I am now employed by ISA as a study abroad advisor, using my skills and experiences to relate to a diverse group of students, faculty and staff. My graduate program and internship provided a unique, marketable foray into international education. AV