Gaining Experience
In the age of normalization, international travel was very difficult. It was only possible to travel under the so-called departure clause. This is not the case today. Today, as long as one has money, one can travel anywhere.
[But not everyone travels for pleasure. Many people, especially young people, go abroad to gain experience.
Going abroad for experience is not a recent phenomenon; young men have been going abroad to gain experience for a long time. Fairy tales also depict this. Typical is Honza, the man behind the stove, whose mother one day stuffed a shawl with buns and sent him out into the world.
There are many ways to conceptualize “experience.”
1. Employment– The most common way was, is, and probably always will be employment. Until a few years ago, Czechs went abroad to earn money, mostly in blue-collar or au pair jobs. Today this is not the case, and Czechs are working abroad even in highly skilled positions. Their experience is astounding.
2. Study– Many people go abroad to study. There are numerous exchange programs. You can graduate from a school abroad or study abroad for a semester. Some offer scholarships, others require you to earn your own money. However, the experience gained as well as the knowledge is irreplaceable.
Internships– Internships can be considered something between a job and a degree. Internships are unpaid (lodging and meals may be provided) work placements used primarily to develop the practical skills needed to find an attractive job.
4.Volunteering – A less traditional way to get to know another country is through volunteering. It is safe to say that many people, not just young people, are interested in volunteering. Many are interested in helping with humanitarian projects abroad. Some are driven by a desire for experience, some by a sense of adventure, and others by an inner conviction that they must, at least in part, reward a good life by doing good.