July - August 2019 • Ras al-Khaimah, Ras al-Khaimah
What I liked
The Al Qasimi Foundation serves the community in a variety of ways and emphasizes the role of community building, both in its programming and within the office. At lunch, people from all departments and job descriptions eat together and friendly, collaborative relationships are promoted. The Foundation also provided free housing and a stipend for living expenses, in addition to offering reimbursement for transportation to and from work.
What I wish was different
Personally, being seated for long periods of time was a challenge to get used to, given that as a student there is plenty of opportunity to move around between classes and assignments. Aside from that minor detail, my internship experience was extremely positive and I highly recommend the Foundation to other students and graduates.
Advice
The Al Qasimi Foundation, like many organization in the UAE, is extremely diverse in background and work culture. As an intern, this means that the work culture you may have been expecting could be different, and so it is important to be open minded and adaptable to different communication styles. And, as always, it is important to ask for clarification or advice whenever you feel the instructions you were given are open to interpretation.
