I wanted to gain a better understanding of what it was like to work in an embassy as I may consider it as a career path once I graduate. In addition, I thought it would be an excellent addition to my resume.
I was provided with amazing practical work experience which many other graduates may not have, and was also given an really nice recommendation letter from the ambassador all of which I believe will contribute greatly to my employability.
It enhanced my personal skills by giving me a greater understanding of how to network and interact with very important people. My Spanish greatly improved as did my writing skills as I was often tasked with writing up reports in short amounts of time, I believe a combination of these enhanced my professional development by showing me the work involved with working in a diplomatic environment.
Highlight: Some of the highlights were representing the Peruvian embassy at the UNFPA briefing on building sustainability goals in the South Pacific as well as sitting in on meetings with the OECD and various representatives from DFAT and the department of Prime Minister and Cabinet regarding building indigenous economic development policies.
Advice: Canberra was really cold so I would recommend bringing a lot of warm clothes, I would also recommend having a clear goal or idea of what you want to get out of the internship as it helps you to ask to work on certain areas that interest you as well as ask relevant questions to the embassy staff.